New York, November 10, 2006 - The Council of Public Relations Firms, the industry's trade association, announced the election of new officers and directors.
The new Chair of the Council's Board is Marcia Silverman, CEO of Ogilvy Public Relations, one of the world's leading public relations firms. Silverman, a 25-year veteran of Ogilvy Public Relations, has been recognized by PRWeek as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in PR and as one of the 100 Most Influential PR Professionals of the 20th century. She has counseled and provided public relations expertise to corporations, trade associations and government agencies.
Joining Silverman as executive officers are Ray Kotcher (Ketchum) as Chair-elect for 2008; Joel Curran (CKPR) as Secretary; Abby Gouverneur Carr (Bliss, Gouverneur & Associates) as Treasurer; and Helen Ostrowski (Porter Novelli) as immediate past Chair of the Council.
The Council also announced the election of its new board members, all CEOs/principals of their firms: Fred Cook (GolinHarris), Andy Cooper (CooperKatz & Company), Margery Kraus (APCO Worldwide), Cos Mallozzi (Gibbs & Soell), Kathy Obert (Edward Howard & Co.) and Mark Penn (Burson-Marsteller).
Continuing directors, all CEOs or presidents of their firms, are Cathy Ackermann (Ackermann PR), Kathy Baughman (HLB Communications), Rick French (French/West/Vaughan), Sandy Hermanoff (Hermanoff & Associates), Aedhmar Hynes (Text 100), Marina Maher (Marina Maher Communications) and Melissa Waggener Zorkin (Waggener Edstrom).
“The Council of Public Relations Firms is an important industry resource thanks to the contributions and insights of the board of directors and its committees,” said Kathy Cripps, President of the Council. “Helen Ostrowski provided strong leadership during her year as Council Chair. Incoming Chair, Marcia Silverman has pledged to continue to push for more outreach to clients about the value of public relations and to add an issues monitoring component to help member firms stay informed.”
In addition to continuing the Council's strategic planning efforts that began under Ostrowski, Silverman plans to focus Council efforts on being a voice for the industry, as well as addressing issues such as disclosure and transparency, procurement, and recruiting and retaining talent.
The national trade association of the public relations industry, the Council of Public Relations Firms represents the leading public relations companies in the United States. The Council''s mission is to advance the business of public relations by building its value as a strategic business tool, setting industry standards, helping member firms manage successful and profitable businesses, and promoting the benefits of a career in public relations. For more information about the Council, visit
www.prfirms.org.
Contact:
Matt Shaw
Council of PR Firms
877-773-4767
