Hirons & Company

Jim Parham is the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Hirons & Company Communications. During the past 29 years, Jim Parham has handled public relations, crisis communications, and overall marketing and strategic communications for some of the nation's largest private companies and government agencies.

Jim is a former assistant vice president of the nation's largest employee-owned technology firm, Science Applications International Corp., based in La Jolla, Calif. Jim also served as chief of staff for the National Park Service, a $4 billion federal agency. A native Hoosier, Jim has considerable experience in handling national media such as "60 Minutes," "Nightline," The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He is often chosen by the U.S. government to coordinate and facilitate public outreach efforts on highly visible and controversial initiatives such as nuclear power plant sitings, storage of high-level radioactive waste, and the U.S.-Russian destruction of plutonium warheads. He coordinated all activities for the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor at the USS Arizona, organized a U.S. Senate tour of islands that included a rare visit to a community for people suffering from Hansen's disease (leprosy), and conducted a series of public meetings for the Office of the Vice President on food-borne health diseases.

Jim's specialty is organizing campaigns aimed at changing the perceptions of mass audiences. Through the executive loan program based at Indiana University, Jim also served 19 months as director of Indy Parks-creating the popular "bark parks" for dog owners and completing $40 million in new facilities including the Holliday Park Nature Center. He is in his 12th year teaching media relations and customer service at Indiana University.

Jim has a bachelor's degree in communications from Ball State, with concentrations in natural resources and journalism. He also has a master's degree in public administration from American University School of Public Affairs.