PRSA Foundation to Honor Communications Industry Leader and Diversity and Inclusion Advocate Lou Capozzi at the 2018 Paladin Awards

Barby K. Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group, and Lisa Ryan, SVP and Managing Director of Heyman Associates, Named Event Co-Chairs

NEW YORK, NY – April 18, 2018 -- The PRSA Foundation, an independent, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion within the communications profession, announced today that it has named public relations luminary Lou Capozzi as its 2018 Paladin Award Honoree.  The award will be presented at the Foundation’s upcoming annual Paladin Awards Ceremony, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, at the Helen Mills Event Space in New York City. 

The Paladin Awards is the PRSA Foundation’s signature event, with proceeds from the evening going to grants and scholarships designed to help jump-start the careers of promising students from diverse backgrounds, as well as to the mentoring and professional development for mid-level professionals.

Each year the PRSA Foundation honors a communications leader who has made an indelible impact on the pursuit of diversity and inclusion in the sector.  Foundation President Judith A. Harrison commented, “Lou Capozzi epitomizes the word leadership. He has risen to the highest levels of the profession as a leader of both major global communications firms and as head of communications for multinational companies – and no one has done more than Lou to advance diversity and inclusion within the profession. Our industry owes a great debt to Lou and the PRSA Foundation is honored to name him recipient of our 2018 Paladin Award.”

During his 40-year career, Capozzi lead communications at a variety of top agencies and multinational corporations, most recently as Chairman of the MSL Group from 1999 until his retirement in 2008. He also served for three years as President of PRSA Foundation, where he raised more than a million dollars to help fund diversity programming and initiatives.

“We are proud to name Barby Siegel and Lisa Ryan as Co-Chairs of this year’s Paladin Awards event and are grateful for their impassioned volunteer efforts to help champion diversity and inclusion within the communications profession,” added Harrison.  “Barby and Lisa are leaders who ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to advancing diversity and inclusion, and their leadership will be integral to helping the Foundation make a tangible impact by providing grants, scholarships and mentoring to student and young professionals from diverse backgrounds.”

Previous recipients of the Paladin Award have included Charlotte Otto, Dan Edelman, Harold Burson, Harris Diamond, John Graham, Jon Iwata, Marcia Silverman, Mike Fernandez and Patrice Tanaka.

The PRSA Foundation is proud to be joined at the Paladin Awards by partner organizations that include PRSA, Page, the PR Council, Institute for Public Relations (IPR), The Betsy Plank Center, The Museum of Public Relations and a number major universities.

Tickets to the Paladin Awards can be purchased at: http://bit.ly/PaladinTickets2018 and donations can be made at https://prsa.networkforgood.com/projects/48428-2018-paladin-awards.

For more information about attending, sponsoring or covering the PRSA Foundation Paladin Awards Ceremony, contact Beth-Ellen Keyes, Foundation Director of Operations and Programs at (212) 460-1412 or beth-ellen.keyes@prsafoundation.org

About the PRSA Foundation 

The PRSA Foundation, an independent, 501(c)(3) charity, supports outreach to diverse students to attract them to PR and make them better prepared to contribute to the profession, and to society, when they enter the workforce through partnerships with leading universities and professional organizations. For more information regarding the PRSA Foundation, its activities and its full board of trustees, visit www.prsafoundation.org.

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