Cecilia A. Wilkinson, 57, Investor Relations Luminary.MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- Cecilia A. Wilkinson, a leader in investor relations and corporate communications who counseled some of Southern California's leading companies, died September 27 at her home in Manhattan Beach, after a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 57. A principal of Los Angeles-based PondelWilkinson Inc. and a member of the firm since 1981, Wilkinson advised companies on issues ranging from merger and acquisition communications, corporate crises, news media relations and shareholder communications, and served as day-to-day liaison with the investment community worldwide. Her clients included Neutrogena, K2, Souplantation, the Outdoor Channel, Amgen, Corinthian Colleges, the W.M. Keck Foundation, Data Broadcasting, Long Beach Grand Prix
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is the premier circuit in the Champ Car World Series. It is an open-wheel race held on a temporary road course in Long Beach, California. , Aames Financial Corp. and others. Prior to joining PondelWilkinson, she worked in the investor relations department of Dart Industries (now Kraft Foods), parent of the Rexall Drug Store chain, and was on the public relations staff of the Long Beach Press-Telegram The Long Beach Press-Telegram is a major daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Tracing its history to 1897, it is currently published by the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. External links
"Cecilia's passion for her work and dedication to our firm served as a source of inspiration to all of us," said Roger S. Pondel, Wilkinson's colleague for more than 25 years and president of PondelWilkinson. "Our staff and our industry mourn the loss of an esteemed colleague, a valued mentor and a treasured friend." Rob M. Whetstone, PondelWilkinson principal and managing director, said, "Cecilia helped lead our firm to national prominence. She was revered for her intellect and admired for her conscience, standing firm on her principles and instilling a drive to achieve the highest standards of excellence." Born June 30, 1949, in Long Beach, CA, Wilkinson was the second of three children. She earned master's and bachelor's degrees in public relations from the School of Journalism (now the Annenberg School of Journalism) at the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission , where she taught undergraduate and graduate classes as an adjunct professor. In 1994, Wilkinson was honored with the school's Distinguished Journalism Alumni award. She was a member of the USC Annenberg School for Communication The USC Annenberg School for Communication comprises the USC Annenberg School of Communication and the USC Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC). USC Annenberg was established in 1971 through the support of Ambassador Walter H. Board of Councilors and served as an officer and director of Annenberg's Communications Associates. Wilkinson was named to the The Board of Governors of the USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. General Alumni Association in 2004. Accredited by the Public Relations Society of America The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), based in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. The organization has more than 30,000 professional and student members, and is organized into 112 chapters nationwide. , Wilkinson served as president of the Los Angeles chapter. She also was a member of the National Investor Relations Institute The National Investor Relations Institute, known as "NIRI", is the professional association for investor relations professionals in the United States. NIRI was founded in 1969 and has more than 4,500 members, both from the United States and other countries. and regularly moderated panels at the institute's annual conferences. Wilkinson served on the development committee of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. and co-chaired the communications committee for a multi-million dollar fundraising campaign for the Sisters of St. Joseph
The Sisters of St. Joseph are a Roman Catholic order of women founded in Le Puy, France. of Carondelet. Wilkinson spent her final days at home with her family and friends. She is survived by her daughter, Mallory, sister, Nela, brother, Richard, her mother, Amanda, and by nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held Friday, October 6, 2006 at 10 a.m., at American Martyrs Catholic Church, 624 15th Street, Manhattan Beach. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the USC Annenberg School of Journalism, attention Michelle Clark, Annenberg School for Communication There are two schools named Annenberg School for Communication.
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