PR COUNCIL ELECTS 2018 BOARD
Edelman’s
 Global Chief Operating Officer Matthew Harrington Re-Elected as Chair

New York – (October 30, 2017) – The PR Council (PRC), the industry’s agency trade association, announced today the election of its new officers and directors, going into effect Dec. 1, 2017.

The Chair, elected to a one-to-two-year term, is Matthew J. Harrington, Global Chief Operating Officer of Edelman, who was unanimously re-elected from the Board of Directors.

Joining Harrington as executive committee officers are Jon Silvan, Global Strategy Group, as treasurer and Lee Caraher, Double Forte, as secretary.

The PRC also announced the election of its new board directors, all CEOs/Principals of their firms:

  • Julie Batliner (Carmicael Lynch Relate)
  • Lee Caraher (Double Forte)
  • Kimberly Eberl (Motion PR)
  • Nelson Fernandez (APCO Worldwide)
  • Peter Finn (Finn Partners)
  • Nelson Fernandez (APCO Worldwide)
  • Katrina Keyes (K Strategies)
  • Neil Mortine (Fahlgren Mortine)
  • Barby Siegel (Zeno Group)

Each new board member will serve a three-year term.

Continuing directors are: Don Baer (Burson-Marsteller); Dale Bornstein (M Booth); Sandra Fathi (Affect); Anne Green (CooperKatz); Gail Heimann (Weber Shandwick); Heidi Hovland (DeVries Global); Barri Rafferty (Ketchum); Jon Silvan (Global Strategy Group); and Tonya Veasey (OCG PR).

“I’m delighted to convene such a strong board at a critical moment in time for our profession,” Harrington said. “In the year ahead, we will focus on a number of issues that are vital to the future of our industry and and the impact it makes on our clients including advancing the fight against fake news in collaboration with the News Literacy Project, doubling down on ethical standards and accountability, conducting our first Hackathon to tackle ROI and value, and starting a new shadow board to ensure tomorrow’s leaders have a voice in shaping our craft today.”

“Our industry will benefit greatly by having this group of leaders guiding and developing our initiatives and programs as they represent firms of varying shapes and sizes across the country,” said Renee Wilson, President, PR Council.  “They will help us move forward as our agency industry evolves and our agency members continue to grow as strategic business partners in the overall marketing mix.”

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About the PR Council
Established in 1998, the PR Council (PRC) is composed of America’s premier global, midsize, regional and specialty agencies across every discipline and practice. It is the leading trade association for agencies, designed to empower the present and next generation of communications professionals, industry innovators and business leaders through education, events and industry resources.
The PRC’s active members from over 105 leading U.S. agencies represent more than 80% (est.) of all U.S. PR firm revenues and employ over 12,000 professionals.
Contact:
Sara Ghazaii
Vice President, Director of Communications
973.248.7005 / sghazaii@prcouncil.net