Paula L. Pedene, APR, Fellow PRSA

Paula Pedene, APR, Fellow PRSA, currently serves as the Executive Director of Honoring America’s Veterans, an organization founded to honor and recognize veterans through community events. She is a nationally recognized PRSA PR Professional of the Year (2015), a member of the PRSA College of Fellows, and an inductee in both the Defense Information School Hall of Fame and the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame.

Pedene’s extensive involvement with PRSA spans nearly 30 years, during which time she has held 50 different roles, including serving as Chair of the Military and Veterans Task Force, member of the Board of Ethics and Professional Standards (BEPS) and President of PRSA Phoenix, among other volunteer positions.

In 2021, Pedene authored the award-winning book, “A Sacred Duty,” a detailed account of her journey as a whistleblower who exposed mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She received the Senator John McCain Inspirational Leadership Award in 2018 for Veterans' advocacy based on her role in bringing the wait time scandal to light and decades of community support of our nation’s veterans.

PRSA’s Public Affairs and Government Professional Interest Section presented Pedene with a Lloyd. B. Dennis Distinguished Service Award in 2002, recognizing her public affairs skills to promote truth, demonstrated high standards of integrity and honesty in business dealings, as well as for helping effect positive change within an organization.