CARE announces new Public Relations Director

CARE
Thursday, 14 March 2002

CARE USA, the international humanitarian organization, announced today the appointment of Lurma Rackley as Public Relations Director. Ms. Rackley brings a 30-year background in communications. Most recently, she led the public affairs and corporate philanthropy program at Eddie Bauer.

"Lurma's professional background and personal commitment to humanitarian work are tremendous assets to CARE, and we are delighted to have her on the team," said CARE USA's president Peter Bell. "CARE is internationally regarded for helping people find lasting solutions to poverty through access to health care, education, and economic opportunity. Now, we are increasing our efforts to ensure public awareness of CARE as a resource for every individual to become engaged in improving the world we share."

A graduate of Clark Atlanta University, Ms. Rackley started her career as a reporter for the Washington Star newspaper in Washington, D.C., after attending a Ford Foundation-Columbia University journalism program designed to bring more people of color into the nation's newsrooms. She spent nine years at the daily newspaper before joining city government, where she spent 11 years in positions including Deputy Communications Director and Mayoral Press Secretary.

Later, she founded a public relations business to help non-profit organizations raise their visibility, then took a position at the international public relations firm of Hill and Knowlton as a Vice President, Media Relations. From there, Ms. Rackley joined the human rights organization Amnesty International as Deputy Executive Director for Communications. The move to Eddie Bauer took her to Redmond, Washington, outside Seattle, where she spent the past four years developing and promoting the company's corporate social responsibility program.

"Each job I've held continuously reinforced my understanding of the interconnectedness of everyone and everything in the world," Ms. Rackley said. "At CARE, I have a fantastic opportunity to work with amazing people who are directly affecting the lives of the world's most disadvantaged men, women and children. I look forward to the challenge of spreading the word. If we understand that by confronting poverty at its roots, we're not only doing the morally correct thing for people who are struggling, but we're securing a safer future for ourselves and our children, I think we'll reach our goal of a better world in my lifetime."

About CARE

CARE, one of the world's largest international humanitarian organizations, helps people and communities achieve lasting solutions to poverty. Projects include agriculture and natural resources, economic development, education, food, health, water and sanitation, and emergency response.

For more information, or to contact CARE, see their website at: www.care.org