NEW YORK (Aug. 5, 2008) – Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA, director, partnership development, HGTV, Scripps Networks, Knoxville, Tenn., has been nominated as the 2009 Chair-elect of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) by the Society’s national Nominating Committee, stated PRSA Nominating Committee chair Cheryl Procter-Rogers, APR, Fellow PRSA.
"I am honored to be given this opportunity to lead PRSA on behalf of the 22,000 members who are committed to advancing the profession of public relations,” said Gary McCormick. “Drawing from the diverse viewpoints of our membership, I am confident that we can become one voice to guide the profession’s future growth and success."
Joining McCormick as 2009 nominees are 14 public relations leaders from diverse geographic and professional sectors of PRSA and the profession.
Completing the Committee’s slate of nominees are:
Treasurer
Thomas E. Eppes, APR, Fellow PRSA, senior partner, general manager, Eric Mower and Associates, Charlotte, N.C.
Secretary
Leslie J. Backus, APR, president, Leslie J. Backus Public Relations, Davie, Fla.
Director, East Central
Catherine A. Huggins, APR, assistant vice president of corporate communications, Western & Southern Financial Group, Cincinnati, Ohio
Director, Mid-Atlantic
Steven Lewis Grant, APR, senior manager, public relations, National Education Association, Washington, D.C.
Director, Midwest District
Gail D. Liebl, APR, director, corporate communications, Travelers, St. Paul, Minn.
Director, Northeast District
Gail A. Winslow-Pine, APR, vice president, marketing & corporate communications, Catholic Medical Center, Brentwood, N.H.
Director, Sunshine District
Kathy Nelson Barbour, APR, communications program manager, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Fla.
Director, Tri-State District
Lynn Appelbaum, APR, Fellow PRSA, associate professor of advertising/public relations, program director, The City College of New York, New York, N.Y.
Director, Western District
Donald P. Kirchoffner, APR, Fellow PRSA, senior communications consultant, Don Kirchoffner Consulting, Broomfield, Colo.
At-Large
Deborah A. Silverman, Ph.D., APR, assistant professor of communication, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, N.Y.
Assembly Delegates-at-Large
Additional public relations professionals were nominated to serve as Assembly delegates-at-large at the 2009 Assembly. Nominated to represent members who are not in Chapter areas are:
Carolyn G. Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA, adjunct instructor, TCU, Fort Worth, Texas and university relations, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Susan Van Barneveld, APR, chief executive officer, Antarra Communications, Garden Grove, Calif.
International Assembly Delegates-at-Large
There are two positions available to represent members of PRSA who reside outside the United States and Canada. The Nominating Committee has nominated the following individuals:
Ann P. Knabe, APR, public relations instructor, communications department, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and United States Air Force, Waterford, Wis.
Mary Graybill, APR, principal, Graybill Communications, Los Angeles, Calif.
“The Committee had a difficult task with such a large pool of qualified and dedicated PRSA members and leaders,” explained Nominating Committee Chair Cheryl I. Procter-Rogers, APR, Fellow PRSA. “I would like to commend the hard work of the committee, and the professionalism and dedication of all our candidates.”
The nominees will stand for election October 25 at the Society’s annual Assembly, which precedes the PRSA 2008 International Conference in Detroit, Mich. If elected, they will join the 2009 PRSA Board of Directors, which will be headed by current Chair-Elect Michael G. Cherenson, APR, executive vice president of Success Communications Group. As immediate past chair, current PRSA Chair and CEO Jeffrey Julin, APR, will join them in the Society’s governance.
In addition to nominations made by the PRSA Nominating Committee, candidates can also run for election from the floor of the Society’s Assembly. Qualified candidates may enter their names on the ballot by filing a petition with the secretary of PRSA no later than Thursday, September 25. The petition must be signed by at least ten 2008 Assembly delegates. For more information on how you can utilize a petition to get on the ballot, send a request to nomcomm@prsa.org.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters and 10 Districts nationwide, and 19 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 296 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.
