February Lunch
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Taj Campton Place Hotel
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Larry Kamer is a veteran public affairs strategist and an expert in the management of public-facing challenges and crises that determine the future of reputations, brands, and careers. His skills come from more than 30 years as a communications consultant, a senior executive in international marketing and communication firms, a political advisor, a professor and an entrepreneur.
Kamer teaches in the graduate program at the Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism at the University of Southern California, and at the Leo McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at the University of San Francisco. He has been cited as one of “America’s Top 10 Crisis Busters” (PR Week). According to Corporate Legal Times, “Larry Kamer can stop any rumor.”
City College of San Francisco (ccsf.edu) hired Kamer to serve as its crisis counselor and public spokesperson following a highly critical report that put its accreditation and funding in jeopardy unless a series of reforms can be enacted by this coming March. In addition to questions about its leadership (the college has had a succession of four chancellors in the past four years), CCSF’s problems were aggravated by another report about its fiscal planning that was just as critical.
CCSF, a two-year college with a student body of more than 90,000 students, is one of the largest community colleges in the country. It is also one of San Francisco’s ten largest employers, with 3,000 people on its payroll. Voters in SF have been generous to the institution. Every time the college has gone to the ballot for funding, it has prevailed. Last November, voters approved Proposition A, which will provide the CCSF with $15 million annually, by a nearly 73% margin—this in spite of a torrent of negative press about the College’s predicament.
Join Larry Kamer in a discussion about what’s going on at a beloved institution that Mayor Lee has said is inevitably tied to San Francisco’s economic success. Find out about the part he is playing to help keep the public invested in the university’s future.
To guarantee a seat you must make your reservation via Eventbrite, by midnight, Thursday, 21 February—or until limited reservation slots have been filled. So, do not delay. Vegetarian meals can be accommodated ONLY if requested ahead of time. No changes allowed except for health reasons. Reserve here.