As part of our ongoing “5 Questions” series, Nyhus would like to introduce you to one of the newest members of our team, Mike Wiegand. Mike joins us as Nyhus’ Director of Executive Communications, and we are excited to have him and his experience in executive communications strategy, speechwriting and leadership messaging as part of our leadership.
Meet Mike:
What are you looking forward to most in your new position?
Helping our clients become the thought leaders they are capable of being. It’s very inspiring work, and the diversity of executive personalities, styles, issues and philosophies I encounter is fascinating. At Nyhus we offer experienced expertise and top-tier executive communications consulting, planning and writing. I’m thrilled to be leading that effort.
What is your favorite thing about working in executive communications?
The chance to make a difference. When people effectively engage other people on important subjects, good things happen. When I play a part in that process and see a change—even a slight shift—in hearts and minds, it feels very worthwhile.
What is your proudest career moment?
One of the most memorable moments was a speech I wrote for then-Governor Gary Locke. The Governor was speaking at a Memorial Day ceremony at Tahoma National Cemetery. When I was working on the speech, I took a break and walked around the capitol campus for a while. There’s a World War II memorial there, and a portion of it features hundreds of granite tiles with inscriptions for individual soldiers who died in the war. The inscriptions are terse and stark. I came across one that said “William C. Westlake/USMC/KIA/Iwo Jima/Age 15.” It was utterly heartbreaking to read that, and I decided to include it in the speech. As the Governor spoke, he mentioned the tiles and slowly read what William’s inscription said. When he got to “Age 15,” an audible, reverent gasp went up from the audience. Some wept. It was very humbling and unforgettably moving to pay tribute to this boy’s sacrifice and know I’d helped him to be remembered some 60 years after his death.
What’s the best part about your new job so far?
Well, I’m not the first person to point this out, but the best part about joining this team is the people. My colleagues are uniformly brilliant, talented, and very cool professionals. And we all know how to have fun!
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like to write poetry, and have managed to get a couple dozen poems published in little print and online literary journals over the years. I’ve also been able to wallpaper my entire home with rejection slips. Besides dealing with occasional success tragically punctuated by chronic, crushing disappointment, I also enjoy weight training, singing and playing guitar, and watching “Sea Hunt” reruns.
