Emily Mekstan

Emily (Hartwig) Mekstan is Senior Manager of Retail and Owned Brand Communications for Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens. It's one of the nation's largest drugstore chains, included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. Mekstan joined Walgreens in April 2013 as a media relations specialist and serving as a company spokesperson fielding a variety of media opportunities. Throughout her seven years with the company, she held positions of increasing responsibility and led to proactive and reactive communications, including public relations campaign development and coordination for the enterprise brand and retail division. Examples of campaign development work includes Walgreens brand relaunch, Feel More Like You; the company’s strategic partnership with Birchbox, Beauty Differentiation; and cause marketing programs like Red Nose Day and WE. Prior to joining Walgreens, Mekstan held several positions for Fishman Public Relations, an aggressive publicity firm that specializes in customized public relations and marketing programs for franchise organizations across a variety of sectors. Mekstan directed public relations campaigns and generated high-level publicity on behalf of more than 100 leading national brands throughout the United States, Middle East and Canada, including Gold’s Gym International, Haagen-Dazs Shops, NAPA AUTO PARTS, and Schlotzsky’s from 2009 to 2013. Mekstan generated proactive and positive publicity and secured press coverage in various high-profile media outlets including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, "The Rachael Ray Show,"  "Good Morning America," Fox Business News and CNBC, as well as hundreds of local outlets around the country.