Following is a press release for THE POWER OF INTEGRITY, an APTdistributed special that will be available for broadcast January 1, 2005. Also
provided is a bio for executive producer/host Helene Lerner.
A press kit for THE POWER OF INTEGRITY has been mailed to station program
managers and P.I. directors. Downloadable stills will be available at
www.KCTS.org/press.
Please contact us if you have any questions. (Station relations and press
relations contact information is provided at the end of the press release.)
The Power of Integrity
Press Release
“If you have integrity, you are whole, and you do not change your style, your
persona, depending on whether you’re in one situation or another.”
– Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm
In the past few years, scandal after scandal has been covered in the media. In business, sports,
politics and even religion, lines have been crossed and unfortunate decisions have been made. Many
people have become disillusioned. But the news is not all bad. For every scandal that makes the
headlines, there are instances of people acting with integrity—and quietly but surely, they are shaping
the world.
The half-hour documentary The Power of Integrity looks at the positive side of this story. Rather
than probing the cause of the scandals, the program asks, “What gets people to do the ‘right’ thing?
And more importantly, how can we pass on the ideals that we most admire to future generations?”
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning executive producer Helene Lerner, The Power of Integrity will
be available for broadcast on public television stations nationwide beginning January 1, 2005. (Please
check local listings.)
Featured in The Power of Integrity are:
Governor Jennifer Granholm, the first female governor of Michigan. Jennifer credits her parents
with instilling in her a sense of public duty, and she and her husband are raising their children to
shape the world, rather than be shaped by it.
Itzhak Perlman and his wife Toby. The renowned violinist knows the challenge of leadership and
says, “It is a virtuoso feat to be able to handle power properly.”
Angela Ahrendts, Executive Vice President at Liz Claiborne Inc., who discusses the business side of
integrity. Like Jennifer, Angela balances motherhood with a full-time job, and she believes that “if
you have a foundation, a solid core, then you can make it through whatever adversity is thrown your
way.”
Gregg Behr, Stacey Abrams and Pai-Ling Yin, who are part of The Content of Our Character
Project, a national initiative that was created with the aim of starting dialogue about ethics among
average Americans in everyday life. “The best way to answer a very hard question is just to actually
talk about it…not feel like it’s some esoteric, high intellectual idea that didn’t apply to every small
decision that you made,” says Pai-Ling, who is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School.
Gregg is a nonprofit leader who runs a foundation, and Stacey works as a Deputy City Attorney in
Atlanta, having left the lucrative life of a tax lawyer for public service.
Joseph Badaracco, a Harvard Business School professor, who leads a discussion among his
students about how they—as future leaders—have been impacted by recent scandals. As one student
puts it, “Our society as a whole is standing up and saying, ‘We’re not going to tolerate this.’”
How do we foster integrity, as a society and as individuals? Among those sharing their thoughts is
Toby Perlman: “The only way you can win in life is to dig down inside of yourself for your moral
core and live every day that way.”
At a time when scandal and wrongdoing seem to be all too prevalent, The Power of Integrity is a
refreshing and inspiring look at the ways in which every person can make a positive difference.
Web site: Additional resources, including key strategies for leadership, are available at
www.womenworking2000.com.
Credits: The Power of Integrity is a production of Creative Expansions, Inc. The program is
presented by KCTS/Seattle Public Television and distributed by American Public Television (APT).
Executive Producer/Host: Helene Lerner. Senior Producers: Suzanne Mitchell and Marilyn Kaskel
(Kas-Kel Electric Productions). Producer: Natalie Reuss.~Directors of Photography: Mauro Brattoli,
Paul Dzendzel, Kirsten Johnson, Jared Manders and Peter Trilling. Editor: R. A. Fedde.
Major funding for The Power of Integrity is provided by State Farm and BP. Additional funding
provided by Office Depot.
Publicity Contact:
Pat Mallinson
KCTS/Seattle Public Television
206.443.6798
pmallinson@kcts.org
###
Station Relations:
Tom Niemi
KCTS/Seattle Public Television
206.729.5298
tniemi@kcts.org
*
Helene Lerner, Executive Producer/Host
Helene Lerner, renowned health and empowerment advocate, has hosted a number of compelling
television specials covering a wide range of topics, from life-threatening illnesses such as heart
disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and AIDS, to the challenges facing professional women today.
The Emmy Award-winning executive producer’s work has appeared on public television as well as
CNBC. On television, in print and through keynote addresses to corporate and community groups,
her message is clear—with awareness, commitment and support, we can move our lives forward
despite the obstacles that may arise.
Lerner began her career as a teacher in the New York City public school system. In the 1980s, she
pursued a career in sales and marketing and worked her way up through the ranks of The New York
Times.
A former columnist for New Woman magazine and for the New York Post’s “Wellness Watch,” Lerner
also has authored several books, including Embrace Change, Finding Balance, Stress Breakers and Our
Power As Women: Wisdom and Strategies of Highly Successful Women.
Lerner hosts a popular Web site for women, www.womenworking2000.com, with success strategies
for advancement, balance and leadership, power-networking contacts, books and more. She
maintains a private practice coaching individuals and groups on tools and techniques to increase
power and self-esteem in both their personal and professional lives. She lectures on topics of selfmastery and power, balancing career and family, creating mentoring and networking partnerships,
stress reduction and other health issues.
Lerner heads a successful company, Creative Expansions, Inc. (CEI), designed to help women
actualize their potential. CEI’s previous productions include Proud to be a Girl, winner of a 2004 New
York Emmy Award; Blazes of Light: Women Living with HIV/AIDS, an Emmy nominee and winner of
a 2000 Gracie Award from American Women in Radio and Television; Out of the Darkness: Women and
Depression, winner of a 1999 New York Emmy Award and a 1999 Gracie Award; and Osteoporosis: Your
Bones, Your Life, winner of a 1997 National Media Owl Award from the Retirement Research
Foundation. Other productions include Grab Hold of the Reins: Women & Cancer, Women Going Global,
Rocking the Barriers, Women Working 2000 and Beyond, Choices Over a Lifetime, Phenomenal Voyage: Women
Engineering the Future and Pure Magic: The Mother-Daughter Bond.
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Lerner holds a master’s degree in education and an MBA in
management sciences. She lives in New York City.