Highlights from the IPR 57th Annual Distinguished Lecture & Awards Celebration
Immediate Past President of the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences, Cheryl Boone Isaacs Talks Diversity & Inclusion at IPR Annual Event
Jamie Honowitz, Institute for Public Relations
Last week, the Institute for Public Relations hosted the 57th Annual Distinguished Lecture & Awards Dinner in New York City featuring Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the immediate past president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Boone Isaacs led the Academy’s breakthrough inclusivity efforts after #OscarsSoWhite and as a result, vastly impacted the organization, the film industry and society. Boone Isaacs was interview by Leslie Gaines-Ross, IPR Trustee and Chief Reputation Strategist at Weber Shandwick, on her time working for The Academy and what makes a great leader.Hollywood reaches quite a few people, I think it (diversity and inclusion) needs to be better, especially historical dramas need to be inclusive - you don't just take one track and just stay on that one track because America is full of hidden figures, said Boone Isaacs.
Roger Bolton, President of Page, was awarded the Alexander Hamilton Medal for Lifetime Achievement. According to Bolton, there are three elements public relations practitioners can learn from Alexander Hamilton’s life: diversity, civility and the power of persuasion.“We can do better, we must do better, and we can lead the way,” Bolton said.
Mark Weiner, Chief Insights Officer of Cision, was awarded the Jack Felton Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Research for Advancement of Research, Measurement and Evaluation.
Weiner said, “It’s not so much about winning and losing as winning and learning.”Professor of public relations at San Diego State University, Bey-Ling Sha, Ph.D., APR, received the Pathfinder Award for her contributions to the profession. Dr. Sha discussed the hallmarks of the PR and academic professions, truth and authenticity.
IPR hosts the Distinguished Lecture & Awards Dinner annually, a tradition and an honor that dates back to 1961 to help raise money for research that matters to the profession. Past speakers have included Harold Burson (founder of Burson-Marsteller), Dana Perino (former White House Press Secretary, now Fox News), Neal Shapiro (President of WNET, former President of NBC News), and Beth Comstock (General Electric).
About the Institute for Public RelationsThe Institute for Public Relations is an independent, nonprofit research foundation dedicated to fostering greater use of research and research-based knowledge in corporate communication and the public relations practice. IPR is dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations™. IPR provides timely insights and applied intelligence that professionals can put to immediate use. All research, including a weekly research letter, is available for free at www.instituteforpr.org.
