Jennifer Skelley

Director of Communications & Public Relations

Jennifer Skelley has been with APPA for more than 12 years and oversees all communications efforts including public relations, social media and website content for both the Association and Global Pet Expo, the pet industry’s largest annual trade show. Jenn plays an integral role in developing and implementing association-wide marketing communications plans that serve to promote and advance APPA, Global Pet Expo and the pet products industry.  One such initiative is the Pets Add Life (PAL Campaign), which launched in 2005 as a public service announcement effort and has since grown into a highly impactful social media campaign with more than 336,000 Facebook fans, millions of impressions, and has become one of the leading voices for promoting pet adoption and responsible pet ownership.   

At Global Pet Expo, Jenn oversees the Press Office and has assisted in garnering millions of media impressions in such prestigious media outlets as Good Morning America, The Today Show, HGTV, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, to name a few. She has played a key role in growing media attendance at the Show to nearly 300, which is more than double from when she joined the team. The Show was also recently named “The Greatest Show on Earth” by Trade Show Executive Magazine. 

Jenn is a founding member and serves on the steering committee of APPA’s Professional Women’s Network. She previously served as APPA’s Communications Program Manager, and prior to joining the Association, worked in public relations at Avon Products, Inc. for the organization’s “Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.” 

She was named a winner in the 2015 Pet Age Forty Under 40 awards program.  The Forty Under 40 awards program honors men and women under the age of 40 who have been making headlines in their field and who share a commitment to business growth, to professional excellence and to the community.  Jenn is also a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and American Marketing Association (AMA).

Jenn is a graduate of Boston College where she earned a dual-degree in communications and sociology.  She and her husband reside in New York with their two daughters and cat, Rascal.