Marilyn Laurie died on July 14, 2010, at 71, after becoming the first woman to join AT&T's executive committee in 1987, capping a career that began when she co-founded Earth Day in 1970 and closed as one of the highest-ranking corporate communications executives in American business history.
Who Was Marilyn Laurie?
Marilyn Gold Laurie was born in 1939 in New York City. She earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College and an MBA from Pace University. In 1969, she was a stay-at-home mother of two in Scarsdale, New York, when she saw a notice in the Village Voice inviting people to a planning meeting for what would become Earth Day.
How Did Laurie Help Launch Earth Day?
Laurie attended the organizing meetings for the first Earth Day, and attendance dwindled until she was one of only five people left on the committee. She took responsibility for communications and convinced New York City Mayor John Lindsay to close Fifth Avenue to cars on the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, so crowds could hear speakers including Paul Newman and Ali McGraw.
Why it works: Laurie's decision to take on the communications role for a volunteer committee with no budget and dwindling attendance forced her to develop persuasion skills, convincing a sitting mayor to shut down a major avenue, entirely outside any corporate PR training. That improvised experience became the foundation of the communications judgment she later brought to AT&T. Source: Institute for Public Relations, "PR Pioneer: Marilyn Laurie (1939-2010)," retrieved August 2026.
How Did Laurie Rise Through AT&T's Ranks?
Laurie joined AT&T in 1971 to create employee environmental education programs, a role that grew directly out of her Earth Day work. She rose through the company to become vice president of public relations at Bell Laboratories, then senior vice president, and by 1987 executive vice president of public relations and brand management. That year, she became the first woman to join AT&T's 10-person executive committee.
What Did Laurie's Executive Role at AT&T Involve?
As executive vice president, Laurie directed AT&T's external and internal communications, managed the company's worldwide reputation, and counseled a succession of CEOs from Jim Olson to Bob Allen to Mike Armstrong. She also chaired the AT&T Foundation, overseeing more than $40 million a year in grants to educational, social service, and arts institutions.
Why it works: Laurie's dual role, running both external reputation management and the company's philanthropic foundation, gave her direct control over how AT&T's public identity was built through both messaging and demonstrated action, rather than leaving those two levers with separate executives who might work at cross purposes. Source: Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, "Plank Legends & Leaders: Marilyn Laurie," retrieved August 2026.
What Recognition Did Laurie Receive in the PR Industry?
Laurie served as past president of both the Arthur W. Page Society and the PR Seminar, two of the industry's most senior professional bodies. She was the first woman elected to the Arthur W. Page Society Hall of Fame. Dick Martin, who succeeded her at AT&T, called her "one of the giants of PR" and noted she was "the first woman to head up PR for a company the size of AT&T."
How Did Marilyn Laurie's Career End?
Laurie retired from AT&T in 1998 to form Laurie Consulting, Inc., developing branding and public relations strategies for corporations and nonprofit organizations. She died at her home in Manhattan on July 14, 2010, at age 71, after a year-long battle with brain cancer. She was survived by her husband, Robert Laurie, her sister, and two daughters.
What Is Marilyn Laurie's Legacy in Public Relations?
Laurie's biography, "Marilyn: A Woman in Charge" by Dick Martin, was published by the Museum of Public Relations in 2020, with proceeds benefiting the museum. Her path from an uncredentialed volunteer organizer to the first woman on a Fortune 10 company's executive committee remains cited as one of the clearest examples of a communications career built on demonstrated results rather than traditional corporate advancement.
Marilyn Laurie was the first woman to join AT&T's executive committee, serving as executive vice president of public relations and brand management from 1987 until her retirement in 1998.
When did Marilyn Laurie die?
Laurie died on July 14, 2010, at age 71, following a battle with brain cancer.
What was Marilyn Laurie's role in founding Earth Day?
Laurie handled communications for the first Earth Day organizing committee in 1970 and convinced New York City's mayor to close Fifth Avenue for the inaugural celebration.
What PR industry roles did Laurie hold?
Laurie served as past president of the Arthur W. Page Society and the PR Seminar, and was the first woman elected to the Page Society Hall of Fame. Marilyn Laurie's career shows how a volunteer organizer's improvised persuasion skills built one of corporate America's most senior communications careers. 5W runs AI Search (GEO) programs for brands across consumer, B2B, financial services, healthcare, and technology, building the machine-readable footprint that gets brands cited, not just ranked. Learn more at https://www.5wpr.com/practice/geo-optimization.cfm.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
