Frank E. Ovaitt, Jr.

Frank E. Ovaitt, Jr is President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations, an independent foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations. The Institute is located at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

Frank has served as Managing Director of Crossover International Inc., an independent firm providing communications management services to leading multinationals and young entrepreneurial companies which like a great deal of these companies, seems to have vanished, although its list of board members still exists: [1]

Clay Hickson — Director of the Rhôton Hill Group: [2] the first link on their site is to the Central Intelligence Agency, previously Hickson was Director International Business Services/China Programs for International Technology and Trade Associates, he is also with Burson-Marsteller, the National Crime Prevention Council, The International Society, Overseas Private Investment Corporation and US-Philippine Business Committee. Also works with The Atlantic Council of the United States. [3] [4] Atlantic Council meetings are sponsored by the Directorate of Intelligence of the Central Intelligence Agency, German Marshall Fund, Open Society Institute, the Stanley Foundation, Middle East Institute, the Middle East Policy Council [5] Their 2002 newsletter notes that Eugene V. Rostow, possibly the arch hawk was an honorary director. Hickson, first journeyed to Taiwan as (or in the guise of ) a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 20 years ago, and built his business on the back of that experience. [6]

Philip Hunt -

Evelyn Mariperisena — Formerly Head of Chrysler's public relations in Latin America, lived and worked as a freelance corporate communications consultant in Beijing, China. There she was retained by Ruder Finn Asia to assist in new business development and to provide strategic public relations counsel and planning for multinational clients such as Audi AG, FAW-VW, CIGNA and Citibank. [7] She co-founded and served as Account Director for The Americas Group, a specialized agency providing communications counsel to U.S. multinationals operating in Latin America: Major clients included Chrysler Corporation and Pepsi-Cola. Hill & Knowlton in New York City.

Jim Mion —Writer, editor and marketing professional with experience in journalism, public relations and corporate communications. He has served some of the information economy's best-known companies and institutions, including MCI, UUNET Technologies Inc., Computer Associates International, Lucent Technologies, Standard & Poor's, AOL, MedImmune, and Life Technologies Inc. [8]

Paul F. Steidler — is a media and financial communications specialist with more than 15 years experience formulating and implementing PR strategies. From 1998-00 he was a Senior Fellow of the Lexington Institute. Previously, Steidler was a Director of the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution's Education Reform Project. In testimony before Congress, in newspaper articles, and through other forums, he discussed financial management inefficiencies in public education and proposed ideas for resolving those problems.

He has 'written and placed' articles that have been published in The Wall Street Journal and other prestigious business and trade media. His long-standing relationships with key reporters have helped showcase his clients in the national business press, as well as important trade and regional media. Other areas of strength include speech writing, spokesperson training, preparation of website material and publications.

For seven years, he was with Morgen-Walke Associates, one of the largest independent public relations firms in the United States. His positions at the Manhattan-based agency included Vice President-Corporate Communications. Paul also served at Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart, one of the world's largest public relations firms, from 1991-92.

He worked for former Congressman Jim Courter from 1984-87, beginning as a campaign field coordinator for the New Jersey Reagan-Bush '84 campaign (which Congressman Courter chaired). Paul later served on the Congressman's staff. [9]

Frank J. Walter — Impala Communications, Strategic communications consultant with expertise in technology public relations. Prior to entering the consulting field in March 2000, Walter was vice president of public relations at MCI WorldCom — as was Ovaitt — the perpetrator of the biggest accounting fraud in U.S. business [10] [11] . He served as MCI's chief spokesperson for its merger announcements with BT and WorldCom and during alliance announcements with Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, Microsoft, Intel and EDS and public relations programs 'supporting the financial, government and other markets.'

The Pentagon made an interesting choice when it hired MCI, aka WorldCom Inc. to build a small wireless phone network in Iraq[12]

With Blanc & Otus (a Hill & Knowlton company) and others he has generated 'media placements' for clients in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Financial Times, Fortune, CNN, CNBC, Information Week, CNET and on wire services such as Bloomberg, Reuters and Dow Jones. His telecommunications work includes providing counsel to the following companies: MCI, BT, Global Crossing, Versatel, Acterna and Equant. [13]

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He is also an executive adviser to Enamics, Inc., a business technology management company in Stamford, CT, where he previously served as Chief Marketing Officer.

Prior to founding Crossover in 1995, Frank was Vice President-Corporate Affairs for MCI. He played a central role in reshaping the company's image as it entered information services and global markets. He also 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, hence the rather mild treatment of AT&T in the Institute for Public Relations history of PR. Other assignments included: Director of College & University Relations, and Customer Communications Director for AT&T 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. He has taught professional seminars on international public relations and delivered guest lectures at the University of Florida, the University of Maryland, the University of Missouri, and George Mason University. Current and former affiliations include:

Co-Chair, Campaign for Media Transparency, International Public Relations Association

Chairman of the International Section of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), which claims to be the largest organization of public relations professionals in the world. The International Section focuses on Latin America: “Reaching Latin American and Caribbean Targets Via Public Relations Hubs,” [14] and “Doing Business in the Middle East”. Recently their web site ominously stated:

"The Public Relations Society of America, the PRSA International Section, along with its partner, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, regretfully inform you that the symposium, “Rebuilding America’s Global Reputation: Who Will Lead?” has been cancelled. This was scheduled to be held May 4 and May 5 in Washington, D.C.; there are no plans to reschedule at this time. [15] [16]

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) [17] have themselves something of a reputation, [18] particularly with their choices of experts which have included Henry A. Kissinger, Michael Ledeen [19] and many others associated with neoconservatism and good-old fashioned disinformation.

The IPRA Campaign for Media Transparency index is a clone of Transparancy International's corruption index (from which it draws). And one would have to ignore the somewhat chutzpah-laden conjunction of the 'Editorial Services Director for Monsanto' fighting for greater openess in the media.

Co-Chairman, Public Relations World Congress 2000 Member, [Arthur W. Page Society], dedicated to corporate communications issues Advisor, "News in the Next Century" project, Radio & TV News Directors Foundation Charter Board Member and Secretary, Global Public Affairs Institute