“Be forewarned, you'll hear no sad stories from me tonight about discrimination or glass ceilings that have deterred women in public relations. Sure, it's happened from time to time...but to let yourself become captive to occasional stupid obstacles such as that is to...defeat yourself."
Strong words from an equally strong woman who refused to let others define her success. She broke barriers and achieved many career firsts.
Betsy Ann Plank, APR, Fellow PRSA, known as the “first lady of public relations,” dedicated more than 60 years of her life to the industry. She devoted much of that time to advancing PR education by passionately advocating for students of the profession.
Early Life and Career
Born in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on April 3, 1924, Plank grew up as an only child in Mt. Lebanon, Pa.. By the time she reached high school, she had attended eight different schools. Plank went to Mt. Lebanon High School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the 1940 yearbook and participated in the Ways & Means Committee, Banquet Committee, Key & Guard, National Honor Society and Merit Parade.
She began her college education at Bethany College, where she served as the Organization Editor-in-Chief of the Bethanian Yearbook and became a member of the Theta Chapter of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.
In 1944, she transferred for her senior year to her hometown university, the University of Alabama, where both her parents had studied. There, she earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in English literature. At the time, there were no public relations degrees at the university, which inspired her to advocate for PR education throughout her career.
Although Plank's career did not begin in PR, her early career choices ultimately guided her toward the field. After graduating, she moved to Chicago to pursue a career in radio broadcasting. This decision led her to meet Lavinia “Duffy” Schwartz, the Midwest Director of the Advertising Council, who recommended Betsy for a temporary public relations position. This introduction to the profession would become a pivotal moment as Duffy became her mentor. Plank thrived in her new career and was soon offered a permanent position, which opened doors to additional opportunities throughout the 1950s.
Plank married Sherman Rosenfield, an industrial film producer and editor, on April 10, 1954. They purchased a powerboat they named Yearling for their first wedding anniversary and anchored it in Lake Michigan, where they enjoyed lounging and feeding the ducks.
By 1960, Plank began her role as Executive Vice President and Treasurer at Daniel J. Edelman, Inc., now known as Edelman, a position she held for 13 years. Her career then progressed to AT&T's Director of Public Relations Planning and later to Illinois Bell (which became part of Ameritech, SBC Communications, and ultimately AT&T Illinois), where she became the first woman to lead a company department, managing a team of 102 staff members.
Her leadership extended outside the office. She was active in social issues, and in 1965, she participated in the final leg of the Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery.
In 1990, after 17 years, she left Illinois Bell to launch her own public relations agency in Chicago, Betsy Plank Public Relations.
Contributions to the PR Profession
Throughout her career, Plank devoted significant time to organizations that supported female leaders and the field of public relations.
In 1963, she became the first female president of the Publicity Club of Chicago. In 1967, she played a key role in establishing the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), the student affiliate of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), to encourage the study of public relations and promote networking between students and professionals.
She helped to establish The Chicago Network in 1979, an organization comprised of Chicago’s most senior and influential women leaders, at the forefront of business, professional, cultural, nonprofit and educational communities.
Her tireless efforts to advance PR education led her to establish the Friends of PRSSA, now known as the Champions of PRSSA, in 1981. This organization unites individuals with a special interest in PRSSA and PR education. In 1987, she co-chaired the Commission on Undergraduate Public Relations Education, which established guidelines for PR education curricula.
Plank's passion was not always understood by those closest to her. She shared several times that her “…sainted mother left this world convinced that public relations sounded like something no ‘nice’ southern girl should be doing!”
Betsy Plank's Legacy
Plank received numerous accolades over her 60-year career for her dedication and service in public relations. She was the first person to be honored with PRSA’s highest individual awards, including the Gold Anvil Award (1977), the Paul M. Lund Public Service Award (1989) and the Patrick Jackson Award for Distinguished Service to PRSA (2001). Additionally, she was awarded the PRSA Educators Academy’s David W. Ferguson Award in 1997 for her exceptional contributions to public relations education, the Arthur W. Page Society’s Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, the Institute for Public Relations’ Alexander Hamilton Medal for significant contributions to the field of public relations in 2000, and she was inducted into the University of Alabama’s Communication Hall of Fame in 2011, among other honors.
To ensure her passion for developing public relations leaders continued long after her lifetime, she endowed the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at the University of Alabama in 2005. The Center “works to empower and advance the next generation of emerging leaders in the profession through mentorship, programming, education and fostering meaningful connections.”
Plank passed away at the age of 86 on May 23, 2010, at her home in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1990.
Jared Meade, MPS, APR, MPRCA, is Founder and Principal at Rayne Strategy Group (written on behalf of the PR Museum).