NEW YORK, October 15, 2024 -- PRSA Educators Academy, a Professional Interest Section of PRSA, the nation’s leading professional organization serving the communications community, presented Gary F. Grates, President of GConsulting Group and 120/80 GROUP, with the 2024 PRSA David Ferguson Award during an awards ceremony at the Educator’s Academy Summit, taking place in Anaheim, CA. The award recognizes a PRSA member and practitioner who has made outstanding contributions to public relations education.
“Having worked with Dave Ferguson early in my public relations career, I feel confident that he would be pleased to know that Gary Grates has now been added to the list of distinguished practitioners recognized by the Dave Ferguson Award of PRSA’s Educators Academy,” said Dr. Maria Russell, APR, Fellow PRSA, who nominated Grates for the award. “It was my honor and pleasure to nominate Gary, confident that he met the several criteria for outstanding service and commitment to public relations education as originally exemplified by Mr. Ferguson.”
“I am honored to win this prestigious award and want to thank PRSA and Dr. Russell for her nomination,” said Grates, “I am very humbled by the recognition.”
Grates is a globally renowned, recognized, and respected expert. He has more than 25 years of corporate, marketing/brand, labor, and strategic communications experience with a particular expertise in organizational (change) management/employee (internal) communications. Grates has counseled more than one hundred organizations and CEOs including PepsiCo, Caterpillar, Shell, Kraft, Nissan, GE, Carrier/United Technologies, Novartis, Merck, Viatris, Medtronic, Teva, Exxon/Mobil, Shell, AMD, Visa, Yum! Brands, eBay, Wyeth, British Airways, United Airlines, Pfizer, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch/InBev, Kimberly Clark, GSK Vaccines, EMD Serono, The McGraw-Hill Companies, ITT, Vale, and Dell, to name a few. A frequent lecturer and author on issues facing corporate management and communications professionals worldwide, Grates has been referred to as the “thought leader” in change management communications and effective employee engagement practices. He has published more than 800 articles/white papers on the strategic importance of communications in achieving business excellence. He is an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, a teaching professor and member of the Advisory Board at ABERJE - the Brazilian Public Relations Association, a former Trustee of Utica University, a member of the Arthur W. Page Society, PRSA, IABC, The Plank Center, and the Institute for PR Research (IPR).
About PRSA
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.
Media Contact:
Joe Stabb, Ph.D., APR
PRSA Educators Academy
Research Chair
jstabb@utk.edu
cell: 315-886-9544
