UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication has elected two new members to its advisory board: Aedhmar Hynes, former CEO of Text100, and Dave Samson, general manager of public affairs at Chevron Corp.
Hynes and Samson bring decades of experience in corporate communications to the advisory board, which assists the Page Center in raising awareness, fundraising and general guidance. Members of the board include current and retired public relations leaders, as well as representatives from academia and the journalism industry.
The Page Center is a research center in Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications that advances ethics and integrity in all forms of public communication. Its primary initiatives include funding research that increases the understanding of integrity in public communication, reinforcing the role of ethics in communications education, and finding connections within the profession.
“As active, experienced leaders in the industry, Aedhmar and Dave will deliver new perspectives to help the center evolve and take on the challenges the industry faces today,” said Denise Bortree, director of the Page Center and associate professor of advertising-public relations in the Bellisario College. “I look forward to hearing their insights and learning from their expertise.”
Hynes is the current chair of the Arthur W. Page Society, an organization of global leaders in corporate communications. Samson is the immediate past chair. Although a different entity than the center, the two groups do collaborate on several initiatives.
The center’s most visible event is its awards dinner each February in New York City. Board members serve as a nomination committee to honor three leaders in corporate and public communication who have exuded integrity over long careers. Honorees are awarded a Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication. The event serves as a bridge between the work of the center scholars and industry professionals by spotlighting integrity at the highest levels of public communication.
“Both Aedhmar and Dave are well known and highly respected,” said Bill Nielsen, Page Center advisory board chair and former vice president of public affairs at Johnson & Johnson. “They will be very helpful in our quest to share the learning developed by the center broadly with members of our profession.”
Aedhmar Hynes
Hynes is the former CEO of Text100, a global marketing communications agency that boasts a diverse list of clients, including IBM, Johnson & Johnson, American Express and AirBnB. She has become a recognized voice in global leadership within public relations. For decades, she has been described as a “natural disrupter” and an agent of change within the industry. Hynes graduated from the National University of Ireland—Galway and is currently a member of its foundation board. She is a member of Page board of trustees and current chair of the society. She received the Global Technology Award for Communications and was named one of the top 50 most powerful people by PRWeek the past three years. She received the Page Society Distinguished Service Award, the Plank Center Milestones in Mentoring Agency Award, and was inducted into the Industries Hall of Femme.
Dave Samson
Samson has been the general manager of public affairs for Chevron Corp. since 2004. He oversees the multibillion-dollar company’s communications strategies, from digital engagement and media relations to risk-mitigation and internal communications. Previously, Samson was head of worldwide communications at Levi Strauss & Co. He also led international communications at both IBM and Oracle, and was a partner and managing director at Ketchum Public Relations. A member of the Page Hall of Fame, Samson is the immediate past chair of the society and past chair of the general committee for the American Petroleum Institute. He graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and the University of Phoenix with an MBA.
Since its 2004 founding, the Page Center has become an international leader in research on ethics and integrity in public communication. Over the past 14 years, the center has funded nearly 250 scholars and awarded nearly $900,000 in research funding.
Other members of the advisory board include: Roger Bolton, president of the Arthur W. Page Society and former senior vice president of communications at Aetna; Denise Bortree, center director and associate professor of advertising-public relations; Sandra Clark, vice president for news and civic dialogue at WHYY; Ellyn Fisher, senior vice president of public relations and social media for the Ad Council; Marie Hardin, dean of the Bellisario College of Communications; Jon Iwata, executive-in-residence at the Yale School of Management and former IBM chief brand officer; Maril MacDonald, CEO of Gagen MacDonald; Bill Margaritis, business consultant and investor; Tom Martin, executive-in-residence in the Department of Communication at the College of Charleston; John Nichols, emeritus professor at the Bellisario College; Bill Nielsen, chair of the advisory board and former vice president of public affairs at Johnson & Johnson; and Gary Sheffer, the Sandra R. Frazier professor of public relations at Boston University.