The Arthur W. Page Center, Penn State University, will honor Ann Barkelew, Dick Martin and Alan Murray Feb. 22 as the first recipients of its annual Awards for Integrity in Public Communications.

They will be honored for “ethical and responsible work at the highest levels of public communication” at a dinner in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York.

The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication
Ann Barkelew, Dick Martin & Alan Murray

Barkelew is the founding general manager and senior partner of Fleishman-Hillard; Martin is an author and former executive VP of PR of AT&T, and Murray is chief content officer of Time Inc. and editor-in-chief, Fortune magazine.

"The careers of these three individuals demonstrate high standards for integrity in public communications, " said Denise Bortree, director of the Arthur W. Page Center and associate professor of communications at Penn State.

"We are delighted to recognize their work as emblematic of the standards to which all those in the fields of public communication should be held,” she said.

Tribute to Larry Foster

The event will also pay tribute to the Page Center’s founder, the late Lawrence G. “Larry” Foster, who endowed the Center and “who exemplified integrity over his decades-long career as a public relations practitioner and journalist.”

Each honoree will receive an individual Larry Foster Award for Integrity.

“Larry’s vision was clear. Create a resource for students, teachers and practitioners so they can promote responsibility in all areas of communication,” said Bill Nielsen, Center advisory board chair. “These awards are an extension of Larry’s vision.”

The Page Center is housed in the College of Communications at the Pennsylvania State University, Foster’s alma mater. Proceeds from the dinner will fund innovative research by national and international faculty. It will also be an opportunity to bridge the academic and professional worlds of journalism, public relations and corporate communications. 

Reservations are $485 for individuals at $5,000 for a table of ten. Sponsors are IBM, Johnson & Johnson, FTI Consulting, Edelman, Brunswick, Bill Nielsen Consulting, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Allstate.

Honorees Described

Barkelew, over a 35-year career, gained experience in public, private and international sectors. Today, she remains a prominent leader in the corporate PR world with a commitment to maintaining integrity in all aspects of her work. She is the founding general manager of the Minnesota office of FleishmanHillard.

She was VP of corporate PR for the Dayton Hudson Corp. from 1981 to 1994 where she supervised all internal and external communication. Before her time at Dayton Hudson, she established a new corporate program as the VP of corporate affairs for Munsingwear, Inc. She also served as the chief PR officer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Martin Headed AT&T Foundation

Martin, who was also chairman of the AT&T Foundation, authored Tough Calls: AT&T and the Hard Lessons Learned from the Telecom War, and OtherWise: The Wisdom You Need to Succeed in a Diverse and Divisive World.

He has also co-authored other books and has published articles in such publications as the Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive and the Journal of Business Strategy.

Murray’s Charge Is Quality Journalism

As chief content officer at Time, Inc., Murray oversees editorial policies and standards. He is responsible for commitment to quality journalism and storytelling. He also serves as editor-in-chief of Fortune magazine, where he oversees print and digital operations.

Before joining Time, he was president of the Pew Research Center and spent two decades at the Wall Street Journal in positions that included deputy managing editor and executive editor, online. He has also authored four books, including The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management and Showdown at Gucci Gulch.

Honorees Aided Struggle for Truth

Said the Center: “As we struggle for reason, transparency, fairness, trusted sources of truth, and a way forward, it’s helpful to reflect on the contributions and high standards held by practitioners in all facets of communication whose careers were rooted in a fundamental commitment to truth and integrity in public communications - people devoted to the belief the public has a right to know, and to the ideal that communicating in a free society is a privilege and not to be taken lightly or corrupted.

“The Center’s objective is to recognize and celebrate individuals from the fields of PR, journalism, and other communications disciplines whose work meets the highest professional and ethical standards. Annual recipients will be selected from case studies developed by research scholars working through the Center.”