Margery Kraus, founder and executive chairman of APCO Worldwide, a global consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., specializes in public affairs, communication and business consulting for major multinationals. Kraus founded APCO in 1984 and transformed it from a company with one small Washington office to a multinational consulting firm in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. She is the author of numerous articles in the fields of public affairs management and corporate reputation; has been a guest lecturer throughout the world; and has received many prestigious awards. Kraus serves as a trustee of American University and sits on the advisory board of the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, is the Chair of Women’s Presidents Organization, and has served on the boards of various industry, professional associations, and corporations. She has been married to her husband, Steve, for more than fifty years, is a mother of three, and has nine grandchildren.

Margery Kraus, a trailblazing corporate and public affairs professional who graduated from college before finishing high school and became a mother at twenty-one, was constantly told, “You can’t do that.”  But in the end, she did—she founded APCO Worldwide, a global consulting firm headquartered in Washington, DC, specializing in public affairs, communication, and business consulting for major multinationals. Under her leadership, the company grew from nothing to almost $150 million in revenues. In Roots And Wings, Kraus shares the ten lessons she learned from motherhood and leadership that guided her along the way―an inspiration to all seeking to overcome obstacles, achieve career and personal success, and do the right thing.