The Public Affairs and Government (PAG) Section is made up of more than 1,000 communication and public relations practitioners who serve all levels of government and branches of the military, as well as those at counseling firms, corporations and associations who are responsible for communicating with various audiences on public policy or public safety issues.
About Us
About Us
Through in-person and virtual opportunities, newsletters and more, the PAG Section offers training and resources to help you to increase your skills and make new contacts to build your career as a public affairs/government professional.
How Do I Join?
If you are already a PRSA member and looking to join this Section, please call the Member Services department at (212) 460-1400 or email: membership@prsa.org.
Not a PRSA member? Learn about the benefits and how to join PRSA here.
Join your colleagues at these organizations by taking advantage of our Section membership benefits now!
From the Chair
From the Chair
Welcome to the Public Affairs and Government (PAG) Section. If you’re already a member, I hope you find the resources, education, and networking offered through your Section membership to be valuable to you. Our goal is to provide everything you need to succeed in your public affairs and government role.
If you are new here and considering membership, I’d like to share why PAG is the place for you.
Several years ago, I moved from a 25-year career in higher education to my current government role. As an experienced PR practitioner, I assumed I had the necessary knowledge and skills to take on a job in a new sphere. I quickly learned that working in government requires some additional knowledge and skills. I needed to fill my knowledge gap as soon as possible and started looking for learning opportunities or people to help me quickly address this steep learning curve. In my search, I found PRSA’s Public Affairs and Government Section. I went to my first PAG Summit and immediately realized I had “found my people.” The amount of broad public affairs and government communication experience found in the people of this Section was exactly what I needed. They became my “phone a friend” as I found my footing in my new role.
I immediatelygot involved in the Section and its activities and, a few years later, am in the position of Section Chair. PAG is an active Section, and we welcome people who want to join us in our activities. We particularly enjoy mentoring young professionals and working with college students who wish to learn more about careers in public affairs and government roles. We host regular webinars to offer insights into topics and trends that interest our members. Our annual PAG Summit is considered a “must-attend” event for people in our profession. And, for those who attend ICON, our Section offers a PAG dinner to allow us to gather and network with our Section peers and visit with those interested in joining us.
PAG has something to offer you wherever you are in your career journey. I hope you’ll join our Section and become a part of one of the largest and most successful Sections in PRSA. Join us and “find your people.”
Lori Croy, APR
PRSA Public Affairs and Government Section Chair
Events
Upcoming Events
Public Affairs and Government Summit
Call for presentations now open!
Executive Committee
Public Affairs and Government Executive Committee
Your Executive Committee works to establish the Public Affairs and Government Section as the place for agency leaders to gather and share expertise and grow together. We do this with year-round programming and content development.
Chair
Lori Croy, APR
Director of Communications
MO Dept. of Commerce & Insurance
Jefferson City, MO
Lori.Croy@dci.mo.gov
Chair Elect/Summit Co-Chair
Karla Slate, APR
Communications & Marketing Manager
City of Covington
Covington, WA
kslate@covingtonwa.gov
Immediate Past Chair/Programming Co-Chair
Jenn Elting, APR
Manager of Community & Media Relations
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
Cleveland, OH
eltingj@neorsd.org
Secretary
Jennifer Day, APR
Great Lakes Regional Coordinator
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Jennifer.Day@noaa.gov
PRSSA Liaison/Summit Co-Chair
Chris Yandle, Ph.D., APR
Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs
Louisiana Board of Regents
chris.yandle@laregents.edu
Summit Co-Chair
Hannah Bourgeois
Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
CONCEPTUAL COMMUNICATIONS
Jacksonville, FL
hebourg@me.com
Programming Co-Chair
Cassie Alston
Communications Specialist 3
Georgia Department of Administrative Services
cassie.alston@doas.ga.gov
Member Recruitment/Retention/Mentoring
Dr. Joe Trahan, APR, Fellow PRSA
President/CEO/International Media Relations Trainer
Trahan & Associates
Hixson, TN
joe_cajun@yahoo.com
Communications Co-chair
Debra Walker, APR
Director of Public Affairs
Missouri Department of Mental Health
debra.walker@dmh.mo.gov
Member at Large (Communications)
Barbara Burfeind, APR+M, Fellow PRSA
Independent
US Navy retired
Fairfax, VA
burfante81@yahoo.com
Member at Large (Communications)
Yesenia Reinoso
Digital Marketing & Media Relations Officer
Y Communicate
Fort Lee, NJ
officialyeseniareinoso@gmail.com
Members at Large
Enrico “Rick” Callender, APR
Chief Executive Officer
Valley Water
rcallender@valleywater.org
Lauri-Ellen Smith, APR
Owner
CAT 5 Crisis Communications, Inc.
lesmith@cat5communications.net
Rachael Gibson, APR
Chief of External Affairs
Valley Water
rgibson@valleywater.org
Capt. Brook DeWalt, APR+M, Fellow PRSA
Director of Public Affairs Operations
Office of the Secretary of Defense
brook.dewalt.mil@mail.mil;
brookdewalt@yahoo.com
Toni-Anne Blake, APR
Communications Director
New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission
Trenton, NJ
tonianne.blake@crc.nj.gov;
toniblake09@gmail.com
Saralynne DelRaso
Saralynne.Delraso@unnpp.gov
Wayne Delk
Sergeant (Retired)
Delk Media Group
wayneadelk@delkmediagroup.com
Melanie Brown
Community Affairs
State of Michigan
Melaniebrown326@yahoo.com
Ray Brooks
President & Chief Spiritual Officer
The Brooks Core LLC
Phoenix, AZ
ray@brookscore.com
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