Terry Gipson has over 25 years of experience in communications, public relations, government affairs, marketing, mass media, experiential design, and he is a former New York State Senator. As a member of the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, he teaches Public Speaking in the Harvard College Writing Program. In addition, he teaches Public Relations and Strategic Communication for the Harvard Division of Continuing Education. Terry is an editor for the Effective Writing for Health Care program in the Harvard Medical School, and a speaking advisor for “Our Narratives” at the Kennedy School Institute of Politics.
Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, Terry was a Lecturer in Communications at The State University of New York at New Paltz where he taught Intro to Communication, Public Speaking, Public Relations, Argumentation, Social Media, Persuasion, Interpersonal Communications, and Political Communication. He also taught Speech Communication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he codeveloped a course to teach STEM students how to effectively communicate to non-scientific audiences.
Terry is a regular commentator on the WAMC Public Radio Roundtable, an NPR affiliate. His interest in using visual art as a communication teaching tool has been featured on the Academic Minute and published in Communication Teacher. He is a member of the National Communication Association and the Public Relations Society of America.
Terry with 2024 “Our Narratives” participants at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.
Publications and Experiential Teaching Methods:
Art & Perception: How Observing and Discussing Art Can Support Students’ Communication Education
How Art Can Help Us Improve Our Communication Skills, The Academic Minute
Career & Education Summary: Before entering academia, Terry was a New York State Senator and a local elected official in Rhinebeck, NY. His government service was preceded by a career in public relations and experiential design for television networks, corporate brands, and nonprofits. As a Director for MTV Networks in New York City, he collaborated with network executives and producers to develop entertainment programming and hundreds of public relations events for MTV, Nickelodeon, CMT, Comedy Central, and other Viacom properties. In 2006, Terry launched Gipson Design Group where he led the development of experiential marketing events for MTV, American Express, Disney, Verizon, PBS, and other brands. Terry has a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Texas Tech University.
Public Service: Terry is a former New York State Senator from the Hudson Valley. He was elected in 2012 and is the first Democrat to have represented the district since Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1913.
Building stronger communities has been the cornerstone of Terry’s commitment to public service. He was a volunteer fireman in Hartsdale, NY, and was elected to two terms as a Rhinebeck Village Trustee where he worked extensively on the development of new infrastructure. As a State Senator, Terry was the ranking member of both the Local Government and Agriculture Committees.
Environmental Advocacy: Senator Gipson fought to protect our drinking water by supporting a ban on fracking and increased investments in the Environmental Protection Fund. In recognition of his commitment to environmental conservation, Terry received the highest possible rating from Environmental Advocates of New York.
Lyme Disease: Terry Gipson’s legislative work on behalf of Lyme disease victims is well documented. It was the advocacy efforts of his Senate office that led to the increased funding of Lyme disease research, and a new law protecting doctors that treat patients with long-term Lyme disease. Terry sponsored legislation to hold insurance companies accountable for covering the cost of Lyme disease treatment.
Community Support: Terry designed “Hire NY”, a program to help small business owners hire more people in their local community. He worked to create a more expedient family court system and helped local organizations expand programs for victims of domestic violence and individuals with developmental disabilities. Terry is a staunch supporter of public school education and sponsored the bill that banned Pearson standardized testing.
Roots: Originally from Texas, Terry comes from a long line of farmers and laborers. Terry lived in New York for over 27 years with his wife Michelle (a native New Yorker) until they relocated to Boston, Massachusetts in 2022.
Other Campaigns: Terry continues to advocate for a government that puts the needs of the people first. Towards that end, he campaigned across New York State from Fall 2017 to Spring 2018 as a Democratic gubernatorial candidate. (Buffalo and Queens events are pictured below.) Terry ended his campaign in March 2018. Here’s a link to his statement http://www.terrygipsonny.com/gipson-ends-2018-campaign-for-governor-of-new-york
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