Where the PR jobs are in 2026 — salary bands from Account Coordinator to CCO, the new AI Communications roles, the four paths (agency, in-house, freelance, founder), and how women are closing the leadership gap.
Doris Fleischman (1891-1980) co-founded Edward L. Bernays, Counsel on Public Relations, and was his full business partner for 43 years. First married American woman to hold a US passport in her maiden name. EPR In Memoriam.
Betsy Plank (1924-2010), first woman to head a major PR agency division (Daniel J. Edelman), first female president of PRSA, and namesake of the Plank Center at the University of Alabama.
Women make up 70% of the U.S. PR workforce. Leadership distribution is uneven — and the center of gravity has shifted. Named operators, structural data, what good looks like.
Patrice Tanaka co-founded three PR agencies — Patrice Tanaka & Company, CRT/tanaka, and PadillaCRT (now Padilla). PRWeek Hall of Fame 2016. PRSA Foundation Paladin Award. Author of Becoming Ginger Rogers. Now Chief Joy Officer of Joyful Planet.
72% of PR professionals are women, but only 30% of firms have female CEOs. The Holmes Report's analysis of 250 PR firms reveals the leadership gap — and the firms breaking the pattern.
