Frank Ovaitt

Frank Ovaitt is President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations (IPR), the leading non-profit research and education foundation in public relations and corporate communications. He previously served as Executive Vice President with Makovsky + Company and continues Of Counsel to provide strategic counseling to clients of the firm. He also teaches applied public relations research at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.

Frank previously served as chief executive of IPR from 2004 to 2009. He was recently inducted into the PR News Measurement Hall of Fame in recognition of his service to the public relations profession. .

He founded and served as Managing Director of Crossover International Inc., an independent firm providing communications management services to leading multinationals including Eli Lilly and Company, Pharmacia and Chrysler. He helped clients implement mergers and other changes that required management teams and employees to work together toward new corporate objectives. He provided strategic counsel for a Chapter 11 communications and re-branding program to keep employees and customers engaged and informed. He assisted clients with agency search and selection in dozens of countries, establishing management systems suitable for all markets and managing international events.

Prior to founding Crossover in 1995, Frank was Vice President-Corporate Affairs for MCI. His chief communications officer responsibilities included a full range of internal and external corporate communications. He played a central role in reshaping the company’s image as it entered information services and led the communications effort for an industry coalition to lobby the U.S. Congress on the most sweeping telecom legislation in 60 years.

Before joining MCI, Frank held a variety of executive positions with AT&T. As Public Relations Vice President-International, he directed all communications efforts outside the U.S., establishing a network of staff and agencies to represent the company in more than 40 countries. Other assignments included Director of College & University Relations and Customer Communications Director for the legendary Bell Laboratories.

As Editorial Services Director for Monsanto, a leading chemical and biotechnology company, Frank was the chief writer responsible for award-winning shareowner publications, executive speeches and issues management. He began his career with Southwestern Bell Corporation. Frank holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and an MBA from New York University.