PRSA Announces 2023 Board Nominees

PRSA has announced the nominees for its 2023 Board of Directors.

The nominees for 2023 officer positions are: Chair-elect, Joseph Abreu, APR, chief communications officer, Clerk of the Court & Comptroller, Lee County (Fla.); Treasurer, Sam Sims, APR, Fellow PRSA, president, Sims Grp; Secretary, Heide Harrell, APR, vice president & communications director, Private Wealth Management, Stephens Inc.

The PRSA Nominating Committee also announced their selections for the open director positions. In accordance with the PRSA Bylaws (Article VIII, Section 4.c.), the committee has converted the Tri-State Director position to an at-large position for this term as there weren’t any candidates by the initial application deadline. The selections of the committee are:

• Mid-Atlantic District: Cayce Myers, Esq., APR, director of graduate studies and associate professor, Virginia Tech
• Northeast District: Joshua Poupore, APR, senior vice president, Corning Place Communications
• Western District: Teresa Valerio Parrot, APR, principal, TVP Communication
• Director At-Large (converted Tri-State District Director): Andrea Gils Monzón, marketing director, JacobsEye Marketing
• Director At-Large: Thomas Bennett, senior vice president, FleishmanHillard
• East Central District: The Nominating Committee has not put forth a nominee from the East Central District. Qualified candidates may apply by petition. 

Article VIII, Section 5 of the PRSA Bylaws provides: Nominations may also be made by petition by at least 10 Leadership Assembly delegates and filed with the Secretary of the Society at PRSA Headquarters at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting of the Leadership Assembly.

All applications by petition must be submitted by Oct. 13 for consideration.

ICON 2022 Panel to Explore DE&I Best Practices

PRSA has added a keynote panel featuring leaders from two of the world’s largest employers — the Department of Defense and Amazon — who will discuss DE&I best practices during ICON 2022 this Nov. 13-15.

PRSA Military Task Force Chair Paula Pedene, APR, Fellow PRSA, will serve as moderator. The featured panelists are:

• Dr. Charles “Chuck” Barber, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
• Anselm A. Beach, senior adviser to the Secretary of the Army for Diversity and Inclusion; deputy assistant secretary of the Army (Equity and Inclusion Agency), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
• John Quintas, managing director, global military affairs, Amazon, Brigadier General (Retired), U.S. Air Force

For additional details and to register, visit the ICON 2022 website. 

PRSA Foundation’s Paladin Awards Return to Honor D&I Champions 

The PRSA Foundation has announced the return of the Paladin Awards, which honor communications leaders who have made a significant and measurable impact on the advancement of diversity and inclusion in the PR sector. 

This year’s ceremony takes place on Sept. 13 in Atlanta. Lori George Billingsley, Coca-Cola’s former global chief diversity, equity & inclusion officer, is the keynote speaker.

The 2022 Paladin Award honorees are:

• Legend Award: Andy Polansky, former executive chairman of Weber Shandwick
• Leadership Award: Soon Mee Kim, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Omnicom Public Relations Group
• Best In Class Award: Procter & Gamble, being accepted by Heather Valento, vice president of communications, Proctor & Gamble
• Game Changer Award: ColorComm, Inc., being accepted by Lauren Wesley Wilson, founder & CEO, ColorComm, Inc.