There’s a symbiotic relationship between the two worlds of public relations and journalism. Both connect where the story begins.
Sure, people in trouble or those in need of some good press hire a good PR firm. Those overwhelmed by the media also turn to those professionals.
The best in the business, and you can easily spot them as they’re coming at you, compel you to listen to their point of view. It’s a skill to both enlighten and work for a client.
Kathryn Bloom was among that rare breed. She was a newcomer to Boston when she took a job as director of communications for Biogen Inc. in Cambridge in 1991. She ended her career there as senior director of public affairs, which included establishing and then running Biogen’s corporate foundation, a Northeastern University profile tells.
Biogen is a Massachusetts success story. But she retired to pursue her Ph.D in English from Northeastern. She died last week, but her work will not be forgotten.
“We all should be fortunate to have someone to call our best friend. I can proudly say that Kathryn Bloom was that person in my life,” said fellow public relations pro George Regan. “Kathryn was there when I opened the doors to Regan Communications over 40 years ago.
“Her intellect, professionalism and deep understanding of the media landscape helped propel this company to where it is today,” he added.
Not only was Bloom a spokesperson for Biogen, but she also wrote fiction and literary criticism and supported Jewish causes around the globe.
“Her cup was always half full, even when faced with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis in 2025. She did not sulk or surrender to defeat. Instead, she added to her To Do List and continued to live her life on her terms with grace and compassion for others,” Regan added.
“Sadly,” he added, “my best friend passed away earlier this week. While I am heartbroken over this deep loss, I remain grateful to have known this amazing person and eternally thankful to have shared countless laughs, reflective conversations and memories with her that I will forever cherish.”
Bloom wrote for the Times of Israel last year that there’s “nothing like a cancer diagnosis to focus your mind on updating your will.” It was a prompt to wrestle with leaving money to a college “that on some level tolerates antisemitism or do I support the aspects of its mission that will help save lives” with its nursing program?
Forever the PR pro. Forever illuminating while being honest about a story. It was her story, this time, wrapped in the struggle to balance Israel’s right to exist. There’s no easy answer, and that’s a message worth sharing. And, she included her school in that will, ending her essay with:
“In the end, I included my university in my will. The majority of my bequests are still to Jewish organizations, but I am an American and it is important to me to support my country, the country that gave hope and safety to my grandparents.”
