Run for National Office

PRSSA relies on the outstanding service of student and professional leaders at all levels of the organization. Running for National office is an opportunity for you to gain unparalleled leadership experience and join a community of some of the most successful communications students and professionals.

National Leadership

PRSSA is led by the National Committee, a group of students and professionals dedicated to assisting public relations students. These volunteers are a resource to help you, and we encourage all PRSSA members to get to know the current National Committee.

On the National Committee, students hold the National President, immediate past president and eight vice president offices. Members

of PRSA serve as the National Professional, Faculty Advisers, and as the PRSA Board liaison. The PRSA senior vice president of programming also serves on the National Committee.

Student Officer Requirements

Before you commit to running for National office, ensure you meet the following requirements:

• PRSSA Membership - You must be a member in good standing of a PRSSA Chapter and maintain your membership throughout your term.
• All National Committee members must attend the International Conference in the fall and Leadership Assembly in the spring. PRSSA covers your travel and hotel costs, but you are responsible for any additional costs (if applicable).
• Full-time Student - You must be a full-time student (by your university’s standards) from the time you are elected through fall semester.

First Steps

Members may run for positions on the National Committee during the Leadership Assembly. If you’re thinking about running for an office, review the PRSSA Situation Analysis (PDF) to learn about the responsibilities of each National Committee member. The Situation Analysis provides an overview of the Society’s history, research and timelines and explains each National Committee position’s responsibilities.

Also, contact the current National Committee member(s) who holds the office(s) you are interested in. Ask about their role and the qualifications for their position, and review National Committee Job Descriptions (PDF).

Important Information

• Candidate Nomination Form
• Procedure Manual
• All candidate materials and the video must be uploaded to this folder by 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 7.

Vice President Offices

The vice presidents on the National Committee are elected each year at the Leadership Assembly, and serve a one-year term, starting June 1 and ending May 31 of the following year. If you are interested in running for a vice president position on the National Committee, you’ll follow the following steps:

• Please refer to the Leadership Assembly website for the deadline and application.
• If you fail to submit your application on time, you can run from the floor at Leadership Assembly.). See guidelines for complete details.
• At Leadership Assembly, you’ll participate in a 15-minute question-and-answer period with all candidates.
• If no further questions are needed after the question and answer period, the Assembly votes and the new officer is announced.

National President

To run for National President, you must be a member of the National Committee. If one or zero members of the National Committee wish to run for President, then candidacy opens to all PRSSA members. In this situation, information about running for President will be provided to all members. The President serves for one year and as the Immediate Past President the following year. Each term starts June 1 and ends May 31 of the following year.

National Faculty or Professional Adviser

The National Faculty and Professional Advisers serve two-year terms starting June 1 and ending May 31 two years later. If you are interested in applying for either of these positions, contact the current National Faculty or Professional Adviser to learn more about the position, and PRSSA Headquarters to learn when applications will be due.

Become the next National Professional Adviser

We are currently accepting applications for the National Professional Adviser position, for more information contact the National President or PRSSA Headquarters.

Biannually, a PRSSA National Professional Adviser is selected to serve on the PRSSA National Committee. As with the other PRSA National Committee members, the National Professional Adviser is a volunteer with specific roles and responsibilities. PRSSA’s Adviser selection process, similar to PRSA’s volunteer application, is designed to ensure the most qualified, interested professional is selected for the upcoming two-year term, June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2026. For your convenience, here is the application. 

The National Professional Adviser’s role is to counsel the national student officers. The National Advisers vote on PRSSA charters, serve on subcommittees and participate in virtual meetings as requested. A vital role of the Professional Adviser is parliamentarian at the Leadership Assembly, where he or she ensures delegates follow Robert’s Rules of Order. To prepare for these duties, the incoming Professional Adviser must attend the 2024 Leadership Assembly, March 7–9. 

National Subcommittees

Publications Committee will assist with content creation and curation for PRSSA’s publications, namely the national blog and podcast series. The Committee will work to identify topics of interest, develop pieces aligning to those topics and source additional contributors.

PRoud Council will actively facilitate diversity and inclusion initiatives on a regional and international level on behalf of PRSSA by acting as a resource for Chapters and individual members. This is an opportunity for committee members to be the change needed in the field of communications and the world.

Social Media Squad will work closely with the vice president of digital communications to help promote the voice and brand of PRSSA locally and internationally. Responsibilities will include writing social media copy, collecting content from National events, designing graphics and utilizing social media management tools.