Wendy Abrams,
Vice President of Transportation, Infrastructure & Mobility
Wendy Abrams is Vice President of Morreale Communications’ celebrated Transportation, Infrastructure and Mobility practice. She is a seasoned professional offering comprehensive, results-driven strategies informed by her more than 20 years working for government agencies, corporations and nonprofit organizations.
Wendy specializes in developing communications plans that build awareness, engagement and support for major infrastructure investment projects. Her accomplishments in media relations, corporate social responsibility, government affairs, crisis communications and community relations have earned her recognition from PRWeek, PR News, the Public Relations Society of America and the Publicity Club of Chicago.
While at Morreale, Wendy has served clients and worked on projects including the Illinois Tollway, Metra, IDOT, Studio ORD and the City of Chicago Department of Aviation. In her less than three years at the firm, her work has earned two ACEC Illinois Engineering Excellence Awards in the Public Engagement and Communications category for the Metra Access Pass Program and IDOT’s Division of Aeronautics campaigns.
Some of her most notable past work includes:
Serving as Chief Communications Officer for the Illinois Tollway, Wendy developed a comprehensive communications strategy and public outreach campaign for a 15-year, $12 billion capital construction program - the largest investment in the agency’s history.
Wendy led the legislative and public affairs campaign that successfully expanded the Illinois Lottery’s online gaming offerings on behalf of an international gaming company that serves as private manager.
Wendy was the liaison to government officials on behalf of Crown Castle, a Fortune 500 company, as it sought regulatory authority for communications infrastructure investments in Chicago and throughout the Midwestern United States.
As Chief External Affairs Officer at Metra, Wendy was head of communications as the railroad successfully sought two consecutive fare increases for capital investment. She also oversaw a new Metra marketing and brand campaign to better engage new riders and a successful public policy initiative to increase penalties for drivers trying to cross railroad tracks after signals are activated.
A Chicago City Hall alumnus, Wendy is a past media spokesperson for the City of Chicago Office of Budget and Management and Assistant Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation. She was responsible for crisis communications and a National Transportation Safety Board hearing about a fatal accident at Midway International Airport.
Wendy earned her M.A. in Arts Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a B.S. in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Chicago with her husband and twin boys.