Profiles
College Alumnus to Lead World’s Largest Organization of PR Professionals
Gerard "Gerry" Corbett was recently elected 2012 chair and CEO of the 31,000-member Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). It is the pinnacle of a career that spans 40 years: 30 years in public relations, advertising and branding, and 10 years as an engineer and programmer.
Corbett is quick to say that he owes it all to the engineering training he received at Community College of Philadelphia. “Most of the companies that I was with recruited me because of my technical background and understanding,” Corbett said. “My early engineering training was directly responsible for where my career went.”
Corbett grew up in West Oak Lane, one of eight children. “My parents didn’t have much money, so we were all responsible for our own education,” he said. So, after graduating from Cardinal Dougherty High School, he enrolled in the electronic engineering program at the College.
He recalls that the College, then housed in the former Snellenberg Department Store at 11th Street near Market Street, was nicknamed “Snellenberg U.” by its students. Those were turbulent times, and Corbett recalls an incident when students, protesting the Vietnam War, took over the president’s office and Corbett, a bystander, was caught on tape by a television news crew. When his parents saw him on the news that night, he had some explaining to do.
After two years, Corbett left the College and followed his twin brother to San Jose, California. Although he left before receiving a degree, the training he received at the College helped him obtain a job with NASA conducting wind tunnel tests on experimental space shuttle and military aircraft designs. To complete his education, Corbett enrolled in Foothill College, a junior college near his job. He later transferred credits from Foothill and received his associate’s degree from Community College of Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, NASA purchased a new IBM mainframe computer, and because of the skills he learned in a computer programming course he took at Community College of Philadelphia, he was promoted to scientific programmer.
In 1974, he transferred from Foothill to San Jose State, but chose to switch his career path to public relations. He received his bachelor’s degree in Public Relations in 1977. “I felt I had a natural talent for writing, and so my early days in Silicon Valley and my writing skills made me a good fit for the public relations business,” he said.
He spent the next several decades serving in senior positions with Hitachi America, Loral Corporation, ASARCO Inc., Gould Inc. and International Harvester Company. After serving as vice president of the branding and corporate communications group for Hitachi, Ltd. for 12 years, he left to start his own firm, Redphlag LLC. The firm is based in San Bruno, Calif. and focuses on marketing, branding, public relations and personal brand coaching.
Corbett, a 33-year member of PRSA, will serve on the board until he ascends to the top position in the organization in 2012.
He Gave Up Balancing the Books for a Career in Corrections
After leaving the U.S. Air Force, Arthur J. Blackmon, Jr. went to work for the Philadelphia Prison System (PPS) while attending Community College of Philadelphia to further his plans to become an accountant.
“I needed a job, and I figured that the pay wasn’t bad, and I would give it a try until I finished school,” Blackmon said.
Nearly 34 years later, Blackmon recalled his time at the College as “challenging.” He worked shifts as a corrections officer at the prisons and scheduled most of his classes at night. That left him little time to be with his wife and five children.
By the time he received an Associate in Applied Science degree in Management in 1989, however, Blackmon had chosen a different career path. He was rising rapidly through the ranks at PPS, and the work fascinated him. “I wound up staying,” said Blackmon, now the warden for Alternative and Special Detention (ASD).
As warden of ASD, Blackmon oversees six minimum security facilities that house roughly 700 men and women inmates. Come June 2011, the 58-year-old prison administrator plans to retire.
Although Blackmon always intended to complete his education with a bachelor’s degree, family obligations and his career at PPS got in the way. Retirement will allow him to finish what he started at Community College of Philadelphia all those years ago. “One of my goals is going back to college and earn my bachelor’s degree after I retire,” he said.
As warden, Blackmon is open to innovative ways to help inmates transition back into society. “We have to work to try and decrease that population and deal with some of the issues in our communities,” he said.
He is supportive of innovative efforts, like the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, that bring college students inside prison walls to take classes with prison inmates. “I look for any type of program that can help these men and women and give them the opportunity to change,” he said.
Tara Timberman, a professor at the College who coordinates the Inside-Out classes at the Cambria Community Center in North Philadelphia, said Blackmon has been very supportive.
“He is truly an advocate for bringing higher education opportunities into the Philadelphia Prison System,” Timberman said. “With Blackmon’s support, the College will launch an intense 10-week college pilot program in January to provide 20 inmates the chance to earn 12 college credits. I can only hope that the person who replaces him will be as supportive as he has been of comprehensive re-entry programming.”
College Family Tree Campaign Update
Faith C. Watson, an assistant professor of English, who has been known to teach classes outside on beautiful days, said she contributed to the College Family Tree Campaign in honor of her students.
“I think students can learn as much outside if not more than they would indoors, when the weather is nice,” said Watson, whose gift to the campaign will be recognized with a personalized bench. “It’s wonderful that we’re going to add benches all over campus as part of the Expanding Possibilities campaign. Students will have places to relax and read a book, and they’ll know how much we value them.”
There are a variety of reasons why Watson and many members of the College family are electing to participate in the College’s first capital campaign. To date, 74 faculty, staff, retirees and alumni have contributed or pledged $187,000.
“We are pleased with the response to this initiative thus far,” President Curtis said. “Our goal for the College Family Tree campaign is $235,000, and I encourage everyone on campus and at the Regional and Neighborhood Centers to consider making a gift in support of the effort to help us meet the Kresge Challenge.
Contributions have come from across the spectrum of College employees.
Craig Weintraub, manager of Technical Crafts and Construction Services, is giving and encourages others to give through multiyear pledges and payroll deduction. “As a resident of the city, I’m keenly aware that engaging students in higher education is one of the most significant factors in creating tomorrow’s workforce,” Weintraub said. “Our first comprehensive campaign is largely designed with that fact in mind, and I am proud to be an early donor to the effort.”
In the Bambhrolia family, few things were prized more than the power of education and the fundamental importance of community. “My father was orphaned as a young boy and raised himself within his community,” said Bhavesh Bambhrolia, manager of Enrollment Services Systems. “And, though neither of my parents was well educated themselves, they firmly believed that education is the key that drives all success in life. My gift to the campaign is made in honor of my family; it’s a way of saying to them that I hold dear the values they instilled in me.”
It is not too late to join Watson, Weintraub, Bambhrolia and others in giving. Gifts are tax deductible, can be made through payroll deduction and can be spread out over time. To learn more about Expanding Possibilities and the many options for participation, contact Suzanne Becker at ext. 8369 or sbecker@ccp.edu.