Patricia Harrison

Patricia Harrison
President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 2005
Preceded byKathleen A. Cox
10th Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
In office
October 2, 2001 – July 1, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byWilliam B. Bader
Succeeded byDina Powell
Personal details
Born
Patricia de Stacy Harrison

1939 (age 85–86)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationAmerican University (BA)

Patricia de Stacy Harrison (born 1939)[1] is an American public relations executive and government official, currently serving as president and chief executive officer of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a non-profit established by the federal government to support public radio and television broadcasting.[2]

Early life and education

Harrison is a native of Brooklyn, New York. She earned a bachelor's degree from the American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C.[3]

Career

In 1973 she co-founded the PR agency the E. Bruce Harrison Company. While working with the company, which was sold in a merger deal in 1996, "she created and directed programs in the public interest comprising diverse stakeholder groups, including the National Environmental Development Association, a partnership of labor, agriculture and industry working for better environmental solutions together."[3]

George H. W. Bush appointed Harrison to the President's Export Council in the United States Department of Commerce in 1990. She was elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee in 1997, serving until 2001, when she was appointed to the post of Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell.[3]

Under Harrison's direction, the State Department initiated the CultureConnect program in which American celebrities including YoYo Ma, Denyce Graves, Doris Roberts and Frank McCourt acted as "cultural ambassadors" in trips to Pakistan, Russia, Israel, and other countries.

In June 2005 she was appointed president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.[2] Later that year, the process by which she was selected was called into question by a report from the Inspector General of the CPB. The report concluded that then-CPB chairman Kenneth Tomlinson "was strongly motivated by political considerations in filling the president/CEO position".[4] Tomlinson resigned from the CPB board on November 4, 2005, and was replaced by Cheryl Halpern. Harrison remains CPB president and CEO as of January 2021.[5]

In 2015, Harrison gave public support to the work of the David Lynch Foundation.[6]

Books

  • Patricia Harrison (ed), America's New Women Entrepreneurs: Tips, Tactics, and Techniques of Women Achievers in Business, Acropolis Books, May 1986, ISBN 0-87491-810-3
  • Patricia Harrison, Seat At The Table: An Insider's Guide for America's New Women Leaders, Mastermedia Publishing Company, February 1996, ISBN 1-57101-042-4

Speeches

References

  1. ^ "Patricia DeStacy Harrison (1939–)". Department of State. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Patricia de Stacy Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer". Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Biography of Patricia de Stacy Harrison—Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs". The White House Archives (Pres. George Bush). U.S. Government. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  4. ^ Review of Alleged Actions Violating The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, as Amended (PDF) (Report). Corporation For Public Broadcasting Office of Inspector General. November 15, 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  5. ^ "Patricia de Stacy Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer". www.cpb.org. 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  6. ^ "Women in the Media Who Meditate". David Lynch Foundation. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Eight nationally renowned women leaders in the media who meditate gathered on April 16, 2015 in New York City to raise awareness about the benefits of the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation technique for overcoming stress, improving performance, and enhancing work-life balance in their lives.
Government offices
Preceded by Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
October 2, 2001 – July 1, 2005 		Succeeded by