About Us

Debra Schuyler Finkel

Debra Schuyler Finkel, founder and principal of Finkel & Binder Communications, LLC, has over 25 years of experience in public relations and marketing communications. Prior to establishing the agency in 1985, she served as manager of news services and publications for the University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she directed an intensive local, regional and national media campaign.

In addition to her ongoing Finkel & Binder Communications work, Finkel serves as Visiting Instructor of Public Relations at Saint Louis University and as an adjunct professor for Webster University’s School of Communications and Maryville University. Finkel has been a guest speaker for many organizations, including the Public Relations Student Society of America-St. Louis, Missouri Hospital Association, the Press Club of Metropolitan St. Louis and Washington University Business School Seminar, the Working Women’s Survival Show, the International Association of Business Communicators, the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, the Society for Technical Communication, the Christian Writers Workshop and the National Council of Jewish Women Seminar.

Finkel earned an M.A. with Honors in Media Communications from Webster University. She is also a graduate of the nationally recognized School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she was honored with the Bronstein Prize for Feature Writing. Her professional writing, editing and public relations projects and campaigns have received local, regional and international awards from organizations including the International Association of Business Communicators, the Communicator Print Media Competition, the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence, the Missouri Hospital Association and the Hermes Creative Awards.

Patricia Burns Binder

Patricia Burns Binder, principal, who has more than 20 years of experience in public relations and marketing communications, joined the agency in 1989. Binder works with local, regional and national media to achieve placements for a variety of Finkel & Binder Communications clients. She also directs special projects, promotional events and campaigns.

Binder has received numerous international and regional awards from such organizations as the Communicator Print Media Competition, the International Association of Business Communicators and the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. She is a magna cum laude communications and journalism graduate of Saint Louis University, where she edited the school newspaper and won two first-place awards from the Missouri College Newspaper Association.

Her background also includes working in corporate marketing positions. She has done freelance writing for the St. Louis Suburban Journal Newspapers, and completed internships at KMOV-TV and the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Binder also serves on the board of directors for Leftovers, Etc., a not-for-profit, publicly funded educational and environmental organization serving the Greater St. Louis and St. Charles County areas. Binder promotes Leftovers, Etc. through a wide variety of media relations and business development programs.

Dorothy Downs

Dorothy Downs, project manager, joined the agency in 1986. Downs compiles, updates and coordinates media and other target audience lists. She manages production details, maintains Web sites and distributes materials for various marketing communication projects. Downs also manages proofreading and production details for publications, press releases and business writing assignments.

Downs is the recipient of various local, regional and national awards from such organizations as the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence, Communicator Print Media Competition and the International Association of Business Communicators.

Return to Top