Public Relations Licensed and PractitionerPioneers of PRThe field of public relations has the opportunity to connect its past and present to achieve a powerful future, making the PR profession a licensed profession . Since the days of public relations pioneers such as Edward Bernays (1891 - 1995), considered the "father of public relations" and Ivy Lee (1877 - 1934), also considered the "father of public relations", public relations professionals relationships have fought desperately to accumulate respect and maintain legitimacy in the eyes of the public and other professional groups. Bernays is of particular interest because he pioneered the public relations industry's use of traditional press techniques with the addition of psychology and other social sciences to design public persuasion campaigns that it took an expert to " engineering consensus,” as he called it, spent many years trying to obtain a license for the vocation of public relations, raising it, in his words, “to the level of a profession.” in 1992 he even introduced an eloquent bill to establish registration and licensing of public relations professionals. Unfortunately the bill did not pass, but the licensing proposal was actively addressed, leaving open the opportunity for expansion. What does the license mean for the professional? Highly appreciated professions. they require a specialization that can only be acquired and recognized through minimum levels of education, a certification process and the required responsibility towards one's profession and the public. This process is known as licensing. Real estate agents, lawyers, doctors and accountants must be authorized to present themselves as professionals to the public and to practice their profession. The state of Michigan has over 1000 licensed professions and occupations. It doesn't say much for a public relations professional that under the letter "P" on the Michigan licensing list, his profession is not listed. They are not recognized within a group that includes groomers and package delivery services (see Table 1). Table 1- MICHIGANS DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AND INDUSTRY REQUIRED LICENSE* (UNDER THE LETTER "P") List provided by the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry ServicesTable 1- Michigan Licensed Occupations/Professions Under the "P" “Think about the standards by which you select a professional.