leadership
rick keating
rick keating is chief executive officer at keating and originator of the firm’s think. say. hear.®️ philosophy. described by clients as a master message maker and storyteller.
author of how to control the narrative after the comma, a book set to publish in 2024. rick and his firm are called upon by industry #1s, forbes 400 families, venture capitalists, private equity firms, nonprofits, and governments worldwide to address high-level messaging, branding, and communication to prepare his clients to address their opportunities or situations.
serving the saudi royal family, paul tudor jones, george soros, the institute for new economic thinking, bill porter, bob stiller, the getty family, the coors family, zoe cruz, bertelsmann, vivendi, nyse, new york board of trade, clearing corporation, international securities exchange, saudi arabia, france, israel, australia, great britain, uae, south africa, india, the conference board, the county of santa clara (silicon valley), vanke, the sandoz foundation, nikon, endgame, cylance, emirates, virgin, alain ducasse, hippocratic ai, and many others. we have won almost all industry awards including being a runner-up for agency of the year and being recognized for excellence in legal communications.
rick has served on many boards, including the board of overseers of seton hall university’s john c. whitehead school of diplomacy and international relations, the shakespeare theatre of nj, the visual arts center of nj, and new eyes for the needy. he is currently a member of parks california advisory council, and advent health’s national advisory council, and is a senior advisor at mckinsey.
rick is a graduate of villanova university with dual degrees in english and communications, and the mit-harvard public disputes & mediation program. a sub 2:50 marathoner and avid cyclist.
bill fallon
bill is a seasoned marketing and business strategist, line executive and master communicator who has held executive positions in fortune 10, newly public, high-growth private and venture-backed startup companies.
he has worked at the forefront of several of the most important technology and media developments of the past three decades, including wireless messaging, smart phones, cloud computing, cybersecurity, online trust, digital rights management and digital content delivery among many others, with companies including ibm, at&t, general magic (sony, apple, motorola, at&t backed venture in silicon valley), audible, mail.com, easylink services and the comodo group. bill graduated from the s.i. newhouse school of public communications at syracuse university, new york university’s interactive telecommunications program (itp), and the columbia university executive program in business administration.
ben barnes
ben barnes is one of the nation’s leading public policy experts, providing insights, analysis, advocacy, and regulatory representation at both the state and federal levels. his relational capital is extensive in both the public and private sectors, making him a highly sought-after resource in a wide range of matters, from crisis management to strategic business development and financing.
a protégé of president lyndon johnson, ben barnes won a seat in the texas house of representatives at the age of 22. he became a top lieutenant and close ally of texas governor john connally. three years later, barnes was elected texas speaker of the house. at 26, he was the youngest speaker of the house in state history. five years later, barnes was elected lieutenant governor, again the youngest ever, garnering the most votes of any statewide candidate in texas history. he remains a major player in national politics and was referred to by the houston chronicle as one of the most influential texans in washington. he is a member of the board of directors of the eleanor and franklin roosevelt library and the roosevelt institute, is affiliated with the lbj school of public affairs at the university of texas and serves as the vice chairman of the lbj foundation.
matt mcfarlane
matt is an attorney and entrepreneur with a deep background in the life sciences supported by more than a decade of academic research in neuroscience, physiology and molecular biology. having worked in highly technical areas, matt has a unique ability to integrate and communicate multiple complex concepts within the context of a single coherent research proposal, theory of the case or business plan.
matt has a law degree from fordham law school, a phd from stanford university school of medicine (molecular & cellular physiology) and an scb from brown university (biochemistry). he has served as a director, trustee or advisor for several non-profit organizations and for-profit ventures.