PRSA’s Atlas Award Renamed The John L. Paluszek Atlas Award for Lifetime Achievement In International Public Relations

New Award Designation Honors PR Luminary  and PRSA Member for Career Accomplishments

NEW YORK, MAY 9, 2024 – During a ceremony to honor Anvil Award-winners, PRSA announced it is renaming its Atlas Award to The John L. Paluszek Atlas Award for Lifetime Achievement In International Public Relations in honor of the longtime PRSA member and celebrated PR practitioner.

The Atlas Award recognizes a public relations practitioner who has made extraordinary contributions to the practice and profession of public relations in an international environment over the span of their career. 

“John is a true legend in the public relations profession, and we all owe a large debt to him for his wise counsel, accomplishments and championing of the communications community,” said Joseph Abreu, APR, CPRC, 2024 PRSA Chair. “Congratulations for a very well-deserved honor.”

“I am greatly honored and grateful to the Public Relations Society of America for associating my name with its annual Atlas Award for lifetime achievement in international public relations,” said Paluszek, “I hope that this will be a repeated reminder that public relations is now a global profession serving many in our vastly interconnected global society.”

Currently executive editor of Business in Society, John Paluszek, APR, Fellow PRSA, served as President of PRSA in 1989 and Chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management in 2009. He has been a member of PRSA for more than 50 years. His public relations counseling career includes three decades as an executive at Ketchum, a global public relations firm. He is also the recipient of numerous PRSA honors, including the Atlas Award in 2010, the Patrick Jackson Award in 2002 and the Gold Anvil in 1994.

A former journalist, Paluszek’s many commentaries have been published in business and academic journals including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Journalism Studies, The Foreign Policy Association “Viewpoints” and the CNBC blog series. His 1970s seminal books on CSR, “Organizing For Corporate Social Responsibility” and “Will The Corporation Survive?”, anticipated and accelerated the contemporary CSR/SD business model. In 2014, he coedited “Public Relations Case Studies from Around the World”, Vol 1.

Paluszek is a graduate of Manhattan College (B.A. in labor management), was a trustee of the college, and received a Manhattan College honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters. In May 2023, the college established the John L. Paluszek ‘55 First Generation Student of Excellence Scholarship in its School of Liberal Arts.

About PRSA 
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the leading professional organization serving the communications community through a network of more than 400 professional and student chapters in the U.S., Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Puerto Rico. Guided by its Code of Ethics, PRSA empowers its members to succeed at every stage of their careers through a wide breadth of premium professional development programs, exclusive networking events and leadership opportunities. Signature events include the Anvil Awards and ICON, the premier annual gathering for communications professionals and students. For more information, visit www.prsa.org.

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Media Contact: 
Rod Granger 
212- 460-0307 
rod.granger@prsa.org