PR News celebrated the winners and honorable mentions of its 2014 PR People Awards at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 9, 2014. We were also proud to induct the newest honorees into our Hall of Fame: Gil Bashe, Ray Day, Sabrina Horn, Jody Powell, Frank X. Shaw, Sheila Tate and Zenia Mucha. Also honored at the luncheon were the 2014 Rising PR Stars 30 & Under.
2014 PR People Awards
Winners and Honorable Mentions,
and Hall of Fame Inductees
Hall of Fame
Agency Account Manager of the Year
Winner: Amber Meredith, Marina Maher Communications
Honorable Mentions:
- Sarah Chavey, ANTHEMIC Agency
- Meghan Moran, Adfero Group
- Kate Urbach, Havas PR
Brand Marketer of the Year
Winner: Andrew Bowins, MasterCard
Honorable Mentions:
- Stephen Bonsignore, Cohn & Wolfe
- Dustin Hinz, Guitar Center
Corporate Social Responsibility Leader
Winner: Ichiro Kawasaki, KPMG LLP
Honorable Mention:
- Lynn Marmer, Kroger
Crisis Manager of the Year
Winner: Cari Brunelle, Hellerman Baretz Communications
Honorable Mentions:
- Heidi Davidson, BlackBerry Ltd
- Justine Griffin, Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications
Digital Communicator of the Year
Winner: Danny Olson, Weber Shandwick
Honorable Mentions:
- Brett Holland, Pepco Holdings, Inc.
- Megan Levi, Ruder Finn
- Kristin Montalbano, National Geographic Channel
- Jennifer Stalzer, MasterCard
Event Marketer of the Year
Winner: Dan Hewitt, The Entertainment Software Association
Honorable Mention:
- Andrenna Alkhas, The Stanislaus County Fair
Internal Communicator of the Year
Winner: Debbie Upton Helvig, Bank of America
Honorable Mentions:
- Cessie Cerrato, Palace Resorts
- Rhonda Ellis, Pepco Holdings, Inc.
- Margo Hackel, KPMG LLP
- Amy Haran, USANA Health Sciences
- Lori Poer, International Justice Mission
MARCOM Professional of the Year
Winner: MaryBeth Vrees, Pepco Holdings, Inc.
Honorable Mentions:
- Judy Davies, Advantest
- Sasha Hefler, UBIC
- Taryn Holowka, US Green Building Council
Media Relations Professional of the Year
Winner: Ronna Waldman, Marina Maher Communications
Honorable Mentions:
- Travis Culter, Tyler Barnett PR
- Jennifer DeGuzman, National Geographic Channel
- Robert Nihen, KPMG LLP
- Felix Schein, RALLY
- Tracy Zampaglione, Orange County Library System
PR Professional of Year: Agency
Co-Winner: Christopher Penn, Shift Communications
Co-Winner: JP Schuerman, MWW
Honorable Mentions:
- Katie Blair, Vantage PR
- Nicole Dunn, Dunn Pellier Media
- Matt Kovacs, Blaze PR
- Drisha Leggitt, Drisha Leggitt & Company Communications & LCS Technologies, Inc.
- Ravi Sunnak, Havas PR
- Jenna Thomas, Nebo
- Teresa Villarreal, Newlink Group
PR Professional of Year: Corporate
Winner: Chris LaPlaca, ESPN
Honorable Mentions:
- Christopher Ian Bennett, Guitar Center
- Misty Dangel, USANA Health Sciences
- Melissa Drake, ERA Real Estate
- Seth Oster, KPMG LLP
PR Professional of the Year: Nonprofit/ Association
Winner: Lauren Lawson-Zilai, Goodwill Industries International
Honorable Mention:
- Lora Bodmer, NAMM and the NAMM Foundation
PR Team Leader
Winner: Allison Falkenberry, Rodale Inc.
Honorable Mentions:
- Christopher Albert, National Geographic Channel
- Ashley Collins, USANA Health Sciences
- Manuel Goncalves, KPMG LLP
- Elizabeth Hillman, Discovery Communications
- Lydia Howard, Vantage PR
Public Affairs/ Government Communicator of the Year
Winner: Tim Ryan, Weber Shandwick
Honorable Mentions:
- John Davies, Davies Public Affairs
- Jeffrey Getek, Erickson Living
Social Media Professional of Year
Winner: Tim Haran, USANA Health Sciences
Honorable Mentions:
- Michelle Catin, Palace Resorts
- Ken Makovsky, Makovsky & Co.
- Josh Martin, Arby's
- Ying Shen, Cisco
Spokesperson of the Year
Winner: David Daigle, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Honorable Mention:
- Courtney Nogas, Pepco Holdings, Inc.