PR News’ PR People Award Winners: Hear What They Have to Say!

The winners of this year’s PR People Awards, Hall of Fame, and 15 to Watch (young stars of PR) were honored on November 2 at an awards luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington DC. PR News, in partnership with Medialink, asked this year’s honorees to reveal a few things about themselves.

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Lucy Allen
Vice President
Lewis PR Inc.   
15-to-Watch   

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. What's the best career advice you've ever gotten?
3. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?

Sheri Baer 
Broadcast Director   
The Hoffman Agency   
Media Relations Professional of the Year (honorable mention)

1. How has dealing with the media changed over the past few years?
2. What's the most gratifying aspect of PR?
3. Most challenging part of your job?

Lisa Marie Bongiovanni
VP Corporate Communications & Govt Affairs
Mattel 
PR Professional of the Year: Corporate  (honorable mention)

1. What's the best advice you've received in your career?
2. Worst advice?
3. If you weren't in PR, what would you be doing?
4. Working for Mattel, you probably get a lot of free toys: what's your favorite toy?

Emily Buchanan
Vice President, MWW Group, East Rutherford, NJ
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. What's the key to a great agency/client relationship?
3. Best career advice you've ever gotten?

Stephanie Bunker
Spokesperson United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs    
Spokesperson of the Year    

1. What's the best advice you have to someone who wants to be a spokesperson?
2. What keeps you up at night?
3. Who's been your best mentor and why?

Raymond L. Buse III
Director, Public Relations
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
Media Relations Professional of the Year  

1. How has dealing with the media changed over the past few years?
2. What's the most gratifying aspect of PR?
3. Most challenging part of your job?

Kathy Callahan
Director of Communications     
Ameristar Casinos
PR Professional of the Year: Corporate (Winner)

1. What has been your biggest PR challenge in the past year and how did you overcome it?
2. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?
3. What's the one business tool you can't live without and why?

Julia Cartwright
Senior VP, Communications
American Legacy Foundation
PR Professional of the Year: Nonprofit/Assoc. (honorable mention)

1. What's the biggest challenge facing PR pros in nonprofits?
2. What's the best career advice you've been give? Worst career advice?

Kelly Cox
Manager
APCO Worldwide
Public Affairs Executive of the Year (honorable mention)

1. What has been your biggest PR challenge in the past year and how did you overcome it?
2. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?
3. What's the one business tool you can't live without and why?

Jeffrey DeMarrais
General Manager of Communications, GE Plastics
GE Industrial, Plastics/ Pittsfield, MA
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. What's the best career advice you've ever gotten?
3. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?

John Deveney   ABC, APR
Senior Counsel
Deveney Communications
Agency Executive of the Year (winner)       

1. As an agency executive, what's the key to effective client/agency relationships?
2. What's the best career advice you've been given?
3. Worst career advice?

David Ebeling
Communications Manager
Sperry Van Ness
Media Relations Professional of the Year   (honorable mention)

1. Is the media easier to work with or harder than a few years ago and why?
2. What's the most difficult part of your job?
3. If you weren't in PR, what would you be doing?

Nancy Fletcher
Vice President, Communications
California Milk Advisory Board
 PR Professional of the Year: Nonprofit/Assoc.  (honorable mention)

1. Is there a different approach to PR in a nonprofit environment, and if so, describe.
2. What's the biggest challenge you faced this past year and how did you overcome it?
3. Best advice you've received in your career?

D. Michelle Flowers
President and CEO
Flowers Communications Group
Hall of Fame  

1. What's the best career advice you've been given?
2. Who has had the most influence in your career?
3. What's the biggest challenge facing the PR industry?

Tim Fry
Executive Vice President
Weber Shandwick; Seattle, WA
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. What's the best career advice you've ever gotten?
3. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?

Marita Gomez 
Partner
HealthInfo Direct 
PR Team Leader (honorable mention)

1. What are the keys to motivating a team of PR professionals?
2. What's the best career advice you've gotten?
3. Worst career advice?

Peggy Heller
Executive VP
Vox Medica
PR Team Leader (winner)

1. What's been your greatest challenge this year and how did you overcome it?
2. What's your secret to motivating your team?
3. What's the one characterstic you look for when hiring a PR professional?

Elaine Hinsdale
Director, Corporate Communications
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Internal Communications Professional of the Year (winner)

1. As an internal communicator, what's the biggest challenge?
2. What do you feel most motivates employees?
3. What motivates you the most as a PR professional?

Angela Jeffrey
Vice President Editorial Research
VMS
Measurement/Research Expert of the Year (honorable mention) 

1. Do you feel there will ever be a standard for measuring PR/explain?
2. What's the best career advice you've been given? Worst career advice?

Jackson Jeyanayagam
Account Manager
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. What's the best career advice you've ever gotten?
3. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?

Nabeeha M. Kazi
Senior Vice President   Fleishman-Hillard Inc.
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
3. Best career advice you've ever gotten?

Michael Keller 
Chief Brand Officer
Dairy Queen
Brand Marketer of the Year (winner)

1. What's the best career advice you've been given?
2. As a brand marketer, do you feel PR and marketing professionals work together well/or could be better?
3. What do you consider your biggest career achievement thus far?

Richard Levick
President and CEO      
Levick Strategic Communications
Hall of Fame

1. What's the best career advice you've been given?
2. Who has had the most influence in your career?
3. What's the biggest challenge facing the PR industry?

Al Maag
Chief Communications Officer
Avnet
Internal Communications Professional of the Year (honorable mention)  

1. 1. As an internal communicator, what's the biggest challenge?
2. 2. What do you feel most motivates employees?
3. 3. What motivates you the most as a PR professional?

Ashley McCown
Executive Vice President
Solomon McCown & Co
Crisis Communicator of the Year (honorable mention)

1. As a crisis communicator, what's the one characterstic a PR pro needs to have to manage a crisis?
2. What's the one business tool you can't live without?
3. What's the best career advice you've received?

Holly Minch
Executive Director
Communications Leadership Institute
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
3. Best career advice you've ever gotten?

John Morgan
Associate Vice President for Public Relations
Quinnipiac University
PR Professional of the Year: Academic Institution (honorable mention)

1. What's the most difficult part of doing PR in an academic institution?
2. What's the best advice you've received in your PR career?
3. Worst advice?

Ted Nguyen
Manager, Communications
Orange County Transportation Authority
PR Professional of the Year: Nonprofit/Assoc.  (winner)   

1. What's the biggest challenge facing PR pros in nonprofits?
2. What's the best career advice you've been give?
3. Worst career advice?

Katie Delahaye Paine
President & CEO
KDPaine & Partners
Measurement/Research Expert of the Year (honorable mention)

1. Do you feel there will ever be a standard for measuring PR/explain?
2. What's the best career advice you've been given?
3. Worst career advice?

Jessica Pantages
Senior Manager
General Dynamics Advance Information Systems
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
3. Best career advice you've ever gotten?

Paul J. Peterson
Account Manager
Off Madison Avenue
Account Manager (honorable mention)

1. What's the key to an effective agency/client relationship?
2. What's the best career advice you've received?
3. Worst career advice?

Jennifer Risi
Executive VP
Weber Shandwick
Media Relations Professional of the Year (honorable mention)

1. How has dealing with the media changed over the past few years?
2. What's the most gratifying aspect of PR?
3. Most challenging part of your job?

Sunil Robert
Director - Corporate Communications
i-flex
PR Professional of the Year: Corporate (honorable mention)

1. What has been your biggest PR challenge in the past year and how did you overcome it?
2. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?
3. What's the one business tool you can't live without and why?

Ron Roecker
Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
The Recording Academy
PR Professional of the Year: Nonprofit/Assoc. (honorable mention)

1. What's the biggest challenge facing PR pros in nonprofits?
2. What's the best career advice you've been give?
3. Worst career advice?

LuJean Smith
Senior Director, Public Relations.
Siemens Medical Solutions
PR Professional of the Year: Corporate (honorable mention)

1. What has been your biggest PR challenge in the past year and how did you overcome it?
2. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?
3. What's the one business tool you can't live without and why?

Carrie Strehlau
Media Specialist/ PR Dept
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. What's the best career advice you've ever gotten? 3. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?

Haris Tajyar
Managing Director
Investor Relations International
15-to-Watch

1. Who has been your greatest mentor and what did you learn from him or her?
2. What motivates you every day in your job? Describe the ideal client.

Lisa Throckmorton
Senior Vice President
SheaHedges Group
Agency Executive of the Year (honorable mention)

1. As an agency executive, what's the key to effective client/agency relationships?
2. What's the best career advice you've been given?
3. Worst career advice?

Carolyn Tieger
Partner and Global Public Affairs Leader
Porter Novelli
Public Affairs Executive of the Year (winner)

1. What's the biggest challenge facing public affairs professionals?
2. Describe your ideal client.
3. How about your "less than ideal" client?
4. Best career advice you've been given?

Lori Tokunaga
Account Manager
The Hoffman Agency
Account Manager (winner)   

1. What's the key to an effective agency/client relationship?
2. What's the best career advice you've received? Worst career advice?

Michelle Ubben
Executive VP
Ron Sachs Communications
Agency Executive of the Year (honorable mention)

1. What' s the biggest challenge facing PR firms today?
2. What keeps you up at night?
3. Best advice you've received in your career?

Ann Marie Varga
AVP, Public Relations
Rollins College
PR Professional of the Year: Academic Institution (winner)

1. What' s the biggest challenge facing PR pros working in an academic institution?
2. What keeps you up at night?
3. Best advice you've received in your career? 

Kristin Warterfield
Associate Director of Public Relations
Feed The Children
15-to-Watch

1. As a young PR practitioner, what's one thing you wish senior PR execs understood about young PR pros? 
2. What's the best career advice you've ever gotten?
3. What advice would you give to someone just entering PR?

Mark Weiner
President
Delahaye
Measurement/Research Expert of the Year           

1. Do you feel there will ever be a standard for measuring PR/explain?
2. What's the best career advice you've been given?
3. Worst career advice?