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Kenneth J. Wildes, Jr., began his assignment as vice president, communications at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles on Dec. 18, 2000, after almost two decades as the senior officer responsible for communications, media and public relations, promotion and public affairs at two of America's premier teaching and research universities.
He is responsible for the development and management of a comprehensive Integrated Marketing Communications program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles to improve awareness and the image of the hospital.
Mr. Wildes had been director of University Communications at the University of Pennsylvania for more than four years prior to his appointment at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
Mr. Wildes spent more than 14 years as the senior communications officer at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and Chicago, and he was vice president for University Relations at Northwestern at the time of his appointment at Penn in July 1996.
Mr. Wildes was director of newspaper promotion and public relations at Parade Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., publisher of Parade magazine, prior to his appointment at Northwestern in March 1982.
He has been a frequent speaker on the management of institutional response to various public issues, crisis public relations and ethical issues in public relations; and he has conducted strategic planning exercises in public relations and provided public relations counsel for numerous fundraising campaigns.
Mr. Wildes is acknowledged for his expertise in crisis and issues management, as well as the management of institutional response to controversial public issues.
He has worked with news organizations throughout the United States and in Europe.
Mr. Wildes has collaborated with tourist board officials in New York, NY, and with government and tourist board officials in Greece, the former Yugoslavia, Spain, Ireland, Denmark, and Norway; and he has provided public relations support of various international projects, including the International Sports Program with The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
He has been charged with overall responsibility for numerous special events, including the visits of the President of the United States (1996 and 2000) to the University of Pennsylvania; the visit of the Prime Minister of Sweden (1987) to Northwestern University; and the Convocation and Investiture of the Laureates of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois for Gov. and Mrs. Jim Edgar (1996) and Gov. and Mrs. James R. Thompson (1984).
Mr. Wildes worked with Buckingham Palace on all arrangements for The Visit of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales to Chicago in 1996, with overall responsibility for safety and security, transportation of the Royal Party and all arrangements for seven events during the three-day visit, as well as for the accreditation and management of more than 500 members of the working press from throughout the United States and around the world.
He has been responsible for press accreditation and arrangements for the appearances of controversial public figures, including His Excellency Jiang Zemin, president of the People's Republic of China to the University of Pennsylvania as part of his Official State Visit to America in 1997; the Rev. Louis Farrakhan to Northwestern University (1992); and vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro to Northwestern University two days prior to the presidential election in 1984.
Mr. Wildes has done special public relations work with Art Linkletter, Chris Schenkel and Julia Child, as well as editorial promotion work with numerous reporters, writers and photojournalists, including the late Jack Anderson, Tad Szulac, Jack Harrison Pollack and Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalists the late Eddie Adams and the late Arthur Rothstein.
He has worked with publishers, as well as circulation and promotion executives, at some of America’s finest newspapers, including The Washington Post; and on special editorial promotions with high-quality, high-circulation newspapers in major markets throughout the country, including the Dallas Morning News, the Pittsburgh Press and the Chicago Sun-Times.
Mr. Wildes was a member of the Public Affairs Network of the Association of American Universities (1988-00); the Public Issues Task Force of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (1988-98); the Public Affairs Group of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (1990-96), which he chaired (1992-94); the Public Affairs Committee of the Council on Competitiveness (1992-96); and the executive committee of the University Magazine Network (1992-96), which he served as vice president (1992-94) and president (1994-96).
Mr. Wildes received a bachelor’s degree in English from Springfield College in 1969. He has two daughters. | 