Deanna Zabel, EMBA

Deanna Zabel is the Founder of Zabel Communications, LLC, based in Grafton, Wisconsin, and currently serves as Senior Manager, Culture and Global Employee Communications at Broan-NuTone in Hartford, Wisconsin. With roughly 25 years of experience in communications and public relations, she built her consultancy nearly nine years ago to help small businesses with services ranging from social media and newsletters to websites, public relations, and event planning. Alongside her freelance work, she has also built a reputation as an editor, working on projects spanning novels, dissertations, and screenplays. Her career reflects a steady rise through both political and corporate communications. She began on Capitol Hill handling constituent correspondence, then moved into labor organizing, running member-to-member political campaigns in Milwaukee before becoming Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. From there, she took on communications roles at Milwaukee World Festival, American Transmission Company, and Wigwam Mills, followed by a senior product marketing position at Rite-Hite. She spent eight years at Briggs & Stratton, where her focus shifted toward internal communications, and later led internal communications at EVERSANA, where she significantly grew intranet engagement and strengthened executive messaging. She also spent time at Northwestern Mutual leading technology presence for events before joining Broan-NuTone, where she has led internal communications and, since December 2025, has overseen culture and global employee communications. Deanna holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology. She is a current member of The Curious Tribe and has past affiliations with PRSA, AWC, and IABC. Outside of her professional work, she volunteers with the United Way and the Alzheimer's Association, with plans to get involved with the Wisconsin Parkinson's Association as well. Guided by honesty, transparency, and accountability, she brings a servant-leadership mindset to everything she does, and she was recognized as an Influential Woman representing Grafton, Wisconsin, for 2026.