Contact:
Cedric L. Bess
212-460-1495
cedric.bess@prsa.org

NEW YORK (October 23, 2004) – The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) honored four of its Chapters with the 2004 PRSA Chapter Diversity Award for their outstanding efforts in support of diversity. Representatives from the Miami, North Florida, Phoenix and Richmond Chapters were on hand to receive their awards at the 2004 PRSA Assembly Luncheon, held today in New York, prior to the start of the 2004 PRSA International Conference. The 2004 Chapter Diversity Awards were sponsored by Black PRWire.

The Chapter Diversity Award is given to a PRSA Chapter that embodies and demonstrates key values in diversity as outlined in PRSA’s National Diversity Committee’s Mission. In order for a Chapter to qualify for a Chapter Diversity Award, the Chapter must have:

• Initiated and/or maintained a diversity program between January 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004;
• Recruited or mentored members with interests and expertise in diversity;
• Demonstrated a significant contribution toward diversity for the award’s monetary reward; and
• Showcased diversity as one of the top three strategic goals for the Chapter during 2004.

“The Chapters receiving these awards are a testament to PRSA’s commitment, nationally and locally, to making the public relations industry more reflective and inclusive of our country’s diverse population,” said Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, PRSA national board member and chair of the National Diversity Committee. “We applaud their extraordinary efforts and encourage other PRSA Chapters to follow their example.”

Joining Fiske at the luncheon to make the Chapter Diversity Awards presentations were PRSA President & CEO Del Galloway, APR and Black PRWire President & CEO Bernadette Morris. Each winning Chapter received a certificate of achievement, a special gift from Black PRWire and a monetary award to be used in furthering the Chapter's diversity initiative.

“Multicultural marketing and diversity relations are key and critical factors in effective public relations,” said Morris, who is also president of Sonshine Communications, a Miami-based, full service public relations, marketing and advertising firm. “Black PRWire is delighted to support this initiative and help evoke social change and awareness nationwide.”

Recognized in the large Chapter category (150+ members), was the Miami Chapter. With 43 percent of its membership identifying themselves as representing one or more racial or ethnic minority categories, the Miami Chapter is a perfect example of Chapter diversity. Just eleven years ago, the Chapter's minority representation was only 12 perfect of its total membership. In 1994, the Chapter launched a Hispanic Marketing Section, one of the first in the nation, which now hosts up to three professional development programs annually. This year, the Miami Chapter helped charter a PRSSA Chapter at Florida Memorial College, a historically African-American college located in North Miami-Dade County. The Miami Chapter, which has diversity interwoven into its every day operations, was also the inspiration for National PRSA's Diversity Tool Kit, which is available at www.diversity.prsa.org.

The North Florida Chapter, awarded the Chapter Diversity Award in the mid-size Chapter category (51-150), formed an alliance with the Sunshine Chapter (Florida) of the Black Public Relations Society (BPRS). They held a diversity luncheon program featuring Tony Jenkins, vice president of diversity, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida, as the keynote speaker. North Florida also received extensive media coverage of their diversity efforts by reaching out to the local media.

In an effort to diversify their membership to more accurately reflect Arizona's current demographics, the Phoenix Chapter, recipients of an honorable mention, established a Diversity Task Force comprised of multicultural practitioners representing various backgrounds and years of experience within the public relations industry. The task force developed a plan for 2004 which included conducting a baseline survey to determine diversity baselines and to help set attainable goals. In addition, the task force increased awareness of member benefits and cultivated future professionals by introducing public relations as a career option to minority students currently enrolled in Arizona educational institutions.

Also receiving an honorable mention was the PRSA Richmond Chapter. In January 2003, the Richmond Chapter adopted diversity as one of its primary goals and developed a strategic diversity plan. From that strategic diversity plan, the Minority Mentorship program has emerged as the Chapter's marquee program. The mentorship program pairs PRSA Richmond members with minority students studying public relations at local colleges and universities. The mentorship program runs from September to June and has been included in the Chapter’s 2005 strategic plan.

“Through exemplary Chapter diversity programs like these, PRSA will become a stronger, more culturally rich and representative institution that better reflects the composition of our Society and our profession,” said Galloway.

About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org), based in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. The Society has more than 28,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 114 Chapters nationwide, 18 Professional Interest Sections along with 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 255 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States.