PR legend Willard ‘Bill’ Nielsen dies: ‘Deeply caring and remarkably humble’

Nielsen was best known for his role as corporate vice president, public affairs at Johnson & Johnson.

Willard “Bill” Nielsen, a pillar of the PR community best known for his tenure as corporate vice president, public affairs at Johnson & Johnson, died Tuesday night. He was surrounded by family, according to Tina McCorkindale, president and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations.

“If I were asked to name the five individuals who have had the greatest impact on our field over the past 100 years, Willard ‘Bill’ Nielsen would undoubtedly be on that list,” McCorkindale told PR Daily. “When Bill served as corporate vice president of public affairs at Johnson & Johnson, he had a seat at the leadership table and served as a strategic counselor when this was not the standard, but rather aspirational. In doing so, he helped define what senior communications leadership could and should be.”

Nielsen graduated from Oregon State University and served as a public information officer with the U.S. Air Force. He spent 18 years working in PR consultancies before joining Johnson & Johnson in 1988. Campaigns he oversaw won four PRSA Silver Anvils. He also served as a two-time president of the Arthur W. Page Society.

Nielsen was the father of three daughters and lived with his wife, Doris, in Maryland.

After retiring from Johnson & Johnson in 2004, Nielsen remained an active force in the PR community. He served on a wide array of boards, including:

• Chair, Page Center Advisory Board
• Chairman of The Seminar
• Trustee and honorary trustee at the Institute for Public Relations
• Board of directors for the Global Public Affairs Institute
• Board of directors for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Trustee at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
• Board director of the Foundation of Children’s Hospital, National Medical Center
• And more

“On a personal level, Bill was deeply caring and remarkably humble,” McCorkindale recalled. “He never bragged about his accomplishments and was always genuinely interested in how others were doing.”

McCorkindale added: “His leadership, integrity, and commitment to advancing our field made a lasting impact. Bill will be deeply missed, but his influence and legacy will undoubtedly live on.”

Click here to share a memory of Nielsen.

Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.

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