About us

Carlson Communications was founded to help organizations communicate better. We believe that good communications can make the difference between success or failure, whether you are selling a product or trying to change the world (or doing both).

All of our clients are interested in success, but not at the cost of people or the planet. Many of them regard sustainability as a key part of doing business, whether it’s producing an environmentally-friendly product, changing behavior or helping people lead happier, more productive lives.

Leslie Carlson, Founder & Principal

Prior to establishing her own company, company founder Leslie Carlson worked as an advisor to Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, as member of the communications staff at PacifiCorp and as the Oregon Press Secretary on a presidential campaign. She even has experience working for two provincial governments in Canada.

Carlson's  experience includes working with the City of Portland's effort to end homelessness, creating visibility for two “green” Hilton hotels and public relations and marketing efforts for the three-day festival celebrating the Dalai Lama’s 2001 visit to Portland.

She has worked with a variety of local, regional, national and international media throughout her career. Her writing experience includes all kinds of marketing and media materials, speechwriting, annual reports and articles for consumer and academic publications. Carlson’s written work has appeared in Oregon’s Future magazine, The Oregonian, the Eugene Register Guard, and the Salem Statesman Journal.

Carlson is a member of the board for the Coalition for a Livable Future and a member of Multnomah County's Advisory Committee on Sustainability and Innovation. She is also a contributor to the blog BlueOregon.

Marian Hammond, Principal

Prior to joining Carlson Communications, Marian Hammond spent five years as the Innovation and Economic Strategies manager at Business Oregon, the state’s business development department. She served as the lead staff advisor to the Oregon Innovation Council from its inception in 2005, overseeing the council’s legislative strategy and helping the council successfully secure $44 million in state funding for job-creation programs.

Hammond started her career in Oregon as Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury’s press secretary and speechwriter, and subsequently served for three years as a policy advisor and deputy communications director to Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski.

Hammond’s experience includes planning and conducting public relations campaigns for a variety of state-level policy initiatives. She represented Oregon at a 2010 White House/Brookings Institute roundtable on national innovation policy, and has authored testimony, briefings and policy papers for the state and federal legislature.