On the heels of its launch of the Global Communications Report, the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, a think tank that connects the school and its students with the $14 billion PR industry, has expanded its Board of Advisors to include nine communications leaders from the agency and corporate world.
The new members include Bernadette Anat, Producer, Instagram’s Community Team (B.A. Public Relations, ’11); Alex Cohen, Director of Corporate Marketing, Apttus (M.A. Communication Management, ’10); Simon Halls, Partner, Slate PR (B.A. English, ’85); Jim Olson, SVP, Corporate Communications, United Airlines (MBA ’02); Heather Rim, SVP and Chief Communications Officer, AECOM (M.A. Communication Management, ’03); Don Spetner, Senior Corporate Advisor, Weber Shandwick Worldwide; Tyler C. Stevens, Network Operations, Maker Studios (B.A. Communication, ’10); Daniel Tarman, SVP, Chief Communications Officer, eBay, Inc.; and Julia Wilson, CEO and Founder, Wilson Global Communications, LLC (B.A. Broadcast Journalism, ‘91).
“The caliber of professionals who support USC Annenberg is remarkable,” said Fred Cook, Golin CEO and Director of the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations. “Each new Board member adds a unique perspective to the school, which we plan to incorporate into our future research and programming.”
This year, the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations collaborated with The Holmes Report, the Institute for Public Relations, the Global Alliance for Public Relations & Communications, the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication, the PR Council, the Worldcom PR Group and PRSA on the inaugural Global Communications Report. An Executive Summary of the Report was made available at Kenneth Owler Smith Symposium in April. The full 2016 Global Communications Report was released May 29 at the World PR Forum in Toronto, Canada.
“The data in the Report illustrated the scale of change disrupting the PR industry globally and underscored the need for organizations to think differently in terms of how they manage their organizations, allocate resources and hire talent,” said Cook. “Our job at the Center is to help shape the future of our profession and those who will lead it.”
About the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations (CPR)
Based at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in the heart of Los Angeles, the USC Center for Public Relations (CPR) is truly at the center of one of the world’s most dynamic professions. Our mission is to connect corporations, agencies, academics and students to define the future of our industry and to develop those who will shape it.
About the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is a national leader in education and scholarship in the fields of communication, journalism, public diplomacy and public relations. With an enrollment of more than 2,200 students, USC Annenberg offers doctoral, graduate and undergraduate degree programs, as well as continuing development programs for working professionals, across a broad scope of academic inquiry. The school's comprehensive curriculum emphasizes the core skills of leadership, innovation, service and entrepreneurship and draws upon the resources of a networked university in a global urban environment.
