Next PR CEO Heather Kelly Named PRNEWS People of the Year Honoree for Agency CEOs; Agency Earns Seventh Consecutive Agency Elite Top 120 Award

The two PRNEWS honors follow a year of recognition for Next PR's leadership, workplace culture and client results.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Next PR, an award-winning, integrated public relations firm, today announced that CEO Heather Kelly has been named a PRNEWS People of the Year honoree in the Agency CEOs category and the agency has earned a place on the PRNEWS Agency Elite Top 120. The honors build on a series of 2026 accolades that recognize Next PR's leadership, workplace culture, and measurable client impact. Companies seeking strategic communications support can learn more at www.nextpr.com/services.

Both honors were celebrated at the PRNEWS Platinum Awards Gala in New York City on Oct. 6, where members of Next PR attended to celebrate the agency's achievements.

Kelly's recognition comes as Next PR expands its team and services to meet clients' evolving communications needs. Under her leadership, the agency achieved 38% headcount growth, promoted 30% of its employees and launched AI optimization services to help brands strengthen their visibility in AI-generated answers.

"Leading this agency means creating the conditions for our people and our clients to succeed," said Kelly. "These honors reflect the team we've built, the trust our clients place in us and our commitment to keep evolving. I'm proud to see that work recognized alongside so many accomplishments across the agency this year."

Next PR's inclusion on the PRNEWS Agency Elite Top 120 adds to its recognition for agency excellence in the past year, including a place on PR Daily's Top Agency list.

Building on a Year of Recognition

The two PRNEWS honors follow additional distinctions across areas central to Next PR's success:

• Agency Excellence: Next PR earned a place on PR Daily's Top Agency list, recognizing the firm's commitment to delivering exceptional client service and communications strategies.
  
  
• Leadership: Managing Director Nicole Paleologus was named to PRNEWS Top Women in PR and Communications, adding to the agency's recognition for the leaders driving its growth, talent development and client strategy.
  
  
• Workplace culture: Next PR earned Great Place to Work® Certification for the fifth consecutive year and its 11th recognition from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption's Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces program. The agency supports employees through mental health days, a five-day Winter Wellness Week, flexible work schedules, annual team retreats and 24 hours of Volunteer Time Off each year.
  
  
• Client results: Next PR was named a finalist in the PR Daily Top Agency Awards' Media Relations Campaign category for its work with HelloPrenup, which generated 45 earned media placements and an 82% share of voice. It was also named a finalist in the PR Daily Media Relations Awards for Lightcast's Beyond the Buzz data report campaign, which secured 39 media placements and 10,000 report downloads.

Together, these distinctions reinforce the foundation behind Next PR's latest PRNEWS honors: leadership that invests in its people and turns communications strategy into measurable results.

About Next PR

Next PR is an award-winning public relations firm with one major focus: results. The firm is agile, fresh, and hyper-focused on helping clients achieve their next big PR goals. Next PR is proud to boast the best and brightest minds from coast to coast, but more than that, it brings the fun – and the motivation – every single day. The company has been selected as a Top Agency Workplace by PR Daily, has been named to PRNEWS' Agency Elite Top 120 list for seven consecutive years, is Great Place to Work^® certified for five consecutive years and a Dave Thomas Foundation Adoption-Friendly Workplace for 11 years. Team members are consistently selected as PR Rising Stars and Communicators of the Year. Founded in 1978, the firm has evolved with footprints in Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Colorado Springs.

Contact: Orange Berets, [email protected]

SOURCE Next PR