
Mary Catherine Sullivan, who holds a Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt University, is a senior director of Data Science for Digital & Insights, within FTI’s Strategic Communications segment. She is a communications and data science leader specializing in message testing, audience research, digital communications analytics, and reputational risk assessment. As part of FTI Consulting’s Data Science team, she develops state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, natural language processing, machine learning, and statistical models to analyze media ecosystems, stakeholder discourse, and audience response—supporting informed, defensible decision-making for clients navigating complex reputational environments.