PRMuseum Elects Four Industry Leaders to Board of Trustees

July 1, 2026, New York, NY — The board of Trustees of the Museum of Public Relations have announced the election of four industry legends to its board.

“We’re thrilled to be joined by such distinguished industry leaders, who have contributed significantly to the growth of the profession over the years,” said Dick Martin, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “These new trustees have been dedicated to ensuring the success of the next generation of professionals—one of the Museum’s top missions.”

Steve Cody, Founder, Peppercomm
Steve Cody is a communications strategist, author, and entrepreneur best known as founder and former CEO of Peppercomm, the agency he led for three decades, building it into an award-winning firm recognized for its culture of humor and innovative storytelling. Today, he serves as Senior Executive Advisor at Ruder Finn, counseling leaders on communications, growth, leadership, and culture. A respected industry leader, he has held board and leadership roles across the profession and is co-author of The ROI of LOL (2025) and What’s Keeping Your Customer Up at Night? (2003).

Gary Grates, Managing Partner, GConsulting Group
Gary Grates is Managing Partner of GConsulting Group and a globally recognized advisor in corporate communications, change management, employee engagement, and business transformation. He counsels senior executives and boards on strategy execution, leadership transitions, M&A integration, organizational effectiveness, and workforce engagement. Previously, he served as Principal at Real Chemistry, led Edelman’s global Change and Employee Engagement practice, and was Vice President of Corporate Communications for North America at General Motors. He also teaches at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School.

Nick Kalm, Founder and CEO, Reputation Partners
Nick Kalm is founder and chief executive officer of Reputation Partners, a strategic communications and public relations firm he launched in 2002. Over the past two and a half decades, the firm has served more than 600 clients, including Fortune 500/Most Admired and other companies, trade associations, health systems, not-for-profits and universities. With more than 30 years of experience in strategic communications, Kalm is widely recognized for his expertise in corporate reputation, crisis communications, employee engagement, labor relations, and corporate social responsibility. He is a frequent speaker and media contributor on communications issues and serves as vice chair of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation. He is also active in several leading business and professional organizations.

Ken Makovsky, Founder and President, Makovsky
Kenneth D. Makovsky is founder and president of Makovsky, for decades one of the nation’s leading public relations firms. Founded in 1979 and headquartered in New York, the firm is known for its expertise in finance, health, technology, and energy, serving clients including IBM, Citibank, Pfizer, and EY. He has been named “PR Executive of the Year” by multiple organizations. Makovsky also founded and served as president of IPREX, a global network of independent PR firms. He is a member of the PRSA College of Fellows, as well as the Page Society, which recently presented him with its Distinguished Service Award. In addition, he has served as Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Institute for Public Relations, where he continues to be a member. A frequent lecturer and author on public relations, he holds Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.

Public Relations as a Calling: Remembering Bill Nielsen

It is with deep sadness that the Museum of Public Relations shares the news that Bill” Nielsen—trustee, mentor, and lifelong advocate for ethical public relations—passed away yesterday.

Bill’s career traced the evolution of modern public relations itself. From his early days as a college radio disc jockey to managing press operations at the highest levels of government, from agency leadership at Carl Byoir & Associates to his tenure as Chief Communications Officer at Johnson & Johnson, Bill helped define what it means to practice public relations with purpose.

In an oral history conducted by the Museum, Bill reflected that he never initially set out to work in public relations. Instead, he discovered—through journalism, public service, and agency work—that communication, done with integrity, sits at the heart of every well-managed organization. That belief guided his work across sectors and continents, and shaped his leadership in professional organizations including the Arthur Page Society, the Institute for Public Relations, and the Page Center for Integrity in Communication.

At Johnson & Johnson, Bill found a professional home where corporate values and personal values aligned. He spoke often about the company’s Credo, its commitment to truth, and the responsibility communicators bear—not only to their organizations, but to society. For Bill, public relations was never simply a function or a job. It was, as he said, “a calling.”

In retirement, Bill devoted himself to mentoring the next generation of leaders, visiting universities, speaking with students, and urging young professionals to see public relations as a means to make a difference. He believed deeply that the profession’s greatest responsibility—and opportunity—lies in rebuilding trust.

We are honored that Bill chose to share his story with the Museum of Public Relations. His oral history stands as both a record of a remarkable career and a reflection of a life committed to purpose, truth, and service.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Bill’s family, friends, and the many colleagues whose lives he touched.

Looking Back | Moving Forward

Learning from the earliest days of our efforts to communicate to the most groundbreaking PR campaigns of our time.

The Museum houses documents pre-dating the official formation of the field, including primary research about the novel campaigns that arose in the early 20th century, shaping the public’s perception of the public relations profession. As the field of public relations continues to evolve and progress, the Museum is continuously collecting new artifacts, expanding and updating the collection while preserving fundamental movements. We proceed to write history while we pave the path to the future of PR.

PR History: A collection of intellectual property, documents, and oral histories

With over 5,000 artifacts, the Museum has the world’s largest collection of public relations memorabilia. With original documents from the founding fathers, including Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays, to artifacts dated throughout Harold Burson’s career, the Museum has over a century's worth of documents reflecting the development of public relations. With its wide selection, the collection has artifacts across multiple niches, focusing on Financial PR, Medical PR, and Military Communication, to mention a few. Thanks to primary research conducted by the museum, parts of the collection uncover the Hidden History of PR, highlighting the diverse past of the industry.

Why a PR museum?

Public trust has never been lower. We’re not only suspicious of our government and other institutions, but we don’t even trust each other.

In that environment, the integrity of our communication with the public has never been more important.  We all need to raise our game.

The PR Museum grew from the happenstance gift of one PR practitioner’s memorabilia into the world’s only repository of the practice’s history. That, combined with an unmatched capability to mine that history for actionable content practitioners can use, has made it a center of learning.

Of course, what we do today is tomorrow’s history, from which future practitioners can learn. So we continue to expand our collection, documenting leaders and work at the pinnacle of the practice, including the most ground-breaking PR campaigns of our time.

The Museum of Public Relations is a 501(c)(3) educational institution chartered by the New York State Department of Education to serve the world's growing community of public relations students, educators, researchers, and practitioners.

Our Mission

Our mission is to bring PR history to life—exploring its successes and failures, its heroes, heroines, and villains to draw lessons from which practitioners can learn. And to help business leaders understand that, at its best, public relations is a responsible tool of commerce and a powerful force for social progress. We believe that public relations done well is communication for the public good.

With more than 5,000 artifacts, oral histories, letters, photos and film, the PRMuseum houses the world’s largest collection of public relations memorabilia, documenting the practice’s history across different practices, including Financial PR, Medical PR, and Military Communication.

Visitors can consult rare first edition books about PR, as well as original documents by industry pioneers from Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays to Arthur W. Page and Harold Burson. And thanks to primary research conducted by the museum, the collection reveals the PR’S “Hidden History,” highlighting the contributions of practitioners who were overlooked because of their color, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Visitors can also see how important social movements applied the underlying principles of public relations to change the course of history. Most importantly, they see how modern public relations evolved from press agentry to building beneficial relationships based on mutual understanding. They understand public relations as social science with a creative bent.

For Educators

Part of our mission is to contribute to the education of future generations of public relations practitioners. We have a long history of collaborating with college-level educators in public communication. Through museum tours, events, videos,  and publications, the PRMuseum reaches more than 1,000 college-level students a year, putting current events in historical context, from diversity and inclusion to disinformation and antisemitism.

Dealing with today’s levels of technological change, media fragmentation, and political polarization requires a bedrock understanding of the practice’s evolution and enduring ethical principles.

Schedule a Visit

Unlike other museums, where exhibits are under glass and the original artifacts are kept under lock and key, each visit to the PRMuseum is tailored to the specific needs and interests of visitors. Rather than reading a description of past events pasted on a wall with a few illustrations, we open our archives to visitors and let them experience public relations as it was practiced by our field's founders from as far back as a century ago. Through hands-on exhibits of "ancient" media technologies, oral histories, and artifacts—some from the actual offices of early pioneers Ivy Lee, Edward Bernays, and Arthur Page—students learn firsthand the role PR has played in business, society, and culture.

Request a Virtual or In-Person Tour

Visit Online

The Museum's extensive digital archives include video interviews, important out-of-print books, classroom resources, and videos of Museum-sponsored events, including the first-ever events honoring the contributions to this field of African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, members of the LGBTQ community, and women. Explore the various social movements which were guided by the underlying principles and philosophies of public relations.

To allow time to tailor visits to your needs and interests, virtual and in-person tours  are by appointment only, Monday through Friday, from 11 am to 5 pm. 

If you’re reading this, you’re still at the museum’s front door. Follow the navigation bar at the top of this page to explore our collections. There’s no ticket booth, but donations are always appreciated.

You’ll be in good company. The PRMuseum is indebted to the following companies that support our work.