Lobsenz, Amelia

Amelia Lobsenz (1922–1992) was the first woman president of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), serving in 1986, and its fifth American president. Lobsenz was chairman and CEO of Lobsenz-Stevens, Inc., a public relations firm in New York City with annual billings of $3.7 million and such clients as Clairol, Pitney Bowes, Bristol Myers Squibb, Procter & Gamble, and Mitsubishi Motors. She was also Director of International Affairs of Pinnacle Worldwide, a network of public relations firms in 20 countries.

Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Lobsenz graduated from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. In the mid-1940s, she began her 40-year career as a freelance writer and book author, with articles appearing in Ladies Home Journal, Reader's Digest, Family Circle, and Woman's Day. She worked for Edward Gottlieb & Associates before beginning her own firm, Lobsenz PR, in 1956. Her firm merged to become Lobsenz-Stevens in 1975.

Lobsenz was a member of the board of governors of the National Women's Economic Alliance, an organization of business leaders that promotes [Page 494]career opportunities for women. She served on the board of the National Media Conference. She received six Presidential Citations from the Public Relations Society of America and served on that organization's national board from 1980 to 1981.

In 1986 Lobsenz was honored by public relations societies in London, Paris, Milan, Frankfurt, Vienna, and Tokyo and received the Orleans, France, Medal of Honor.

In her leadership role with IPRA, Lobsenz developed a drug abuse education program, using a children's board game to teach children about the realities of drug abuse in a nonthreatening environment. William Corbett, 1990 president of IPRA, eulogized Lobsenz by saying, “Amelia gave boundless energy and enthusiasm to the profession and she was always there to volunteer… she never stopped pushing” (“Amelia Lobsenz,” 1992, p. 54).