About PuMa Founder
Margaret Pulles Machado, CEO & Chief Strategist
Prior to establishing PuMa Communications, Ms. Pulles held a number of senior positions of great responsibility and has established a career of proven accomplishments in communications, government relations, development and cultural affairs. In 2003, Margaret served as the Director of Communications and Public Affairs at the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX). She managed a $2.1 million budget and successfully developed and implemented effective communications and government relations strategies for the agency, promoting and educating public officials and the general public on transportation issues, innovative technologies and construction projects.
As Vice-President for Strategic Development of the Miami Museum of Science, she was responsible for the overall coordination of the $220million science museum project. She served as a strategic advisor to the director, board members and development unit. She was the government relations strategist and liaison. She secured $10million in Letters of Commitment that allowed the museum to obtain matching funds from the City of Miami, critical to the planning phase of the project. Her vision, strategic thinking and management skills enabled the museum to pass a General Obligations Bond for $170 million for the new museum project.
As Deputy Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Affiliations Program, Margaret helped create the program's management infrastructure, managed a 3 million budget and helped secure over three hundred thousand dollars to support a special initiatives. She served as advisor to more than 40 museums and cultural institutions in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama and Australia.
As Director of Public Affairs/Account Supervisor for Burson-Marsteller, she directed government relations activities and successfully managed accounts for The Home Depot, Eli Lilly and Company, Coulter Corporation, French Trade Commission, and Owens-Corning among others. She created the community relations program “Winning Back Miami” to profile and position Burson as a community partner in South Florida. The Miami Herald issued an editorial in support of the program, receiving widespread attention for Burson while legitimately addressing community concerns.
In 1991, Margaret was appointed to serve in the Bush administration. Among her duties at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs, she was responsible for enforcing Section 111 of the Civil Rights Act of 1990, known as the Serrano Amendment. She developed and executed a national outreach strategy that helped bridge differences between civil rights groups and the EEOC. She worked closely with the National Council of La Raza, LULAC, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and others. Margaret served as agency spokesperson, discussing issues of discrimination with local and national media. In addition to her public education efforts, she produced the well-received public service announcement on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which aired on Telemundo and Univision-affiliated television stations nationwide and Puerto Rico.
As an administration official at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, she developed a national minority business outreach strategy and represented the agency on the U.S. Commission on Minority Business Development. In this position, she worked closely with minority trade organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to promote DOT procurement and financial opportunities within the disadvantaged business community.
Prior to working in the Administration, Margaret served as Community Liaison to the Miami-Dade County Commission, counseling elected officials on issues that affected Dade County constituents. She worked with Dade’s culturally diverse community and the media. Margaret ran for the Dade County Commission in 1990, receiving widespread support and positive coverage from local media and organizations.
Margaret, a native of Miami Beach, Florida, is first generation Cuban-American and has lived in Florida, New York, Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, Arizona and Mexico. She is proficient in English, Spanish and French and has degrees and coursed studies at various institutions, including: Institute Technologique Franco-Mexicain in Business Administration; Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Humanities; International Relations at the Universidad Ibero-Americana; Business Administration and Sales & Marketing at the University of Miami; Economic Development at Georgetown University; and Strategic Development at the American Management Association.
Hablamos Espanol and On Parle Francais