Elizabeth Christian

Elizabeth Christian, a fourth-generation Austinite and journalism graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, is president and CEO of Elizabeth Christian Public Relations. Christian has a 40-year career in public relations, journalism, and political affairs.

In addition to running an award-winning PR firm, which serves clients such as as Google and Google Fiber, St. David’s HealthCare, United Way for Greater Austin, Texas Mutual Insurance, SouthWest Water Co., and others, she is active in the local community.

She has led several major pro bono projects of significant impact, including the 2007 Tribute to Lady Bird Johnson upon the passing of the former First Lady. She also spearheaded a massive school bonds campaign in 1996 and ran the campaign to allow Austin to convert an old municipal auditorium into the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

She is president of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation and past president of the Headliners Club. She is on the board of trustees of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is a member of the Austin Area Research Organization.

She has long been active with the Austin Chamber of Commerce; at various times over a long period of board membership, she has served as vice chair for communications, transportation, and education. She has made numerous trips to Washington, D.C., to lobby on Capitol Hill on issues of importance to Austin's economic development, and she has participated in the Chamber's inter-city trips nationwide for years.

Christian lived in California for 13 years, from 1980-1993. She worked at the Los Angeles Times for the better part of that time, holding positions as assistant business news editor and as an editor and writer for the Real Estate section. She also owned the Mendocino Grapevine, an award-winning weekly newspaper in Northern California. She worked as both senior vice president and media director at Carl Terzian Associates, a large corporate public relations firm in Los Angeles, and served as the executive director of the Greater Ukiah Chamber of Commerce.

She was recognized as Austin Human Resource Management Association's "2014 Woman of Distinction." In 2004, the Texas Public Relations Association named her "Public Relations Practitioner of the Year." In 2001, she received the prestigious Profiles in Power Award given by the Austin Business Journal.