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Kathleen H. Forte is vice president - public affairs for DuPont. Ms. Forte leads DuPont corporate communications globally, with emphasis on positioning DuPont in a way that adds business value and enhances the company's image among key stakeholders. Her direct responsibilities include: employee and leadership communications; public relations; on-line corporate content and branding; issues and crisis management; media relations; corporate publications; and community relations.
Ms. Forte joined DuPont as a staff writer in 1978. In 1980 she was named assistant editor of DuPont News and in 1981 was appointed public affairs representative for the DuPont Polymer Products Department. In 1984 she assumed a similar position for Public Affairs' energy and environment division and later that year transferred to Polymer Products' departmental plans division as senior communications specialist.
She was transferred to the Petrochemicals Department's Savannah River plant in Aiken, S.C., in 1986 as public affairs supervisor. Ms. Forte returned to Wilmington, Del., in 1987 as senior public affairs specialist for the Chemicals and Pigments Department, focusing primarily on managing global communications related to the CFC/ozone issue. In 1989 she became public affairs manager for Chemicals and Pigments and was named communications group manager for DuPont Chemicals in July 1990. She assumed management responsibility for Polymer Recycling and Safety, Health and Environmental issues in February 1993, and became director Corporate Public Affairs in July 1993. She assumed her current position in April 1998.
Prior to joining DuPont, Ms. Forte was assistant editor of a regional weekly newspaper and served as community relations director for the Mental Health Association of Delaware.
She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Delaware and a master's in journalism from Temple University. Ms. Forte has served on several non-profit or educational boards in Delaware, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Delaware, Catholic Social Services, Ursuline Academy, The Nature Conservancy - Delaware Chapter and the cabinet of United Way of Delaware. She currently serves on the board of trustees of Easter Seals of Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.
She is former chair of the communications committee of the American Chemistry Council and is past chair of the Conference Board's Council of Corporate Communications Executives. She is also a member of the PR Seminar, a professional organization of senior executives in public relations and corporate communications. She is an inaugural member of the Ursuline Academy Hall of Distinguished Alumnae and a member of the Hall of Fame at Temple University's School of Communications and Theater. Ms Forte was named a "Public Relations All Star" in 2000 by Reputation Management Magazine. | 