Opening her own shop in 1989 was an experiment that’s never ended for Teresa Zumwald: a speechwriter, executive speech coach, executive communications adviser and three-time corporate history book author.
At Zumwald & Company, LLC, she works 1:1 with leaders to write and deliver speeches and presentations that change how people think or behave.
Since 2012, her speeches have won 27 international, national and regional awards including 20 Cicero Speechwriting Awards from Vital Speeches of the Day.
Among her clients are board chairs, C-suite leaders, entrepreneurs and subject matter experts from the Fortune 500 and other U.S. and international firms including the former owner of two global manufacturing companies based in Europe.
She has also collaborated as the writer of a business book, authored by an executive, that was published in 2020 for stakeholders of a private corporation. A second edition is now in progress.
In addition, she leads executive communications projects, working closely with executives, managers and administrative staff as well as graphic designers, web developers, videographers, photographers and printers.
Over the years, her award-winning writing has been recognized by eight professional organizations, and her work has been published in 50 magazines, journals, corporate publications and online.
Before creating Zumwald & Company, Teresa was a communications specialist for Geographic Information Services at Woolpert, a national architecture, engineering and geospatial firm.
She has also been a reporter/copy editor for the department of University Communications at The Ohio State University, and a writer/copy editor for Diagnostic Medicine magazine in New Jersey.
Teresa earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and later trained under an international speechwriter and speech coach.
Specialties include:
Subjects
Topics for clients in these verticals:
Technology
Engineering
Manufacturing
R&D
Automotive
Wholesale Distribution
B2B & Professional Services
Associations & Nonprofits
Education & Health Care
Public Agencies
Advertising, Marketing & PR
Skills
Writing Credits
Speeches, speech coaching and executive communications for leaders at Advance Auto Parts, Winsupply Inc., InnoSource, KingFish + Partners clients, Westfall Gold clients, The Salvation Army, John Snow Inc., Lion Group Inc., Accel Inc., Inclusive Leaders Group, Unplanned Good Inc., Trusaic, CorporateLounge, Resonetics, The University of Dayton Center for Leadership, The Entrepreneurs Center, Crayons to Classrooms, Women in Business Networking (Better Business Bureau), Women’s Business Enterprise Council Ohio River Valley, and other corporate leaders and keynote speakers who prefer to remain confidential.
Book Credits
“The Spirit of Opportunity: How Free Enterprise Lets Entrepreneurs at Winsupply Earn Their Own Success” by Richard W. Schwartz with Teresa Zumwald (2020)
“For the Love of Dayton: Life in the Miami Valley, 1796-1996” (1995) and the revised edition (2001) by Teresa Zumwald
“The University of Dayton Research Institute – Sponsored Research: 40 Years of Progress” (1999) by Teresa Zumwald
“Dayton Ink: The First Century of the Dayton Daily News” (1998) by Teresa Zumwald
Awards, Honors, Appointments
20 Cicero Speechwriting Awards from Vital Speeches of the Day (2014 to date)
Five speechwriting awards from APEX® Awards for Publication Excellence (2012-2020)
One speechwriting award from the American Advertising Federation of Dayton (2014)
One speechwriting award from the International Association of Business Communicators (2013)
Legacy portfolio: Seven awards for collateral, 12 awards for articles, four awards for interviews, three awards for books
Appointment, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC): Currently serving as chair for IABC’s international Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for 2023–2024. Before that, Zumwald served for one year as vice chair and two years as a member of IABC’s PAC. The PAC works collaboratively with IABC staff to ensure that the IABC World Conference is a high-value professional development experience aligned to the needs of the global profession.
As author, unless indicated otherwise.
Keynote speech on advocating for adoption and adoption legislation delivered at the Idaho Chooses Life Christmas Dinner and Auction, Eagle Christian Church, Eagle, Idaho.
Result: Within six months, three adoption advocacy bills became law in the state.
This speech won the 2024 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the Nonprofit category.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
Read
Speech by an executive at a companywide event honoring Women's History Month in 2022.
This speech won the 2023 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the Leadership and Management category.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
Speech by an executive at a companywide event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2022.
This speech won the 2023 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the Social Justice category.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
Speech by an executive at the commencement ceremony for 2021 and 2020 graduates of the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, in 2021.
This speech won the 2022 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the Commencement/Convocation Address category.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
Speech by an executive at the Association of Independent Manufacturers’/Representatives, Inc. 48th Annual Conference in 2020.
This speech won the 2021 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the Commerce and Retail category.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
Speech by an executive at the Road to Freedom Seminar: Secrets to Advancing Free Enterprise Over Socialism, the Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise, Young America’s Foundation, Reston, Va., in 2019.
This speech won the 2020 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the Economics category.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
Speech by an executive at the Association of Independent Manufacturers’/Representatives, Inc. 46th Annual Conference, Napa, Calif., in 2018.
This speech won the 2019 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the Commerce and Retail category.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
Speech by an executive to Advisory and Support Services staff at the Winsupply Town Hall Meeting, Dayton Masonic Center, Dayton, Ohio, in 2018.
This speech won the 2019 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the Employee Meeting category.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
Served as the writer of a business book authored by an executive: Richard W. Schwartz.
We collaborated for more than three years on a book inspired by Schwartz's experiences working in and leading a unique organization for nearly 50 years.
This book is not a history of the organization.
Rather, it is the story of “why and how our fundamentals work and came to be, why and how they help hundreds of entrepreneurs succeed, and why and how we need to protect and defend what makes our organization unique and different.”
The creation of this book was informed in large part by:
Speech delivered at a wedding anniversary event in 2020.
This speech won an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Cicero Speechwriting Awards competition.
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards are presented by Vital Speeches of the Day.
