Our Team

Stephen E. Bradley

Stephen E. Bradley is president of Stephen Bradley & Associates LLC, a comprehensive, full service public affairs firm specializing in public relations, media relations, crisis communications, issues management, governmental and legislative relations, strategic planning, environmental communications, and innovative social media.

The firm has offices in the state’s financial center, Birmingham, and its political center and capital, Montgomery, serving corporate and business clients and trade associations.

Mr. Bradley was a staff writer for the Florence-Times/Tri-Cities Daily and a U.S. Navy journalist serving in Vietnam. After completing graduate studies, he was an editor and public relations representative with Shell Oil Company/Shell Chemical Company in Louisiana and Texas from 1971 to 1974.

In 1974, he was named executive director of the Alabama Press Association, the statewide trade association for 140 Alabama weekly and daily newspapers. In 1978, he accepted a position as assistant vice president, corporate communication, with Alabama Power Company. He was appointed vice president, public affairs, in 1985. In this capacity, he was responsible for corporate communication and governmental affairs activities including relations with local, state and federal governments and wholesale customers.

Mr. Bradley also served as the first president of the Alabama Power Foundation, Inc. from 1989-1990. He was named president of Waste Management, Inc. of Alabama in 1990, where he was responsible for public relations, strategic planning and public affairs coordination for the family of Waste Management companies in Alabama.

Mr. Bradley then accepted a position as senior vice president – public affairs, AmSouth Bank, responsible for the bank’s state and federal governmental and legislative relations, as well as its media relations and public affairs strategic planning.

In 1995, Mr. Bradley formed Stephen Bradley & Associates, the state’s only full service public affairs firm.

Long active in civic and charitable efforts, Mr. Bradley served as Communication Chairman for the Birmingham Metropolitan United Way; Press and Publicity Chairman for the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championships and the 1986 USGA Amateur Championship. He was president of the All American Bowl and the Birmingham Festival of Arts. He served on the boards of the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Discovery Place Children’s Museum, Family and Child Services and the Metropolitan Arts Council. Mr. Bradley was Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Alabama Productivity Center and served as the State Treasurer’s appointment to the board of the Alabama Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program. He is a member of the College of Communication and Information Sciences Board of Visitors and is Chairman of the Board’s Membership and Nominating Committee. He is a graduate of both Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama.

Mr. Bradley has a B.S. in Liberal Arts and an M.A. in Public Relations from the University of Alabama and is a graduate of Emory University’s Advanced Management Program.

Guy McCullough

Guy McCullough in 1982 became, at age 20, press secretary for Alabama’s progressive Lt. Governor in a pivotal gubernatorial race against former Governor George Wallace. In the Democrat primary run-off, McCullough produced much of the media that helped propel McMillan from only 26 percent of the vote to within less than a percentage point of Wallace.

In the 1986 election cycle, Mr. McCullough worked on several campaigns, including efforts with media producer Mandy Grunwald, and the late David Sawyer. Later that year he founded McCullough Advertising to provide marketing, public relations and advertising services to clients in Alabama and throughout the southeast.

In addition to the valuable experience gained in the political arena, Mr. McCullough has over 31 years of experience in providing media and public relations counseling and support to a wide range of brands and causes.

On  behalf of clients, Mr. McCullough has worked with each of the major national television networks, CNN, the BBC Worldservice, Deutsche Welle, The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Swiss Radio International and dozens of other local, regional, national and international media outlets.

Mr. McCullough  provided the marketing direction for City Stages, Birmingham’s world-class music festival for the first 20 years of the festival’s existence (though not the terminal 21st). In the 1990’s, City Stages generated attendance of almost two million patrons, becoming Alabama’s largest special event, and an internationally regarded music festival.

McCullough Advertising’s marketing effort for City Stages earned the 1992 Forbes-McKay Marketer of the Year Award from the American Marketing Association.

Associates

Lynn Sampson

Lynn Sampson is Account Manager with Stephen Bradley & Associates specializing in public relations, media relations and video production. She has also played an active role with key clients in crisis communications and the development of specialized print communications materials.

Mrs. Sampson has had a distinguished career in broadcast journalism, having worked as a news anchor and reporter at Birmingham’s WBRC-TV and Montgomery’s WSFA-TV and as host of “For the Record” on the Alabama Public Television Network.

Her work has garnered top awards in all categories, from the Associated Press Best Documentary Award for a documentary she wrote, produced and edited on location in a missionary hospital in Kenya, East Africa, to the coveted “Gold Award” from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is presented to the top public affairs program in the nation. She has also been named best reporter in the State of Alabama by the Associated Press. In addition, the Medical Association of Alabama has recognized Mrs. Sampson three times for outstanding medical reporting. She has also received the Governor’s Award for promoting employment of the handicapped.

Mrs. Sampson has also worked independently as a communications consultant, free-lance public relations practitioner, book editor, video writer/producer, and print journalist.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Horse Council and the Advisory Board of Hand-in-Paw, an animal assisted therapy organization. She is a past president of Hand-in-Paw’s board. She has also served on the boards of the Children’s Trust Fund, the Alabama Associated Press Members Association, the American Lung Association and the Montgomery Chapter of the American Cancer Society. She has also served on the Alabama Department of Human Resources Citizens’ Advisory Board and was a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Elder Abuse.

Kay Vinyard

Kay Vinyard joined Stephen Bradley & Associates in 1995 as Administrative Assistant. She is responsible for a wide variety of tasks associated with the firm including accounts receivable and payable, lobbying and PAC reports, and correspondence and legislative reports.

Ms. Vinyard served as executive secretary at AmSouth Bank for the Senior Vice President Public Affairs, the Chief Technology Officer and the Chief Financial Officer. During her career at AmSouth, she also worked in the Commercial Banking Department and the Telecommunications Department.

Ms. Vinyard has over 15 years experience assisting non-profit organizations. She has been involved both as an employee and a volunteer, holding the position of executive secretary for the Birmingham Jaycees. While there she was responsible for publishing the monthly newsletter, arranging monthly meetings and overseeing accounts receivable and payable, as well as other administrative duties. As executive secretary for the Alabama Jaycees, Ms. Vinyard managed the state office on a daily basis and coordinated quarterly state meetings.

She has a B.A. degree in Sociology and Psychology from Judson College.