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Women Who Shaped the PR Industry

Posted on Mar. 31, 2025  /  Subscribe 0

During Women’s History Month, it’s fitting to remember famed poet Maya Angelou’s quote: “You can't really know where you are going until you know where you have been."  It’s hard to believe some of the things women weren’t allowed to do as recently as the 1970s. Women couldn’t have a credit card until 1974. Some states didn’t allow women to have their own bank account until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 took effect. Some states wouldn’t allow women to sit on a jury until the 1960s. Women could practice law, but they couldn’t argue a case before a judge until 1971. And women who got pregnant typically lost their job until 1978, when maternity leave was enacted by law.

Despite barriers like these – even more pronounced for Black women and other groups – we see examples of strong women who helped mold the way public relations is practiced in the United States today.

Betsy Plank (1924–2010) is one example. The first woman president of PRSA, elected in 1973, she’s recognized not only for the levels she reached in her career but also for her willingness to mentor others. Plank served as executive vice president at Edelman public relations, director of public relations planning at AT&T and director of external affairs at Illinois Bell. She played an instrumental role in establishing PRSSA and was known for her strong moral compass, recognizing public relations professionals as “the conscious of the enterprise,” according to the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, established in her name at The University of Alabama College of Communications and Information Sciences.

Another woman who helped shape the practice of public relations was Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931), who helped found the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (NAACP). Emancipated from slavery with her parents, Wells-Barnett established NAACP to advance civil rights and women’s right to vote. She profoundly influenced journalism and public relations, highlighting injustice through her books, articles and speeches. “When I present our cause to a minister, editor, lecturer, or representative of any moral agency, the first demand is for facts and figures,” the Pulitzer Prize winner wrote. Numerous awards in PR and media are awarded in her name, as well as a cultural center and a U.S. stamp.

Today, visionary women leaders in public relations are making their mark here in Detroit. 98Forward, the largest Black-owned and women-led PR and communications agency in Michigan, continues to expand, says PRSA Detroit member Antonice Strickland, 98Forward’s Vice President of Public Relations and Business Development. Franco, one of the largest PR firms in Metro Detroit, announced earlier this month that it is now wholly women-owned, after Franco CEO Tina Kozak bought out Dan Ponder as majority owner, with President and COO Tina Benvenuti Sullivan and Senior Vice President Nikki Little as minority owners.

Yet there are still goals to achieve and barriers for women to break in our industry. Yesterday, today and tomorrow, strong women have and will continue to mold, influence and lead in public relations.

Tammy Battaglia, APR, is the communications and media relations manager for Detroit Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Michigan. She currently serves as a board member of PRSA Detroit.

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