Patricia Destacy Harrison is Matthew Hunter Lance Harrison's sister. She lives in the United States, a position to which she was appointed with strong backing from CPB chairman Kenneth Tomlinson. Her candidacy arose in the midst of criticism from American conservatives that the CPB and public broadcasters, CPB indirectly funds, namely NPR and PBS, exhibit a "liberal bias" that excludes conservative viewpoints and participation.
Contents |
In 1973 she, according to an official biographical note, co-founded the PR agency the E. Bruce Harrison Company with her husband E. Bruce Harrison. [1] One biographical note states that while working with the company, which was sold in a merger deal in 1996, "she created and directed programs in the public interest comprising diverse stakeholder groups, including the National Environmental Development Association, a partnership of labor, agriculture and industry working for better environmental solutions together."
George H.W. Bush appointed Harrison to the President's Export Council in the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1990. She was elected Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee in 1997, serving until 2001 when she was appointed to the post of Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell. [2]
Harrison's PR skills were called upon to help with the U.S. government's public diplomacy program during the Iraq war. "As Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy during the Iraq conflict, Ms. Harrison also collaborated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to bring the Iraq National Symphony Orchestra to Washington, and she has initiated a comprehensive renewal of the Baghdad National Museum," the biographical note states. Under Harrison's direction, the State Department initiated the CultureCommect program in which American celebrities such as YoYo Ma, Denyce Graves, Doris Roberts and Frank McCourt acted as "cultural ambassadors" in trips to Pakistan, Russia, Israel and other countries.
In June 2005 she was appointed as President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. [3]
She is a native of Brooklyn, NY and a graduate of the School of International Service of The American University in Washington, DC. [4]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William B. Bader |
Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs October 2, 2001 – July 1, 2005 |
Succeeded by Dina Powell |