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National Leadership Recruitment

PRSA 2027 Board of Directors Applicants

The PRSA Nominating Committee has selected the following officer and director  nominees for the 2027 Board of Directors.


Nominees

PRSA 2027 Nominees

Chair-elect

Paula L. Pedene, APR, Fellow PRSA
Honoring America’s Veterans
Phoenix, Ariz.

Secretary

John Palmer, APR
Ohio Hospital Association
Pickerington, Ohio

Mid-Atlantic District Director

Michael S. Gross, APR, Fellow PRSA
AKCG - Public Relations Counselors
Glassboro, N.J.

Northeast District Director

Melissa Farmer Richards, APR
iMarketingMix LLC
Hubbardsville, N.Y.

Western District Director

Kenneth T. Hagihara, APR, Fellow PRSA
Integrity Public Relations, Inc.
Mission Viejo, Calif.

Director-At-Large

Natan Edelsburg
Muck Rack
New York, N.Y.

The Treasurer, Tri-State District and East Central District were not slated.

Candidates by Petition

Article VIII - Section 5. Nomination by Petition of the PRSA Bylaws provides. Nominations of qualified candidates for election as Chair-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary or any voting directorships may also be made by petition by at least 10 voting delegates of the Leadership Assembly and filed with the Secretary at the Society’s headquarters at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting of the Leadership Assembly. Immediately upon receipt of any such nominations, the Secretary shall send a notice of such nominations to all voting delegates of the Leadership Assembly.

Petitions must be submitted to the PRSA Secretary at headquarters no later than Sept. 17 at 9 p.m. EDT. Upon receipt, all nominations will be shared with voting delegates of the Leadership Assembly.

The 2026 Leadership Assembly will take place in person on Oct. 17 in Orlando, Fla.

Please note that all Board and Nominating Committee deliberations are confidential. Committee members are bound by a confidentiality agreement and may not disclose any discussions, decisions, or voting outcomes.

Leadership Recruitment Timeline

Key Dates

  • March 2: Call for Nominations - Application Opens
  • March 19: Webinar - 2027 PRSA Board of Directors Application Process for Interested Director & Officer Applicants
  • April 17: Application Deadline for Director & Officer Applicants
  • April 27: Comment Period Opens / Applications Posted to Website
  • May 13: Comment Period Deadline
  • May 18: Applications distributed to committee via secure website
  • June 4 at 5 p.m. EDT: Officer & Director Candidates Webinar: Discuss interview process
  • June 11-14: Interviews, discussion, and deliberations (Reserve all four days)
  • Sept. 17: Deadline for filing nominations by petition
  • Oct. 17 (Afternoon): PRSA Leadership Assembly

For questions about logging into MyPRSA, submitting comments, nominating by petition or any additional information, contact the Nominating Committee.