The Arthur Page Society (the "W" has been dropped) is looking for a successor to Thomas Nicholson who has been executive director since April of 2007.
The search for his successor, who will have the title of president, is being handled by Richard Marshall of Korn/Ferry International.
Tom Nicholson |
Nearly 200 resumes were sent to Page when word of the opening was announced recently.
Many of those applying are members of Page or PR Seminar or both. About 40 members of Page and Seminar are said to be in the job market.
Nicholson was making $180,000 plus $17,000 in benefits.
Some reports are that the salary for the new post will not go above $200,000 although another school says $250K will be needed to attract the right person.
Nicholson, in a departing statement to Page members, noted that the group has a record high membership and that it had its second straight year of positive cash flow after five years of negative cash flow.
Formerly VP-PR and communications, HSBC North America, and director of PR, all retail formats of Sears, Roebuck & Co., he intends to return to corporate PR.
Page's IRS Form 990 for 2008 showed cash/investment totaling $581,000. The total was $841,277 at the end of 2003.
Page/Seminar Costs Are Issue
Some members of Page and PR Seminar said the employers of the PR executives are uneasy with them attending high-cost meetings in both April and May.
The spring meeting of Page in New York (April 8-9 at the Waldorf-Astoria this year) costs $1,195 plus hotel and meals for at least two days. As many as 200 attend.
The theme of this year's meeting, ironically say some Page members, is "Becoming Indispensable to Your Organization." It is the 25th annual spring seminar of Page.
PR Seminar's four-day meeting is held at the end of May in a top-level resort.
Registration per couple last year was $3,350. Almost all attendees bring spouses or companions.
Cost for a couple including hotel, meals and transportation can easily top $7,500.
Page/Seminar veterans said that in recent years executives have been attending one or the other meeting but not both.
Sixty-two of the 127 PR executives at the 2009 Seminar at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Calif., including 2009 Page president Maril MacDonald, are also members of Page. Seminar's 30-member executive committee includes 21 Page members.
Seminar Had Record Low Attendance
The 127 total for Seminar was a record low attendance caused partly by the recession and partly by criticism of corporate meetings at expensive resorts.
AIG had come under a torrent of criticism in 2008 for meeting at such resorts after receiving billions in federal bailout funds.
Annual dues of Page are $1,095. More than $150,000 is provided in the form of tax-deductible grants to Page which is a 501/c/3 non-profit.
Most organizations in this category are charities such as the Red Cross or United Way or educational or cultural institutions such as ballet companies or symphonies.
The IRS description of a c/3 non-profit says it is for "religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, or prevention of cruelty to children or animals organizations."
c/6's are for "business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards."
Tax law sources further say that membership in a c/3 should be "available to the general public" and that "benefits to members are negligible."
Contributions sought are supposed to be for benefits to the general public.
Page got its c/3 status in 1983 by positioning itself as an educational institution.
Members of the public cannot join the 350-member Page which has highly restrictive membership policies even for PR pros. Most of the members are from corporations.
2009 Contributors Listed
Companies making 2009 tax-deductible contributions to Page included the following that gave more than $10,000 each: Abbott, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, Prudential Financial, State Farm Insurance and Weber Shandwick.
Giving more than $5,000 each were Royal Dutch Shell, Staples, Edelman, Coca-Cola Enterprises, IBM, Manning Selvage & Lee and Western Union.
Nineteen others made contributions of more than $1,000. |