CEO of Global Consulting Firm to Speak at Knox April 16

Margery Kraus, founder and chief executive officer of APCO Worldwide, a global consulting firm, will present a lecture, "Communicating in a Global World," at 7 p.m. April 16 on the Knox College campus. She will speak in Kresge Recital Hall, Ford Center for the Fine Arts.

Her appearance at Knox College is sponsored by the Eleanor Stellyes Center for Global Studies, which brings guest speakers from around the world to the Knox campus. The Stellyes Distinguished Lecture in Global Affairs was established along with the Center for Global Studies by a gift from Eleanor Stellyes, who attended Knox College from 1932 to 1934.

Kraus founded APCO in 1984. She has since transformed it from a company with one small Washington D.C. office to a multinational consulting firm with offices in cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In September 2004, Kraus led a management buyout of her firm, making APCO one of the largest privately owned communication and public affairs firms in the world.

She specializes in providing strategic counsel on issue-based communication, crisis management, market entry, and corporate reputation across diverse industry groups. She also pioneered one of the industry's earliest practices in corporate responsibility and the development of public/private partnerships.

Prior to starting APCO, Kraus assisted in the creation and development of the Close Up Foundation, a multimillion-dollar educational foundation sponsored in part by the United States Congress.

Kraus received a Knox College Alumni Achievement Award in 2007 for her achievements in business and public affairs. As a member of the Class of 1967, she attended Knox for two years then transferred to American University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in political science and public law.

"I think the values of (Knox) and the sense of community it builds made a big impact on my life," Kraus said upon receiving the Alumni Achievement Award. "It taught me self reliance, a sense of personal responsibility, and challenged my thinking. I became interested in political science and politics for the first time, which became the basis of my career. I now run a very large communication and public affairs firm, but my interest began at Knox."

Her achievements have been recognized through numerous other awards, including Volunteers of America (Greater New York) Spirit of the Founders (2012); the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations' Agency Mentorship (2012); Global Thinkers Forum Excellence in Leadership (2012); Institute for Public Relations' Alexander Hamilton Medal for lifetime contributions to professional public relations (2010); Washington Business Hall of Fame (2009); and Enterprising Women Hall of Fame (2009).

Kraus is the author of numerous articles in the fields of public affairs management and corporate reputation and has been a guest lecturer throughout the world.