WAUKESHA, Wis., Aug. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Empathia, a leader in crisis management and behavioral health services, today announced the addition of deployable crisis communication resources to its growing portfolio of crisis support services, expanding the specialized expertise available to organizations navigating complex and highly visible critical events.
A crisis creates hundreds of needs, questions and responsibilities almost immediately. In high-touch industries such as aviation, transportation and higher education, those demands multiply quickly: caring for those affected, coordinating with families and employees, working alongside authorities and response partners, and communicating with the media and the public. All of this unfolds while leadership remains focused on guiding the response.
The addition of strategic crisis communications builds on Empathia’s centralized approach to care and coordination, bringing together specialized expertise and field-tested processes to help organizations care for people, maintain structure and protect trust throughout response and recovery.
To support the expanded offering, Empathia has added veteran crisis communications professionals T.J. Winick and Chris McCloud to its growing network of crisis experts.
“Critical incidents require organizations to prepare for and manage both the human impact of an event and an extraordinary number of operational and communications demands,” said Empathia CEO Carol Wilson. “Adding strategic crisis communications expertise strengthens Empathia’s centralized approach to care and coordination. It gives our clients experienced communications counsel that can work alongside leadership and our crisis response team to help reduce uncertainty and protect trust throughout the response and recovery.”
Communications as Part of a Coordinated Crisis Response
No two crises are the same. Empathia’s support scales based on the size, complexity and visibility of an event, helping organizations manage the emotional and logistical realities that follow a critical incident.
Strategic crisis communications extends that model to the communications challenges organizations face before, during and after an event. Capabilities include crisis communications planning and preparedness, executive counsel, message development, stakeholder communications, media strategy and response, spokesperson preparation, media training and reputational recovery.
Empathia has supported thousands of crisis responses, including aviation and other transportation accidents, mass violence, mass fatality events, terrorism and natural disasters. Its critical incident capabilities include rapid call center Family Assistance Center activation, dedicated support for those affected, coordination of travel and on-site logistics, planning for briefings and memorial events, collaboration with local authorities and response partners, and continued support beyond the immediate response.
Experienced Crisis Communications Counsel
T.J. Winick is a strategic crisis communicator and former broadcast network journalist with more than a dozen years of experience counseling organizations on high-profile issues including executive misconduct, workplace and federal investigations, litigation, industrial accidents, transportation events, and crises involving artificial intelligence and social media.
Chris McCloud is an award-winning communications strategist with more than 15 years of strategic and crisis communications experience, particularly in regulated industries. He has provided crisis communications counsel, strategic messaging and media training across multiple sectors, including higher education, healthcare and law enforcement.
What Organizations Miss in the First Hours of a Crisis
Winick and McCloud recently joined Empathia’s OnTopic podcast for a conversation about the role communication plays during the earliest and often most consequential stages of a crisis.
The discussion explores the critical first hours of a crisis, why communications should be integrated into the broader response from the beginning, and how organizations can provide timely and credible information even when circumstances are changing and many facts remain unknown.
Listen to the OnTopic conversation with T.J. Winick and Chris McCloud
ABOUT EMPATHIA
Empathia provides behavioral health, employee assistance and crisis management services to organizations throughout the United States and around the world. Empathia’s crisis professionals help organizations prepare for, respond to and recover from critical incidents through a coordinated approach centered on people, communication and organizational support. For more, visit Empathia.com.
MEDIA CONTACT Chris McCloud 217-502-4376 cmccloud@pendulum-pr.com
