Candice Grose
In her role as Deputy Chief of Communications for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), Candice Grose oversees communications, brand marketing, and public relations strategies for Ohio's third-largest school district. While leading a team of communication professionals in strategically telling the District's narrative, she reimagined the CMSD's brand voice, tone, and identity under the District's newly appointed CEO.
Candice served as Chief of Staff and Strategic Communications Leader for the Nashville Field Office of McDonald's USA prior to joining CMSD.
During her time at McDonald's, Candice developed communication plans and strategies to bridge the internal messaging gap between McDonald's corporate and franchise owners across 15 states in the southern region. After a promotion, Candice led the McDonald's Workplace Experience team, where she introduced the public-school community to McDonald's for the first time in corporate history by bringing 150 students from Chicago Public Schools to McDonald's headquarters for its Founder's Day event, exposing high school students to careers outside the restaurant.
Candice is passionate about public office. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris appointed her as the public information officer and spokesperson. She was responsible for media relations, community relations, campaign development, and strategic communications campaigns for Shelby County. Aside from managing crisis communications, she worked with the Shelby County Health Department on COVID-19 communications and advised the Department on public relations.
The Democratic National Convention's (DNC) Joint Press Office was Candice's most significant professional accomplishment in 2016 when she was invited to manage the press office during the DNC. There, she coordinated run-of-show logistics for the national press writers for Hillary Clinton and the DNC communications teams.
In her 15-year career trajectory, Candice has worked for major private and public brands, such as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the Memphis Urban League, thyssenKrupp, American Airlines, and Kraft Heinz.
Outside her professional endeavors, Candice is an active community member. Her commitment to social causes and professional excellence is evident in the numerous employment and community achievement awards she holds. She was also honored in the Memphis Business Journal's Top 40 Under 40 2020 cohort. Notably, she successfully launched her own annual community outreach project called "Queens Need," which collects and donates over 10,000 feminine hygiene products to school-aged girls in need.
She graduated from Hampton University and received her B.A. in Journalism and Communications.