About the Commission

History of The Commission

• The Commission’s raison d’etre has its roots in a paper commenting on the “unsatisfactory and disparate state of public relations in the United States,” delivered to the Public Relations Division of the Association of Educators of Journalism (AEJ, now the Association of Educators of Journalism and Mass Communications, or AEJMC) at its 1973 meeting by industry icons J. Carroll Bateman and Professor Scott M. Cutlip.
• The Bateman/Cutlip paper now is considered the first in a 50-year series of reports by teams of practitioners and educators, seeking to help colleges and universities prepare their students for careers in public relations. Just as the profession has evolved from in-house journalists to today’s counselors serving clients and top management in challenging, global, multicultural organizations and society, so has the curriculum evolved to prepare those future leaders. Collectively, each of the Commission’s signature studies shows that evolution.
• For much of those 50 years, The Commission has been a loose association of educator and practitioner associations, supported by The Public Relations Society of America, and gathering every 5-7 years to examine public relations curricula and make recommendations to guide educators, their colleges and universities, and accrediting bodies.
• In 2021, The Commission leadership created a formal partnership with The Institute for Public Relations (IPR) and gained the support of The PR Council.
• In 2023, The Commission was granted 501c3 status by the United States Internal Revenue Service, allowing the new organization to seek charitable donations, sponsorships, and grants.
• Throughout 2023, The Commission observes its 50^th anniversary as the connection between the public relations industry and the educational institutions who prepare those who will meet the challenges of that industry.

Learn more about the Commission’s History in its Annual Reports:

• 2024 CPRE Annual Report
• 2023 CPRE Annual Report
• 2022 CPRE Annual Report 

The Commission Today

Today the Commission remains “the authoritative voice” on behalf of public relations education, with a board representing 18 different organizations and groups, and between 50 and 60 board members on an annual basis. In 2018, following the publication of this report “Fast Forward: Foundations and Future State. Educators and Practitioners,” the Commission will be pursuing an aggressive effort to develop action plans to unite educators and practitioners in addressing six to ten of the major recommendations of the report. We are committed to going beyond disseminating the recommendations and encouraging that they be adopted in education and industry, and will be working with all member organizations to identify solutions and tools for use by educators and those who employ entry-level public relations practitioners, to make sure the recommendations become reality.

2025 Board

Each of the 24 organizations is entitled to appoint two representatives to the Board who serve as liaisons to their organizations while conducting the mission of the Commission by sharing their time and expertise within a variety of working committees.

Arthur W. Page Center
Stephanie Madden and Marlene Neill

Arthur W. Page Society
Sheryl Battles

AEJMC—Public Relations Division 
Ken Plowman and Hongmei Shen

Canadian Public Relations Society   
Holly Cybulski and Rai Rashpal

Chartered Institute of Public Relations, UK 
Anne Gregory and Anne Nicholls

European PR Education & Research Association 
Anca Anton and Chiara Valentini

Global Alliance for Public Relations       
Justin Green and Wole Adamolekun

Institute for Public Relations   
Geoff Curtis and Tina McCorkindale

International Assn of Business Communicators    
Debbie Davis and Peter Finn

Journal of Public Relations Education    
Emily Kinsky and Amanda Weed

Museum of Public Relations

National Black Public Relations Society        
Neil Foote

Plank Center for Leadership in PR      
Karla Gower

PR Council          
Kim Sample

Public Relations Society of America 
Angela Eveillard and Jeff Wilson

PRSA Foundation     
Aerial Ellis and Thomas Bennett      

PRSA College of Fellows     
Brook DeWalt and Philip Poole

PRSA Educational Affairs Committee   
Kathy Barbour and Susan Walton

PRSA Educators Academy
Melody Fisher and Mary Ann Pearson

Universal Accreditation Board  
Kristie Byrum and Marlene Neill

The Conference Board   
Joseph DiBlasi and Daniela Banos

At-Large Members do not represent a specific member organization, but they serve as liaisons to the community of Public Relations educators and practitioners. At-Large members have voting rights and are expected to promote CPRE’s mission, attend its meetings, and engage in its initiatives through committee service.

At-Large Members

• Michele Ewing
• Emily Kinsky
• Spiro Kiousis
• Marta Ronquillo Newhart
• Katie Place
• Gemma Puglisi
• Kathleen Donohue Rennie
• Hilary Fussell Sisco
• Katerina Tsetsura
• Rosalynn Vasquez

Past Co-Chairs
In 2022 CPRE’s Board approved the creation of a Council of Past Co-Chairs, The purpose of this Council is to acknowledge the long series of advancements in Public Relations education, to recognize the individual contributions of those co-chairs, and to encircle them within the CPRE as non-voting volunteers valued for their insights, counsel, and expertise. Membership in the Council is optional, as is the willingness to serve on committees. Virtual meetings are held twice a year.

• Carroll Bateman*
• Dr. Scott Cutlip*
• Betsy Ann Plank*
• Dr. William P. Ehling*
• John Paluszek
• Dr. Dean Kruckeberg
• Frank Ovaitt
• Jean Valin
• Dr. Judy VanSlyke Turk*
• Del Galloway
• Dr. Karla Gower
• Kathleen Lewton
• Dr. Marcia DiStaso
• Judith Phair
• Dr. Elizabeth Toth
• Stacey Smith
• Professor Anthony D’Angelo
• Maria Russell

*deceased

990 Form