Michael
Cherenson

A 33-year veteran of the public relations industry, Michael Cherenson has counseled hundreds of organizations, helping them navigate and thrive in complex environments. The author of three studies on the impact of reputation, Cherenson is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Universal Accreditation Board and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and is a member of the latter’s prestigious College of Fellows.   

At SCG, he serves as chief public relations counselor and strategist, and oversees all public relations activities for the firms' diverse clientele.  

In 2009, Cherenson served as chair and CEO of PRSA, which is the world's largest professional organization for public relations professionals. Prior to that, he served as the society’s secretary, on its national board of directors, as chair of its Advocacy Advisory Board, and liaison to its Board of Professional Ethics and Standards.  

During his tenure on the Board of Directors, Cherenson co-authored a PRSA study on MBA Programs, with emphasis on communication curricula.  In 2005, Cherenson represented PRSA on Capitol Hill to address bills aimed at regulating video news releases. That same year, he represented the U.S. State Department and its Bureau of International Information Programs on a mission to Croatia, where he served as a keynote speaker at the Annual Croatian Public Relations Association Conference. 

In January 2020, Cherenson was elected to serve a three-year (2020-2023) term as the National Professional Adviser to the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).  The foremost organization for students interested in public relations, PRSSA has nearly 10,000 members on some 375 college and university campuses around the world.  

Cherenson was founder and co-chair of PRSA’s Voices4Everyone Task Force focused on disinformation, civility, and civic engagement and he’s developed into a recognized expert in the highly specialized field of mitigating disinformation, rumors, and conspiracies. He currently serves as a member of the PRSA’s Educational Affairs Committee and serves as a site team member for the Group’s CEPR Certification program. He also serves on the Accrediting Committee and as a site team member for the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC).   

Cherenson also serves on the board of directors of One To World, a New York City based non-profit that engages almost 100,000 international students studying in the New York-area (including over 800 Fulbright grantees) through programs that create understanding and build positive relationships between area residents and these unofficial ambassadors from around the world. 

In 2018, Cherenson was selected to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC), the oldest and most prestigious U.S. Department of Defense public liaison program. Hosted by the Secretary of Defense, the JCOC program is directly linked to the Department of Defense’s new initiative, This Is Your Military.  This initiative strives to educate and accurately inform the American public on the military’s relevance and innovativeness. In addition, the program seeks to introduce Americans to those who currently serve, and to dispel common misperceptions about the military. 

He is a past President of the New Jersey Chapter of the PRSA, which honored him with its Service Award in 2002.  

A father of three, Cherenson is a graduate of Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, and attended the prestigious Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at George Washington University, Washington, DC. He is founder and president of the Pequannock Lacrosse Club.