A Twin Cities business owner is selected for a top 2014-2015 teaching award at
Metropolitan State University.

Rose McKinney, a university College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) community faculty
member, received the Excellence in Teaching Award on Oct. 3. She was nominated from among
about 925 resident and community faculty.

“Rose McKinney is a highly respected, award-winning public relations professional who
has served in a number of executive roles in the industry for many years,” says Nancy Nentl,
marketing professor and MBA program director. “She has committed herself to fully bringing
the world of public relations to students in a very real way, and the value she brings to the
classroom is greatly appreciated.”

“It’s my privilege to work with the dedicated, adult learners at Metropolitan State who
bring real-world perspective to our courses,” McKinney says. “I enjoy sharing my career insights
and appreciate that they bring classroom content to the workplace the next morning. In addition,
I’m proud of our PR graduates and their many career successes.”

McKinney is founder and CEO of Pineapple RM, a Minneapolis strategic
communications firm focused on reputation management, including public relations. She was
recently inducted into the Public Relations Society of America’s College of Fellows, an honor
bestowed on an elite group of senior-level practitioners who have significantly contributed to the
public relations profession. Locally, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Business Journal recognized
McKinney as a “Woman to Watch.”

A 28-year public-relations professional, McKinney was previously president of Risdall-
McKinney Public Relations, New Brighton. Before that, she was vice president of Karwoski and
Courage, a division of Martin Williams Advertising, Minneapolis.

McKinney has taught as a CAS community faculty member for 11 years. Her courses
include public relations principles and advanced public relations. McKinney has also taught
special seminars on communications topics, including brand messaging, and has been a featured
speaker on personal branding and job-search strategies for Metropolitan State’s mentoring
program. She often invites leading industry professionals to classes, in part to facilitate students’
networking opportunities.

She frequently develops community-based assignments so students obtain real-world
industry experience. McKinney is a six-time recipient of Metropolitan State’s President’s Circle
of Engagement, an award given by the university’s president to faculty who develop communitybased
curriculum with hands-on learning opportunities.

McKinney earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication with an
emphasis on public relations from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa.