Public Relations Society Of America, Los Angeles Announces New Board Of Directors And Kicks Off 2019 Programming
PRSA-LA's State of the State of PR to Focus on Diversity and Inclusion and Feature Diversity Officers from Global PR Agencies
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-LA) is pleased to announce the appointment of nine new members to its Board of Directors. The board members join as PRSA-LA also welcomes its newly-elected 2019 officers, with Shawn Smith, director of public relations for Warner Bros. Consumer Products, serving at the helm as president of the organization.
PRSA-LA also released an overview of its 2019 programming aimed to educate, elevate and connect the public relations profession and its practitioners. The organization's first event of the year, State of the State of PR: Diversity and Inclusion, brings together a panel of agency leaders to discuss the root issues around diversity in the communications profession, and how individuals and the industry can drive change.
The new PRSA-LA board members include Barbara Bishop, president and founder of BBPR, Inc.; Melendy A. Britt, EVP of Klick Communications; Stephen Chavez, president of Chavez PR; Allie Lee, lead of publicity at Amazon Prime Video; Karen Sohl, director of global communications for Belkin International; Alana Prisco, communications manager, Kaiser Permanente; Leshelle Sargent, director, publicity for Warner Bros. Worldwide Television; Rich Venn, director of communications at California Resources Corporation; and Guadalupe Vicon, freelance public relations practitioner specializing in media relations and content creations.
Joining Shawn Smith as officers for the board are President-elect Joe Marchelewski, senior account manager at Juris Productions PR; Treasurer Alan Caldwell, APR, director of energy policy and strategy, Southern California Gas Company; Secretary Denise Ferguson, Ph.D., APR, associate dean for graduate programs and sesearch, and professor of communication at Azusa Pacific University; Vice President Melissa England, associate vice president at Finn Partners; and Vice President John Novaria, principal at Novaria Communication. The board is rounded out with the following returning board members: Erik Deutsch, ExcelPR Group; Rita Tateel, Celebrity Source; Holly Ferris, Ferris Communications; Victoria Lelash, APR, Story & Teller Studio; Philip Sokoloski, FilmL.A.; Rick Markovitz, Weissman/Markovitz Communications; and Sallie Olmsted, APR.
PRSA-LA is comprised of more than 500 agency, in-house and independent public relations professionals representing LA-area corporations, academic institutions, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Members benefit from chapter events, educational and networking opportunities, industry advocacy and a wide range of professional development resources. For more information about PRSA-LA, and to stay up-to-date on the latest news and programming, visit www.PRSALA.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
CONTACT: Melissa England, (310) 552-4163, [email protected]
SOURCE PRSA-LA
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