The Institute for Public Relations today announced that president and CEO Frank Ovaitt will retire in mid-2009 after leading the Institute for five years. During his tenure the Institute has gained global recognition as the pre-eminent foundation addressing research and education in the field of communications and public relations.
After defining its mission as “the science beneath the art of public relations,” the Institute has grown substantially in budget and programs under Ovaitt’s leadership. It increased its prestigious Board of Trustees from 20 to 45 during the past five years. The Institute for Public Relations is an independent nonprofit that bridges the academy and the profession, supporting PR research and mainstreaming this knowledge into practice through PR education.
“Frank has brought a level of leadership to the Institute that has really set the standard for how to run a Trustee-based institution in the public relations field,” said Institute co-chairs Matt Gonring and Peter Debreceny. “His impact will last well beyond his retirement. On behalf of the Board of Trustees we wish to acknowledge and thank Frank for five outstanding years of stewardship.”
Bill Heyman, president of Heyman Associates executive recruiting and chair of the Institute’s Governance & Audit Committee, will lead a search committee to identify a successor. The Committee will be accepting and reviewing nominations of candidates with demonstrated leadership experience in the field. Interested parties may review the job description and apply at www.heymanassociates.com.
The Institute was chartered in 1956 as the Foundation for Public Relations Research and Education. For more information the website is instituteforpr.org.
