PR News honored the top professionals of PR at its 2015 PR People Awards luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on December 9, 2015. The event recognized the passionate professionals who day in and day out are making communications matter in the marketplace.
Also recognized were the latest inductees to the PR News Hall of Fame: Margery Kraus, founder and executive chairman at APCO Worldwide; Chris La Placa, senior vice president of corporate communications at ESPN; Bob Pearson, president and chief innovation officer at W2O Group; and Karen van Bergen, CEO at Porter Novelli.
Awards were also given to the the 2015 Rising PR Stars 30 & Under Award winners and the Top Places to Work in PR in 2015.
You can read all about the PR People Award winners and honorable mentions here.
2015 PR People Awards
Winners and Honorable Mentions,
and Hall of Fame Inductees
Hall of Fame
- Karen van Bergen, Porter Novelli
- Margery Kraus, APCO Worldwide
- Chris LaPlaca, ESPN
- Bob Pearson, W2O Group
Account Director or Supervisor of Year
Winner: Lauren Musiol, GYMR Public Relations
Honorable Mentions:
- Ray De Lorenzi, CLS Strategies
- Megan Feffer, Spectrum
Agency Account Manager of the Year
Winner: Candice Eng, INK PR
Honorable Mention:
- Daniel Gregory, Susan Davis International
Community Relations Professional of the Year
Winner: Gina West, Fannie Mae
Honorable Mention:
- Brian Graves, Sr., Community Unit School District 308
Crisis Manager of the Year
Winner: Karen Doyne, Burson-Marsteller
Honorable Mentions:
- Yasmine Esparza, Newlink Group
- Jerry Nappi, Entergy Wholesale Commodities
- Jamie Schumacher, JMS Public Relations
Digital Communications Leader of the Year
Winner: John Mclnerney, Ruder Finn
Honorable Mentions:
- Reed Albers, Entertainment Software Association
- Brian Donahue, Craft Media/Digital
- Stephanie McCratic, Acorn: An Influence Company
Event Marketer of the Year
Winner: Andrew R. Campanella, National School Choice Week
Financial Communications Professional of the Year
Winner: Jerry Dubrowski, Bank of America
Honorable Mention:
- Ryan Barr, Burson-Martseller
Government Communicator of the Year
Winner: Shoshona "Shon" Pilip-Florea, US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region
Honorable Mention:
- Adriena Daunt, Tourism New Zealand
Intern of the Year
Winner: Austin Courtney, Susan Davis International
Internal Communicator of the Year
Winner: Amy Haran, USANA Health Sciences
Marketer of the Year
Winner: Kimm Lincoln, Nebo Agency
Honorable Mention:
- Anastasia Khoo, Human Rights Campaign
Media Relations Professional of the Year
Winner: Sol Colom, Discovery Networks Latin America/US Hispanic
Honorable Mentions:
- Angie Larsen, USANA Health Sciences
- Sam Moore, SSM Health Media
- Jon Sullivan, Aflac
Professional of the Year: Agency
Winner: Victoria Baxter, Weber Shandwick
Honorable Mentions:
- Spencer Baretz, Hellerman Baretz Communications
- Rebecca Honeyman, Hotwire PR
- Ilissa Miller, iMiller Public Relations
PR Professional of Year: Corporate
Winner: Trisha Cardoso, Showtime Networks Inc.
Honorable Mention:
- Patricia Garofalo Fernandez, General Electric
PR Professional of the Year: Nonprofit/Association
Winner: Patrick R. Riccards, Woodrow Wilson Foundation
Honorable Mention:
- Christine Nyirjesy Bragale, Mercy Corps
- Bridget Weston Pollack, SCORE
PR Team Leader
Winner: Catherine Blades, Aflac
Honorable Mention:
- Tim Johnson, UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations
Public Affairs Professional of Year
Winner: John Guilfoil, John Guilfoil Public Relations
Publicist of the Year
Winner: Anna Treiber, Henson Consulting, Inc.
Social Media Professional of Year
Winner: Kelly Mahoney, CompTIA
Spokesperson of the Year
Winner: Jerry Nappi, Entergy Wholesale Commodities