Ward White is Chief Strategy Officer of Edelman Southwest. A nationally prominent leader in the field, White is past co-chair and Trustee of the Institute for Public Relations since 1994. Since 2005, he has served as the Arthur W. Page Society’s representative on the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, the entity that accredits the nation’s university programs in journalism, public relations, public affairs, advertising and mass communications. Also since 2005, he has been managing director of Milwaukee’s Marcus Corporation Foundation.

From 1990 until 2005, White was an executive officer of Northwestern Mutual, the nation’s largest individual life insurer —as vice president-communications from 1990 until 2003 and then vice president-corporate relations

White was previously president and CEO of Bozell Public Relations Worldwide (now WeberShandwick). He served with Bozell and its predecessor firms from 1975 to 1988, successively managing company operations in Houston, California, Chicago, New York and then the firm globally. From 1988 to 1990, he was president of Golin/Harris East.

He is a member of the Arthur Page Society, the Wisemen, PRSA (APR), IABC, Association of National Advertisers, Life Communicators Group and other professional societies. He has regularly participated in the PR Seminar and the PR Coalition. His work for clients has been given the highest professional recognition, including PRSA’s Silver Anvil, IABC’s Gold Quill, PRSA/NY’s Big Apple and the American Marketing Association’s Effie award.

An author and speaker on industry issues, White has written for PR Journal, Conference Board and other publications. He has spoken at events presented by the Conference Board, Arthur Page Society, American Management Association, PRSA National Convention, Counselors Academy, chapters of both PRSA and NIRI and, via webinar, for PR News.

A native of Chicago, married and parent of two grown children, White received his M.A. from DePaul University and his Ph.D. from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.