PR Masters Series Podcast, Episode #60 – John D. (Jack) Bergen Managing Partner, The Bergen Partnership
About the Podcast
The Stevens Group has been presenting the PR Masters Series Podcast for two years now. This series is part of the ongoing partnership between The Stevens Group and CommPRO to bring to PR, digital/interactive and marketing communications agencies the wisdom of those who have reached the top of the PR profession. Today’s special guest is John D. (Jack) Bergen Managing Partner, The Bergen Partnership.
About Our Guest
Jack Bergen
Jack Bergen is an executive coach to leaders of public relations and public affairs firms. He also guides the development of managerial talent for firms seeking to enhance strategic growth or prepare for potential sale. He draws on a combination of corporate, agency and government leadership experiences.
As a corporate executive, Jack served at Alcoa, Siemens, Westinghouse, CBS and GE. He led Alcoa’s Communications, Government Affairs and Human Resources operations. At Siemens, he directed US communications and global advertising. At Westinghouse and CBS Corporation, he was responsible for communications, government affairs and investor relations. In his first communications position, he was responsible for working with GE CEO Jack Welch to handle the communications for the integration of RCA, which was the largest corporate merger of that time.
During Jack’s 12 years in the PR agency world, he was President of Hill and Knowlton US, CEO of GCI Group, and founding President of the PR Council. In those roles, and as the Chair of the Institute for PR (IPR) and a member of the Arthur Page Society, he instituted measures to promote collaboration among corporate and agency leaders to enhance the impact and respect of communications by business leaders and by those considering a career. PRSA honored Jack with the Atlas Award for Lifetime Achievement in International Public Relations. He was also the recipient of the Marsteller Marketer of the Year award from the Business Marketing Association.
Jack graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, was an Army Ranger and paratrooper and is a Vietnam veteran. After receiving an MA in English from Indiana University, he taught English, Philosophy, and Black Studies at West Point. During the Reagan Administration, he was Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger’s speechwriter. He is the author of Test for Technology, a Vietnam War history.
