The PRSA Foundation and the Museum of Public Relations partner to advance diversity and inclusion with the launch of the book Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership.
Learn about the unique challenges faced by multicultural communications professionals and explore how you can improve diversity and inclusion in your organization with this new book Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership.
Diverse Voices, edited by co-founders of the Museum of Public Relations, Shelley and Barry Spector, brings together more than 40 interviews with agency and corporate communications leaders. Through the lens of these professionals’ experiences, readers will walk away with a better understanding of the climate around diversity and inclusion in communications.
“Diverse Voices is a powerful read that provides raw, candid firsthand accounts of diverse professionals who have built careers within the communications field,” said PRSA Foundation President Judith Harrison. “Their paths to success, which are equally diverse, have at times been mired by unconscious bias and, in some instances, conscious racism. These stories not only provide great insight into the challenges that multicultural professionals face within PR but offer real advice on how the industry can work together to create a more inclusive profession.”
What to expect:
- Honest stories about multicultural professionals’ paths to success and challenges they faced along the way
- Inspiration and advice for diverse students in early stages of their careers
- Guidance for employers on how to better support diverse professionals and maintain inclusive environments
- Ideas for organizations within the communications profession about how to attract, retain and elevate diverse professionals
Some professionals featured include:
- Catherine Hernandez-Blades, chief brand and communications officer at Aflac
- Jon Iwata, former chief brand officer at IBM
- Torod Neptune, vice president of communications and chief communications officer at Lenovo
- Michael Sneed, executive vice president of global corporate affairs and chief communications officer at Johnson & Johnson
The book also includes a preface written by Harold Burson, co-founder of Burson-Marsteller (now Burson Cohn & Wolfe).
The launch of Diverse Voices on Thursday, October 4, marks the beginning of the PRSA Foundation’s new diversity and inclusion initiative. Proceeds from book sales will support the PRSA Foundation’s efforts to support the careers of promising students from diverse backgrounds and facilitate mentoring and professional development opportunities for mid-level professionals.
Throughout 2019, the PRSA Foundation will organize Diverse Voices panel discussions for students at universities and colleges. Panelists will often include book participants.
Other organization partners for the initiative include: The Public Relations Society of America, Page, PR Council, Institute for Public Relations, The LAGRANT Foundation, ColorComm, AMEC, National Black Public Relations Society, Hispanic Public Relations Association and The Society for New Communications Research of The Conference Board.
To order your copy of Diverse Voices, please visit: https://www.diverseleadership.net/about/
Nicole Graney is a Communications Assistant for the Institute for Public Relations. She is a senior majoring in public relations at the University of Florida. Follow her on Twitter @nicole_graney.
