Mary Hills, ABC, Honored with IABC Chairman's Award

CHICAGO, April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Long-time IABC/Chicago member Mary Hills, ABC, will be honored during the 2012 IABC World Conference as one of the winners of the IABC Chairman's Award.  Each year, the IABC chair honors one or more members who have worked selflessly behind the scenes to enhance the association's image, facilitate member development and benefit the communication profession.

Adrian Cropley, ABC, the 2011-2012 chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) has selected Mary Hills, ABC and Claire Watson, ABC (Regina chapter) as the recipients of this year's Chairman's Award. Hills and Watson are scheduled to accept the award at IABC's World Conference in Chicago on 24 June 2012.

"I am proud to have Claire and Mary as the 2012 Chairman's Award winners. They have dedicated themselves to serving IABC at every opportunity and are brilliant communication professionals," Cropley said. "Mary's work with the accreditation program from the chapter to the international level, particularly championing new initiatives like the Corporate Accreditation program globally has allowed accreditation to grow and truly be the global standard for communication professionals. Claire's work across multiple IABC programs, especially the Gold Quill Awards, accreditation and most recently her work on developing and rolling out certification training for award, has shown staggering results in setting the standard for awards. Both Claire and Mary are tireless leaders for IABC and I look forward to honoring both of them at the World Conference in Chicago in June."

As an IABC member, Mary Hills has administered and graded accreditation exams, reviewed portfolios and created many presentations about accreditation at IABC conferences. She has served as Director of Accreditation and Director of Strategy for IABC's Chicago chapter. Hills started the Accreditation Completion Program for IABC/Chicago in 2003, roping in graduates of the program to serve alongside her. She co-authored the Value of Accreditation Study in 2007 and ensuing Accreditation Toolkit materials in 2008. Hills was Director of Marketing for the Accreditation Council at that time, serving a three-year term before becoming Vice Chair and later the 2010-2011 Chair.

"I am honored and humbled to be included among the group of distinguished professionals who have received this award," Hills said. "Our industry has seen amazing evolution in the past 30 years. It has been a privilege to work with IABC as we discover the undeniable impact communication has on organizational success."

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC serves more than 15,000 members in 70 countries with a multi-disciplinary approach to corporate communication, public relations, employee communication, marketing communication, media relations, community relations, public affairs, financial communications and government relations. IABC/Chicago (http://chicago.iabc.com) is the oldest IABC chapter in the world.

For details on the World Conference and to register online, visit http://www.iabc.com/wc.

SOURCE IABC/Chicago