PATRICIA MATSON
Whether the product is a politician, a television network or a box of cereal, successful PR often comes down to the ability to predict the answer to one simple question: “How will this play with the public?” Textbooks call it strategic planning. Your grandmother might call it common sense. Whatever you call it, Patricia Matson has it in spades. After graduating from UNO in 1966, Matson enjoyed a career at the highest echelon of public relations. That began in Washington, D.C., where Matson was press secretary and administrative aide to U.S. Representative John McCollister; press assistant and speech writer at the Nixon and Ford White House (1973–1977); and press secretary to the Republican Senatorial Committee. Then came 20-plus years in New York with ABC, where Matson rose to become senior vice president of communications and was the company’s chief spokesperson. She keeps her hand in the business today, serving as a consultant for the Walt Disney Company and serving on the board of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.