Frank Ovaitt Named Executive Vice President of Makovsky + Company
Frank Ovaitt Named Executive Vice President of Makovsky + Company
CEO Emeritus of Institute for Public Relations and GWU Professor Will Lead Firm’s Efforts to Integrate Research into PR Practice
NEW YORK, February 2, 2010 – Frank Ovaitt has joined Makovsky + Company as Executive Vice President, leading the firm’s efforts to integrate research into public relations practice.
“I’m incredibly impressed with Frank’s philosophy that too many professionals view research and measurement as a report card when it’s really a GPS to guide the journey and suggest better ways,” said President and CEO Ken Makovsky. “I know of no one better than Frank to help clients figure out how to use research more effectively in today’s digital environment.”
Ovaitt is CEO Emeritus of the highly respected Institute for Public Relations and professor of applied public relations research at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. “Makovsky’s position as the specialized thinking advocacy agency has always attracted clients who focus first on strategy, and that’s exactly where you must start integrating research into public relations,” said Ovaitt.
The new client services will include:
- High level counsel on integrating research and measurement into practice/programs.
- Ongoing support for senior communications executives to interpret and evaluate research results, communicate these to top management, and build programming on research.
- Educating client staff on research skills and uses.
Based on his long corporate and consulting experience including chief communications officer for a FORTUNE 200 company, Ovaitt will also counsel Makovsky clients on employee engagement and international public relations. Prior to becoming President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations in 2004, Ovaitt founded Crossover International Inc. and worked with major corporations in the pharmaceutical, automotive and retail industries. He also held senior public relations positions at AT&T, MCI and Monsanto.
About Makovsky + Company
Founded in 1979, Makovsky + Company (www.makovsky.com) is one of the nation’s leading independent global public relations and investor relations consultancies, focused in financial services, professional services, health, technology, branding and investor relations. The firm attributes its success to its original vision: that the Power of Specialized Thinking™ is the best way to build reputation, sales and fair valuation for a client. Based in New York City, the firm has agency partners in more than 25 countries and in 35 U.S. cities through IPREX (IPREX.com), the second largest worldwide public relations agency partnership, of which Makovsky is a founder.
Frank Ovaitt
Executive Vice President, Makovsky + Company
CEO Emeritus, Institute for Public Relations
Professor, Applied Public Relations Research, The George Washington University
Public relations strategist, professor of applied research at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, and CEO Emeritus of Institute for Public Relations – Frank Ovaitt is now executive vice president with Makovsky + Company. He provides senior counsel and expertise in three areas: integrating research into public relations practice, employee engagement and communications, and international public relations.
Frank served as President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations, an independent research and education foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relationsÔ, from 2004 to 2009. During that period, the organization’s programming and funding tripled. It also launched the Essential Knowledge Project, an online guide to existing public relations research for practitioners.
He founded and served as Managing Director of Crossover International Inc., an independent firm providing communications management services to leading multinationals and young entrepreneurial companies. He helped clients implement mergers and other changes that required management teams and employees to work together toward new corporate objectives. He was a strategic counselor 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 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. Current and former affiliations include:
- Founding Chair, Commission on Global Public Relations Research
- Co-Chair, Commission on Public Relations Education
- Accredited by the Public Relations Society of America; Chair of the International Section
- Member, Arthur W. Page Society for chief communications officers; served on Task Force on the Authentic Enterprise
- Member, Commission on Public Relations Measurement & Evaluation
- Co-Chair, Campaign for Media Transparency, International Public Relations Association
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