Why PR? “I love pitching ideas to editors and producers and experiencing the challenge of placing a story.”

Kay Degenhardt
Senior Consultant

Kay works directly with media from the LCWA New York City office. With more than 30 years experience in public relations and licensing, she works with a diverse range of consumer and home product manufacturers. Kay currently plans media events and trade shows for the firm and regularly meets with NYC-based print and broadcast contacts on behalf of her clients.

Job Highlights

• Hosting a “Pick Paint in Your Pajamas” media event for Glidden at a club with dine-in beds in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City
• Coordinating the launch event for a new wallcovering collection designed by a famous Mexican artist at The Americas Society on Upper Park Avenue
• Creating a “gallery style” media event at Mother’s Studio on Manhattan’s Lower East Side for a new art-based paint collection

Before LCWA
Kay founded her own agency — KDI — in 1989, and has served as a public relations consultant and licensing agent for many high-profile brand names in the home decorating and home furnishings industries.

Involvement
Kay is active in several professional organizations. She’s a longtime member of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) — New York Chapter, for which she served on the board of directors. She’s also served on the planning committee of The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s National Design Awards. In addition, Kay is on the steering committee for Voices from Inside, an organization that empowers women who have been incarcerated through writing workshops and public performances.

Education
Kay was born in Cleveland and grew up in western New York State. She studied speech and drama at Ithaca College and graduated from Rosary Hill College in Buffalo, NY, with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.

Fun Fact
A big fan of New York City, Kay loves taking visitors to interesting neighborhoods, great restaurants and fabulous stores. She once organized a holiday bus tour for her friends that included the lights and decorations at Bergdorf Goodman, Barney’s and Rockefeller Center.