Bogart, Judith S.

Judith Bogart (1936–), public relations consultant, was appointed the second woman president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 1983. She commented on the fact that her presidency would be followed by a third woman president, Barbara Hunter: “It's good—gets us out of feeling we should have a woman. This way, we're breaking precedent. Now sex can play less of a part, even if no more women take posts in the next 10 years” (Bogart, 1983).

Bogart's career in nonprofit public relations was atypical among PRSA's national leaders; however, Bogart pointed out that hospital public relations had much in common with corporate public relations. “Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati for example, one of the top 25 employers in Cincinnati in 1983, had an $80 million budget” (Bogart, 1983, p. 36).

After completing an undergraduate degree at Baldwin-Wallace College, Bogart began her professional public relations career for the Girl Scout Council in Great Cincinnati. She then moved on to Arlington, Virginia, for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital and later worked for the Great Rivers Council in Cincinnati. She was regional account executive for Education Funds, Inc. and was director of community relations for the Cincinnati Human Relations Council.

Bogart was vice president of Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1985. From 1985 to 1988, she was executive vice president of Diversified Communication Inc., Cincinnati. She then purchased the Southwest Ohio office of Diversified Communications, changing its name in 1989 to Judith Bogart Associates, Cincinnati. From 1991 to 1996 she was director of public relations for Sive/Young & Rubicam, Cincinnati.

Bogart was named Career Woman of Achievement, YWCA, in 1983; Fellow, Public Relations Society of America, in 1990; member and 1982 national headliner of Women in Communications; and president of the North American Public Relations Council in 1989. In 1995, she was on the board of governors of the Bankers Club and on the board of directors of the Institute for Community Capacity Building.

Bogart was winner of the Paul Lund national PRSA award for community service in 1999. Her career civic activities include, in addition to the Girl [Page 91]Scouts of America, service on Cincinnati's International Visitors Board, the Uptown Task Force Executive Committee, Xavier University's Community Relations Advisory Board, and Northern Kentucky University and Western Kentucky University communication and journalism school advisory boards.

Judith S. Bogart

Public Relations Society of America. Reprinted with permission.