NEW YORK—Kathy Cripps, longtime president of the PR Council, will step down from her position by the end of the year. A search committee, led by former PR Council chair and current FleishmanHillard CEO Dave Senay, is working to identify a new president.

During her tenure, the Council has expanded offerings to its members by institutionalizing several learning and development programs, benchmarking research and industry events. And last year, Cripps worked with several senior Council members to lead the organization through a rebranding that resulted in a new name and logo, and a new strategy for reaching the purchasers of PR firm services.

“Kathy has led this organization and our industry like no one else could,” remarked Ogilvy Public Relations global chairman Christopher Graves, who currently serves as chair of the PR Council. “With great intelligence, warmth and savvy, she has pulled together competitors into a strong, unified team in continual efforts to solve the biggest challenges, including diversity & inclusion and our industry’s evolution.” 

Cripps has been president of the PR Council for more than 13 years, following a career that included senior roles at Burson-Marsteller and Hill + Knowlton Strategies.