Ron Antonette ’90 is the chief program officer at the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, responsible for managing the production of the center’s events, projects and reports, and its graduate student contributors. Antonette brings more than 25 years of strategic communications and public relations experience, having developed and led consumer marketing and corporate communications campaigns for Fortune 100 companies, start-ups, municipal clients, and some of America’s best-known brands.

Antonette’s PR industry experience includes an eclectic mix of creative consumer brand PR campaigns and projects — from baby dolls and bottled water to showerheads and Swatch watches. He has worked with food & beverage, retail and franchise brands, launched consumer tech products, managed special events, and worked with government organizations. At Long Beach-based R. Antonette Communications, he balances national PR work with regional projects, including for the cities of Los Angeles (LADOT Vision Zero), Long Beach (Bike Long Beach, Port of Long Beach), and Claremont (Discover Claremont). During his 14 years at Golin, he was the senior executive on the agency’s Mattel and Nestlé accounts and directed many of its programs for Disney, including the Poohfest and Mickey’s Hometown Parade campaigns. His account teams helped open Disney’s California Adventure, The Venetian in Las Vegas, Cold Stone Creamery’s Times Square location, and many retail outlets; and executed numerous events promoting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Playmates Toys) and other consumer products. Antonette also previously co-led FleishmanHillard’s national consumer marketing practice and has held in-house communications roles at Mattel and ConAgra Foods.

A USC Trustee Scholar, Antonette earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism/public relations, with an emphasis in sports information, and was program director of the student radio station (now KXSC.org). Ron serves as board president of the non-profit Partners of Parks Long Beach and is also a member of the Motor Press Guild, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and PRSA Counselors Academy. He and his wife, Cynthia (Cook) ’90, and their children are active in community and youth sports in Long Beach.