NEW YORK – May 4, 2015 – The PR Council has announced a new partnership with the Emma L. Bowen Foundation that will focus on placing college students of color at leading public relations firms around the country.
Participating firms in year one, all members of the PR Council, include: Edelman, FleishmanHillard, Greentarget, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Kwittken, Lippe Taylor, Porter Novelli and Sachs Media Group.
The Emma Bowen Foundation is a 25 year-old organization whose mission is to prepare African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian American youth for careers. Students who are accepted into the Foundation’s program don’t just intern for a semester or a summer; instead, they have the chance to work at one company throughout their college years, learning many aspects of corporate operations and developing company-specific skills. The firms will have an opportunity to train and mentor students with the option of full-time employment upon completion of their college degrees. It has been rated among the “Best Overall Internship Programs” by Vault.
“We are striving to make our industry more diverse, one that better reflects the makeup of America’s population,” said Kathy Cripps, President, PR Council. “Working with a respected organization like the Emma Bowen Foundation is another step in that direction. We will focus this partnership on best hiring and retention practices, as well as student development and readiness.”
“The Emma Bowen Foundation is excited about this new partnership,” said Rahsaan Harris, president and CEO, Emma L. Bowen Foundation. “Public relations firms are critical to influencing public opinion and capturing people’s imagination. Diversifying the field will help innovate and create opportunities to shape a new narrative of what we can accomplish when we work together.”
The PR Council, established as the Council of Public Relations Firms in 1998, is the U.S. trade association representing America’s leading public relations firms. Its members are the premier global, mid-size, regional, and specialty firms across every discipline and practice area. The PR Council’s mission is to advocate for and advance the business of public relations firms by building the market and the value of firms as strategic business partners. The PR Council has sponsored the Diversity Distinction in PR Awards with PR Week for the past five years.