KNOXVILLE, TN—Veteran public relations consultant Al Croft has passed away. Croft had 25 years of national public relations firm experience including 15 years in top management. He served as senior vice president and Midwest regional manager with Bozell Public Relations in Chicago; vice president, public relations, at Aitkin-Kynett in Philadelphia; and vice president and group manager at Ketchum Public Relations in Pittsburgh.

He also established and built three PR firms before relocating to Sedona, Ariz., and reinventing himself as a management consultant to PR firms, assisting them with business management issues such as becoming more productive and profitable, developing exit strategies for owners, and building strong teams of professionals. 

He authored a book entitled Managing a Public Relations Firm for Growth and Profit, published in 1996 by Haworth Press. 

Croft was a contributing editor of Public Relations Quarterly and also published, for many years, a monthly newsletter called Management Strategies. As the founder of the “Sedona Roundtable,” for 20 years he hosted the annual three-day gathering of approximately 20-25 mid-sized, regional PR firms.

He is survived by his wife, Irene, daughter, Erin, and granddaughter, Felicia.