Lori Eberenz

Senior Manager, Public Affairs
KFC
@LREberenz

Lori Riddle Eberenz is Senior Manager of Public Affairs for KFC U.S., where she oversees media and public relations efforts for the brand and its 4,100 restaurants nationwide.

She has led fun and breakthrough PR initiatives that delivered outstanding results including the creation of KFC’s Extra Crispy Sunscreen (2017 PR News WOW! Campaign of the Year), scratch ‘n sniff fried chicken-scented valentines and the 11 Herbs & Spices Fire Logs. She helped orchestrate KFC storming the Golden Globes and a contest to name a baby Harland in honor of Colonel Sanders’ birthday. She also leads the promotion of multiple new product launches each year.

While half of her job is generating good buzz, the other half is controlling negative spin and derailing crises. She has been a part of the business strategy to better train restaurant personnel and leads the crisis team to control issues before they reach a crisis point that could derail KFC’s five consecutive years of growth.

In 2017, Eberenz was named to PR Week’s 40 Under 40 list of professionals under 40 who are stepping forward to redefine the marcomms sector. Eberenz is a graduate Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky and holds a master’s degree from the renowned University of Missouri School of Journalism.