PRSA NJ Elects 2012 Officers, Reports Year-End Results

NAVESINK, N.J., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA NJ) announced the organization's 2012 officers, elected at the Annual Meeting for members December 2, 2011. Taking over the top leadership role is Jennifer Tornetta, director of Public Relations for AtlantiCare in Egg Harbor Township. The group thanked 2012 Immediate Past President Rich Lukis, president of Coyne Public Relations in Parsippany, for his leadership and dedication to the chapter.

Following the Annual Meeting, members participated in a Holiday Bowl-a-thon fundraiser at Hanover Lanes in Hanover, NJ. The Board of Directors presented the Community FoodBank of New Jersey with a $1,100 donation. Generous supporters included graphic design services provider AlphaGraphics and bar sponsor Coyne Public Relations, as well as lane sponsors Greenberg Traurig, KEF, PR Newswire / MultiVu, MWW, NBN, Prudential, Quest, R&J, Success Communications Group and WestGlen.

PRSA NJ officers elected for 2012 include:

• President: Jennifer Tornetta, APR, director of public relations for AtlantiCare in Egg Harbor Township
• President-Elect (serving as chapter president in 2013):  Kristine Simoes, APR, specialist professor, Public Relations; Director, Journalism, Public Relations Program, Department of Communication, Monmouth University in West Long Branch
• Vice President:  Jill Kleiner, APR, assistant vice president, Coyne Public Relations in Parsippany
• Treasurer:  Joe Gargiulo, vice president, Coyne Public Relations in Parsippany
• Secretary: Heather Hurd, APR, strategic manager, Scientific Communications, Medisys Health Communications, LLC in High Bridge

Directors-at-large elected for 2012 include:

• Bryan J. Kaus, president, BlueKom Strategic Communications in Lebanon
• Annamaria Lalevee, director, Public Relations, Centenary College in Hackettstown
• Tim Schramm, senior vice president, Coyne Public Relations in Parsippany

2011 Milestones
Lukis, who will remain active on PRSA NJ's Board of Directors as immediate past president, shared several PRSA NJ accomplishments. "PRSA NJ had a tremendous year in 2011," he said. "Despite the challenging economic environment, we maintained membership numbers and our financials remained very strong."

"Additionally, 2011 was filled with a number of member enhancements, including the new digital format of the chapter newsletter and a redesign of the PRSA NJ website, which is currently in the final phase," Lukis added. "We are especially proud that we significantly expanded our programming, adding events for senior practitioners and chapter members in southern NJ."

PRSA NJ held 19 events throughout the year, attracting nearly 500 participants – including workshops for new professionals, seminars for college students, and continuing education lectures and presentations for seasoned professionals.

2012 Programming Announced
"I'm looking forward to working with our new officers and committee members to build on the momentum we've been providing for our members," Tornetta said. "We are developing a robust calendar of events for 2012, designed to appeal to our membership's needs. We also plan to enhance partnerships with other public relations, marketing and related organizations."

Among the events and enhancements members can expect in 2012:

• Revamped PRSA NJ website
• Annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
• Senior Practitioner events
• Pyramid Awards 2012
• Meet the Media panels
• E-newsletter with executive videos
• More Southern New Jersey events
• New Professionals networking events and workshops

About PRSA NJ
The New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (www.prsanj.org), founded in 1960, comprises 400 members representing business and industry, counseling firms, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms, and nonprofit organizations. Its parent organization PRSA was chartered in 1947. Today, with 21,000 members organized into 111 chapters and 10 districts, it is the world's largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals, providing professional development, setting standards of excellence and upholding principles of ethics for its members and the multi-billion dollar global public relations profession. PRSA and its chapters also advocate for greater understanding and adoption of public relations services, and act as one of the industry's leading voices on the important business and professional issues of our time. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has more than 10,000 student members in 300 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States.

SOURCE PRSA NJ