President and CEO
The Blewitt Foundation

Richard F. Blewitt, President and CEO of The Blewitt Foundation, is a former corporate officer who has spent many years successfully managing business communication issues, including major crisis management programs. Mr. Blewitt’s experience directing public affairs in the chemical industry (when it attracted unprecedented press coverage in the 1970s and 1980s) led him to co-found Rowan & Blewitt in 1984.

He served as Vice President of Public Affairs for Velsicol Chemical Corporation and received national recognition for his role in leading communication efforts on behalf of the company when it came under intense public scrutiny. Blewitt’s media interviews and overall handling of the issues were cited as models of effective management and spokesmanship by both the national and trade media.

A former reporter for The Scranton (PA) Times, he also served as a Navy journalist in Japan and has held public relations positions at FMC Corporation and two major industry trade associations. Blewitt is a contributing editor for the World Book Encyclopedia and has received several awards for corporate public relations program direction, including being named “Man of the Year” by a national trade magazine.

Blewitt holds an MBA degree from the University of Chicago and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Maryland University College and serves on its Board of Visitors. Blewitt is a past president of UMUC’s Alumni Association and the 1998 recipient of its Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award. Mr. Blewitt is also on the Board of Governors of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and previously served on the Board of Trustees of the National Parks and Conservation Association.