Bojinka Bishop

Website: Sage Works

Website: Flying High Solo

Bojinka Bishop retired after teaching Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility for 13 years in the School of Journalism. Now located in Denver, Bojinka has melded PR and CSR together and has a consultancy, Sage Works, with long-time colleagues. Built on her research-based Principles of Authentic Communication, she has developed a full-blown formula for socially responsible stakeholder relations. She and her colleagues also created an online diagnostic tool that organizations can use to assess their work in communication and engagement with all stakeholders.

Bojinka joined Ohio University in 1998 with 20+ years of professional experience in public relations at the local, national, and international levels before retiring from on-campus teaching in 2011. Her courses in Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility emphasized strategy, critical thinking and Service Learning. She conducted research and published many articles on her original concept, the Principles of Authentic Communication, which is cited in PR textbooks as an example of ethical and effective communication. She was an advisor to students and to the Hugh Culbertson Chapter of PRSSA, which won best of nation under her leadership.

Bishop also served as part-time faculty for OU’s Global Leadership Center for three years and supervised student projects, including those in Thailand.

She served on the Board of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), as Teaching co-chair of the Public Relations Division of the AEJMC, and was a long-standing member of the National Association of Science Writers. Research presentations include sessions at the Public Relations Society of America’s annual conference, several IAP2 International conferences, the International Public Relations Research Conference, the AWWA annual conference, and the Corporate Communications Conference in England.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Director of Public Affairs at American Water Works Association, 1990-1996. As director of public affairs for the American Water Works Association, Prof. Bishop directed public communications programs including media relations, public participation and strategic initiatives. She also directed national campaigns, including the award-winning Blue Thumb Project. Her international work included projects with Water for People in Poland and Ukraine; and NGO development in Slovakia.

EDUCATION: M.S., Environmental Communication, University of Michigan. B.A., English Language and Literature, University of Michigan. Certificate of Advanced Studies in Alternative Dispute Resolution, University College, University of Denver.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY: Prof. Bishop views public relations and public communication from a holistic perspective as a dynamic interaction among organizations, publics, issues, and social trends. Thus, she sees public relations as a comprehensive field encompassing corporate social responsibility, media relations, public participation, corporate communication, and community relations, and carried out with a wide array of strategies and tactics from thought-leadership positioning to campaigns to social media.

Currently, in addition to her work with Sage Works, she continues to serve as an ideation consultant to SpencerHall, an innovative product-development firm, and publishes an online “blogazine,” FlyingHighSolo.com when time permits.

Contact Information – bishopb@ohio.edu, bojinka@thesageworks.org, 740-707-6176