NEW YORK (March 3, 2010) — The board of directors of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has elected Stephen D. Iseman, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA, to the position of director in the East Central District. Dr. Iseman will serve the remainder of the term vacated in January by Catherine Huggins, APR, who resigned due to pressing professional obligations. The term expires Dec. 31, 2010.
“Our members’ dedication to the success of PRSA and the public relations profession resonated clearly in the three outstanding candidates the Society was so fortunate to have apply for director in the East Central District,” said PRSA Chair & CEO Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA. “Dr. Iseman brings a wealth of professional knowledge, vision and experience to the PRSA Board of Directors as we sharpen our focus on enhancing and delivering member value.”
The board elected Dr. Iseman under the PRSA Bylaws provision for filling board positions that are vacated mid-term. Dr. Iseman was among three candidates seeking the position who were interviewed by the PRSA Executive Committee, and then was approved by the board of directors.
Dr. Iseman is professor of communication arts/public relations and director of the public relations program at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. He has been the faculty advisor for Ohio Northern’s award-winning Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Chapter since 1993. Prior to teaching, Dr. Iseman spent 25 years as a public relations executive serving academic institutions in senior positions.
Dr. Iseman, past president of the Central Ohio PRSA Chapter, has served as an ex officio member of the National PRSA Educators Academy Board of Directors and as the national faculty advisor for PRSSA. Since 2004, he has represented PRSA on the Commission on Public Relations Education and was a contributor to the Commission’s 2006 report, “The Professional Bond.”
In 2009, Dr. Iseman was awarded PRSA’s Outstanding Educator of the Year Award at the PRSA 2009 International Conference in San Diego. Among Dr. Iseman’s other accolades is the Walt Seifert Award for Outstanding Service to PRSA and the Excellence in Education Award by Ohio Magazine.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
With more than 31,000 members, PRSA is the largest organization of public relations professionals and students. PRSA is comprised of 111 local Chapters organized into 10 geographic Districts; 16 Professional Interest Sections that focus on issues, trends and research relevant to specialized practice areas, such as technology, health care, financial communication, entertainment and sports, and travel tourism; and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which has more than 300 Chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. PRSA is headquartered in New York.
