ECD Chair’s March 2026 Message
March is National Women’s History Month
Greetings ECD colleagues!
March is National Women’s History Month, and it is traditional for PRSA and the East Central District to join the celebration by honoring the role of women in shaping the PR industry. About 70% of PR professionals are women. ECD has 1,764 members with more than 61% female and less than 18% male.
During last year’s observance, ECD Past Chair Jared Meade, APR, wrote a tribute in PR News to PR pioneer Betsy Plank, “A PR Powerhouse who Paved the Way for Generations.”
It began with a memorable Betsy Plank quote: “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.”
Women in PR face obstacles in gaining leadership roles, pay equity, and due recognition for their contributions. It was true during Plank’s 60-year career and has persisted since her death in 2010. But Plank also said, “PR is about human nature, and it thrives on inclusion, communication, and shared success.”
Plank’s vision of a profession based on human nature faces a new challenge few imagined during the pioneer days of women in PR. It will require the joint ingenuity of women and men in PR to navigate the rise of AI, a machine that shows no gender bias when eliminating human jobs.
The Feb. 23 topic of PRSA Member Mondays was “Revisiting ‘Promise & Pitfalls’ Guidance for PR Practitioners on the Ethical Use of AI,” published in 2023 and updated in 2025. Panelist Linda Staley, APR, Fellow PRSA, addressed the question of “Leading with Purpose for PR Pros” by saying, “Exercise caution about hype. We need to embrace the technology – like any tech introduced with the potential to improve society.”
She used the wonderful illustration by author Sandy Kesler of the introduction of knitting machines in 1850’s garment factories. “Luddites smashed machines because they threatened employees. AI is knitting machine for words,” said Linda. “We’re still responsible for choosing the yarn and the garment that comes out of the machine. Embrace the tech but understand it, use it responsibly, and avoid becoming overly dependent on tech and promote responsible adoption for benefit of the client and public.”
Rosalind Brazel wrote in Seattle Tech Talk about women trailblazers in technology:
Ada Lovelace – Often regarded as the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace envisioned the potential of computers back in the 19th century, long before their invention. Grace Hopper – Known as the “Queen of Software,” Hopper was instrumental in developing early programming languages and invented the first compiler. Hedy Lamarr – A Hollywood star and inventor, Lamarr co-developed a frequency-hopping communication system that laid the groundwork for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology.
“These incredible women, along with many others, changed the tech world forever,” she said, “proving that innovation has no gender.”
As in PR, women in Tech face the obstacles of gender bias, pay disparities, and underrepresentation in leadership roles. What Brazel wrote about women in tech applies to PR: “Diverse teams bring varied perspectives, foster creativity, and lead to innovative solutions.”
Mark Pompilio
ECD Chair
