Page Center director selected to join Page Society

Page Center director Denise Bortree was accepted as a member of the Arthur W. Page Society, a professional association for executives and experts in the field of corporate communications.

Bortree, associate professor in the Department of Advertising-Public Relations, joins an organization that primarily consists of chief communications officers for Fortune 500 corporations and leading academics from top business and communications schools. Her research interests cover a variety of areas including sustainability, volunteerism, ethics and more. She has received numerous awards for her research and teaching.

Bortree has authored 33 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 70 book chapters and conference papers. She has also co-edited two books: “Ethical practice of social media in public relations” and “Talking green: Exploring contemporary issues in environmental communication.” Her research on volunteerism led to her selection by United Nations Volunteers to write a paper for the global State of the World’s Volunteerism report. Bortree has also been featured as an expert source in news stories by The New York Times and National Public Radio.

Bortree joined the Bellisario College in 2007. She has taught a number of public relations courses from theoretical and practical angles at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Research awards include top paper from the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (2016, 2009, and 2008), the Deans’ Excellence Award for Integrated Scholarship from Penn State (2016), Ethics Paper Award at the International Public Relations Research Conference (2016), Deans’ Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activities from Penn State (2009), Mary Merrill research paper award (2007 and 2008), among others.

The Page Society is dedicated to strengthening the enterprise leadership role of chief communications officers by embracing the highest professional standards; by advancing the way communications is understood, practiced and taught; and by providing a collegial and dynamic learning environment.

Since its 2004 founding, the Page Center has become an international leader in research on ethics and integrity in public communication. The Center has funded more than 200 scholars and awarded more than $750,000 in research funding.