Ron Culp is Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Midwest Operations of Ketchum, a leading public relations firm. He is responsible for Ketchum's operations in Chicago and Pittsburg, and serves as a global corporate strategist in the firm's Global Corporate Practice. Previously, Culp founded and served as Chairman of Citigate Sard Verbinnen/Chicago, a financial public relations firm. For more than 30 years, Culp has created communications strategies for shareholders, employees, customers and the public through his roles as a corporate communications, public relations, and government affairs executive with numerous Fortune 500 corporations.

Culp�s vision, counsel and strategies have steered Sears, Roebuck and Co., Sara Lee Corporation, Pitney Bowes, Eli Lilly and Company, and others through Congressional hearings, product recalls, financial restructuring, organizational transformation, mergers and acquisitions, and other high-profile activities. Behind the scenes, he also developed award-winning employee communications, corporate philanthropy, and community relations initiatives. He led the Sears Roebuck Foundation, and helped Sara Lee earn a worldwide reputation as a leading corporate sponsor of the arts.

Culp is active in several nonprofit and professional organizations, including the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Lincoln Park Zoo, Economic Club of Chicago, and the Executives Club of Chicago, where he has chaired PR/media, revenue and membership committees. He has been active in national trade associations and government agencies, including the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, and Food and Drug Administration. Early in his career, he served as Press Secretary for an Indiana Congressman and a Director for the New York State Assembly.

Culp holds a BS in Political Science from Indiana State University, and received the college�s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2002.