PRCA Announces ECI CEO Dr. Patricia Harned as New Ethics Council Member

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) announced today the addition of Dr. Patricia Harned, CEO of the U.S.-based Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI), as a new member of the global PRCA Ethics Council.
 
The PRCA and ECI jointly announced in recent weeks a new strategic partnership to field a global, industrywide survey based on the ECI’s long-standing Global Business Ethics Survey® (GBES®) methodology – with results anticipated to be revealed in the first quarter of 2022.
 
As ECI’s CEO for 17 years, Dr. Harned leads a global organisation’s strategy and operations, including the organisation’s research agenda, advisory services, serving the ethics and compliance community. An expert on culture change, ethical leadership, and workplace reporting/retaliation, Dr. Harned has provided ethics and compliance training to officials in the U.S. Department of Justice, testified before Congress and the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and she has personally briefed U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, the OSHA Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee, and the Federal Bar Council on strategies to increase effective reporting of suspected misconduct.
 
PRCA Director General Francis Ingham MPRCA said:
 
“It is a distinct honour for the PRCA to welcome an executive of Dr. Harned’s acumen and career accomplishment to our Ethics Council. Her guidance and strategic insight will provide significant value to our Ethics Council’s remit to uphold and elevate ethical standards in the PR industry – very much inclusive of the U.S. market where ECI is based.”
 
ECI CEO Dr. Patricia Harned said:
 
“PRCA is modeling best practice by creating a council that is dedicated to the advancement of ethical conduct in the public relations and communications profession. Ethics are important to companies as they work to gain public trust, retain and recruit employees which can lead to greater innovation in the PR industry. ECI is honored to work closely with PRCA through our new partnership, and I look forward to the growth of our collaboration with the PRCA Ethics Council.”