APR
Accreditation in Public Relations
Public affairs, media relations, ethical communication, and public accountability.
Background video: atmospheric footage of place and landscape evoking the land, history, and community relationships that guide CenterSignal's work.
The Story Behind CenterSignal.
CenterSignal is a historical storytelling and strategic communications practice founded by Phillip Yates, APR, PMP. We help organizations, institutions, communities, and companies uncover, interpret, and communicate the stories that shape who they are.
By combining rigorous archival research, historical insight, and strategic communications, CenterSignal helps clients preserve institutional memory, strengthen identity, deepen connection, and build lasting public trust.
Our Approach
How CenterSignal Works With You
01
Discover
Every meaningful story begins with evidence.
CenterSignal starts by uncovering the records, archives, oral histories, photographs, maps, and institutional knowledge that reveal the history behind an organization, community, or place.
02
Interpret
Research becomes meaningful through careful interpretation.
CenterSignal connects historical evidence, lived experience, and organizational context to uncover the stories that shape identity, guide decision-making, and strengthen public understanding.
03
Share
Stories only matter when people understand them.
CenterSignal transforms research into clear, compelling communication that helps organizations preserve history, engage communities, prepare leaders, and build lasting public trust.
Phillip Yates
Phillip Yates is a strategic communications professional, award-winning historical storyteller, and founder of CenterSignal.
His work combines archival research, historical interpretation, strategic communications, and public engagement to help organizations understand and communicate the stories that shape who they are.
Much of that work took shape in Boulder, Colorado, where Phillip developed a research-driven methodology for elevating Tribal perspectives, strengthening public understanding, and telling fuller histories of land, place, and community. The experience gained through these historically complex public projects now informs CenterSignal’s work with organizations, communities, institutions, and companies seeking to better understand, preserve, and communicate their own histories.
Recognition
Selected press and recognition Award-Winning Engagement And Communication
Phillip Yates’s work has been honored with national, regional, and statewide awards recognizing excellence in historical storytelling, public engagement, and collaborative communication — including multiple Colorado PRSA Gold Pick Awards earned for historical storytelling with Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Elders focused on telling the story of Boulder’s connection to the Sand Creek Massacre.
Selected Clients & Collaborative Partners
These organizations represent foundational experience that helped shape CenterSignal’s approach.
Credentials
Discipline Behind The Practice
Historical storytelling requires more than excellent research. It also requires thoughtful project management, clear communication, stakeholder coordination, and disciplined execution. These credentials reflect the professional standards CenterSignal brings to every engagement.
PMP
Project Management Professional
Scope, schedule, stakeholders, and follow-through on complex public-facing work.
PMI-RMP
Risk Management Professional
Anticipating uncertainty, surfacing blind spots, and supporting steadier public decisions.
PMI-ACP
Agile Certified Practitioner
Adaptive planning and collaboration when work shifts under real-world conditions.
Continuing Education
Professional Certificates
- Brand Management — Cornell University
- Marketing Strategy — Cornell University
- Public Sector Leadership — Cornell University
- Social Impact Measurement — Arizona State University
- Corporate Social Responsibility — University of Colorado / B:CIVIC
- Sustainable Community Transformation — University of Colorado / Coursera
- Business Strategies for a Better World — University of Pennsylvania / Coursera
- Sustainable Business Strategies — Harvard Business School Online
Community Role
Service Beyond The Practice
Phillip Yates serves on the board of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, supporting Native art programming, public history, and local storytelling. This reflects CenterSignal’s belief that meaningful storytelling begins with authentic relationships — not just research, but ongoing presence and care in the communities the work touches.
See the Work
Let’s Tell Your Story.
Every organization has a story worth telling. Whether you’re preserving an organizational history, celebrating a company milestone, documenting a community’s story, or exploring the history of a place, CenterSignal helps uncover and share the stories that deepen connection, strengthen identity, and build lasting public trust.