What PRSA’s new CEO has in store

Matthew Marcial doesn’t come from a traditional PR background, but that’s exactly why he’s excited about his new role as chief executive for the Public Relations Society of America.

After starting his career in hospitality, he moved into the association space about 15 years ago. Most recently, he was a strategic consultant working with nonprofits on revenue generation planning.

“I really got bit by the association bug,” said Marcial who began his PRSA tenure on March 3.

Marcial isn’t the first PRSA head to come from an association background, but his lack of comms experience is noteworthy.

His predecessor, Linda Thomas Brooks, was a longtime PR and marketing professional before transitioning to association leadership.

Thomas Brooks resigned in December after three years at the helm.

Marcial has held senior-level positions with organizations across various industries. He was CEO of the National Association of College Auxiliary Services and previously held executive positions with The Institute of Internal Auditors, Meeting Professionals International and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, among others.

In a statement, PRSA highlighted Marcial’s “transferable experience,” such as leading the development of strategic plans and building cross-industry collaborations, as reasons for selecting him.

Marcial said his experience working with “some amazing communications professionals” is part of what drew him to PRSA. He voiced excitement about working on the organization’s strategic plan implementation.

But he also noted challenges – ranging from a lack of public trust to the rapid growth of technology, especially artificial intelligence.

“It’s a very exciting time, but it’s certainly not without its challenges,” said Marcial.

Cross-industry collaboration

At its heart, PR isn’t about media coverage, Marcial said. It’s about influence, both internally and externally.

Communicators have become important players in shaping business strategy, steering conversations on everything from reputation to workplace trends and operations management.

They’re no longer just pushing out messages, Marcial said. They’re driving the conversation.

Marcial said his goal is to position PRSA as a resource not just for PR practitioners but other business leaders who can benefit from their professional principles.

“Everything from how we manage the return to the office to looking at the talent pipeline and employee retention, these are areas that stakeholders will look to us to help address,” he said.

Marcial sees potential for PRSA to collaborate with organizations both within and outside the PR, tapping into industries that typically don’t engage with comms professionals.

“(Communicators) should play a role in training and developing business professionals who can apply PR and communications skills in their work,” he said, adding that expanding PRSA’s reach will help build a “more vibrant business community” overall.

Beyond traditional comms-centric training, he wants PRSA to explore experiential learning opportunities that allow PR pros to learn from outside their industry. Central to that, he said, is showing them how those new skills will benefit their day job.

For example, PR pros can learn from financial experts how to better apply their analytical approach to things such as brand perception analysis.

“Some of the biggest takeaways come from outside our field,” Marcial said.

That will also work the other way around. By inviting outside professionals to PRSA meetings and sessions, it will help create better awareness about the field of communications, Marcial said.

Navigating change in PR and beyond

Marical’s leadership experience will be important as the PR and communications industries face a general sense of distrust, contributing to the public relations industry’s image problem.

“The public probably thinks of a PR person as someone who is spinning the news,” Marcial said. This misunderstanding, he said, strikes at the core of the profession’s identity.

Marcial said PRSA will better highlight how it promotes truthfulness and transparency in communications.

The ethical dimension becomes even more critical as the industry faces a volatile information landscape, including misinformation and disinformation.

“This isn’t just a communications challenge; it’s a test of the integrity and effectiveness of all professions,” Marcial said.

This is part of a broader concern about how technology continues to reshape the industry. One of the biggest challenges is AI, with both its transformative potential and existential threat.

Guiding principles like PRSA’s code for the ethical use of AI can help promote greater transparency across the industry, Marcial said, creating more trust.

“We must be the ones leading the way,” he said. “We have to help our members understand how it can be used ethically and how we can harness it to move our organizations forward.”

In the coming days, PRSA will conduct outreach through surveys and other initiatives to gauge member needs and develop targeted training programs. He also plans to attend regular Member Mondays to interact with PRSA members from across the country.

“I’m looking forward to engaging people over these next few days and weeks and really focus on building up PRSA,” Marcial said.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.