PRSA Announces Election of 11 New Members for College of Fellows

NEW YORK, July 15, 2024 – PRSA announced today the 11 new members elected to the College of Fellows. Established in 1989, the College of Fellows includes more than 750 professionals and educators who have made a significant impact on the public relations and communications profession. 

“This class of Fellows represents the best of the best in communications,” said Joseph Abreu, APR, CPRC, 2024 PRSA Chair. “We are pleased to recognize these 11 members for their incredible body of work over the past several decades and all they’ve done throughout their careers to represent the profession with integrity and the highest of ethical standards. It is an honor to celebrate their achievements and share my congratulations on behalf of everyone at PRSA.” 

Members of the College of Fellows demonstrate superior professional performance in the practice/teaching of public relations, advance the profession, contribute to the profession or the community through service and leadership and serve as a role model in the profession and the community. They must have at least 20 years of PR and communications experience and be Accredited in Public Relations (APR). 

The 2024 inductees are: 

• Jill Spiekerman Bonham, APR, Fellow PRSA, Teaching Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
• Missy Burchart, APR, Fellow PRSA, President & CEO, Wilbron 
• Vivian T. Dávila, APR, Fellow PRSA, Public Affairs & Communications Manager, Ford Motor Company 
• Karen Garnik, APR, Fellow PRSA, President & CEO, Global Vision Marketing & Communications 
• Michael S. Gross, APR, Fellow PRSA, President, AKCG Public Relations Counselors 
• Kevin P. Kane, APR, Fellow PRSA, Corporate Communications Special Project Manager, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield 
  
• Eva Keiser, APR, Fellow PRSA, Principal, The Pural I
• Michelle Olson, APR, Fellow PRSA, Managing Partner, Lambert by LLYC 
• Susan van Barneveld, APR, Fellow PRSA, President, Copernio
• Melissa Vela-Williamson, APR, Fellow PRSA, Founder, MVW Communications 
• Candee Wolf, APR, Fellow PRSA, Founder and Principal, Wolf Olson Communications

The College of Fellows Class of 2024 will be inducted at a gala celebration on Monday, Oct. 14, prior to PRSA’s annual conference being held in Anaheim, Calif. this year. 

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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