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Alonzo Byrd is assistant vice president of public affairs for Enterprise Holdings, which owns and operates Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent-A-Car.  He is responsible for the development and execution of corporate citizenship initiatives nationwide.  Byrd joined Enterprise in May 2002 and works from the company’s corporate headquarters in St. Louis.

Byrd works closely with senior management to ensure external initiatives are relevant and consistent with company values.  He also works with Enterprise Holdings operating groups across the country to cultivate relationships with community leaders, public officials, and multicultural groups.

Currently, Byrd is the Secretary of the Executive Committee for the Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois; Chair of East Side Aligned, a collective impact initiative in East St. Louis; a board member for Fair Saint Louis, and co-chair of the Board of Visitors for the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State University in Baltimore.  In addition, he is a member of the Mayor’s Business Council for the U.S. Conference of Mayors; a member of the Corporate Roundtable for the National League of Cities, and a Master Coach for the Masters Series for Distinguished Leaders, a professional development initiative in Washington, D.C.

Prior to joining Enterprise, Byrd was a vice president at Fleishman-Hillard Inc., a leading international public relations agency.  During his 15-year career at Fleishman, he managed a wide range of media relations, corporate relations, and diversity-related issues for Fortune 500 clients, including Anheuser-Busch Companies, UPS, Coca-Cola,
Procter & Gamble, and AT&T.  He also has counseled a number of nonprofit organizations, including the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the Tiger Woods Foundation, and Paraquad, which assists people with disabilities.

A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Byrd has worked as director of public relations for the
St. Louis Chapter of the American Red Cross, where he served as principal spokesman for the agency’s health, safety, and disaster awareness programs.  As a journalist, Byrd has worked for the Kansas City Times, the Oakland Press in Pontiac, Mich., and the Belleville (Ill.) News Democrat.  He began his career in journalism as a stringer with The Associated Press in St. Louis.

Byrd is married and has one child.  He is a 1981 graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.