Upcoming Meeting

Thursday, December 2, 2010:  11:30 a.m. luncheon with Anne Carelli of The Coca-Cola Company’s digital communications staff on “Expedition 206: Happiness Goes Around,” Coca-Cola’s unique Social Media Experiment.

Prior to the luncheon, Virginia Miracle of Ogilvy PR Worldwide’s Washington office will conduct a morning seminar on social media measurement.

At Maggiano’s-Buckhead, 3368 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30326; event details at www.prsageorgia.org.

Members from other chapters are eligible for PRSA|GA member rates!  For this special courtesy, please contact Denise Grant at denise.grant@prsageorgia.org.

Growing our APRs

Two chapter members have earned APR certification, demonstrating their competency in the knowledge, skills and abilities required to practice public relations effectively in today’s business arena:

• Trayce Billingsly Leak, APR
• Mark Wheeler, APR

Leak is assistant professor of public relations at Clark Atlanta University.

Wheeler is communications manager for Solvay North America, LLC.

Annual Awards Celebration

The Georgia Chapter held its annual Awards Celebration and awarded 133 Phoenix awards and Certificates of Excellence.

Six public relations professionals were honored at the banquet.

Chapter awards, categorized by length of practice:

• Mark Dvorak, APR, Radiant Star in memory of Dyar Massey, 20+ years
• Stephen M. Brown, Luminary Star Award, 13-19 years
• Elizabeth McMillan, APR, Shining Star Award, six to 12 years
• Sarah McLean Cannon, Rising Star Award, five or fewer years

George Goodwin Award, significant contribution through volunteer service:

• Mack D. Secord, APR, Fellow PRSA

Inducted into The Order of the Phoenix, the Chapter’s highest honor, and thus also enters the PRSA|GA Hall of Fame at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Georgia:

• Bari Rosenthal Love

Officers for 2011 Elected

The 2011 officers of the board of PRSA|GA are:

• President – Karla Harvill, APR
• President-Elect – Julie Turner Davis
• Secretary – Neil Hirsch, APR
• Treasurer – Alicia Thompson, APR

And some 60 professionals were elected to be directors, board members, assembly delegates, and committee chairs for the coming year.

Chapter Champions

Kellye Crane and Kristin Parrish were recognized as Chapter Champions at PRSA|GA’s monthly luncheon, an award created to recognize a member who has significantly contributed to the Chapter’s success.

As co-chairs of the Chapter’s Social Media Committee, they have been instrumental in creating a Social Media policy for our organization, as well as establishing procedures to enhance PRSA|GA’s Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn channels.

Crane has been offering planning and counsel on social media and other communications strategies from her own firm, Crane Communications, since 1985.  Parrish is a digital strategist with the 360 degree Digital Influence Group at Ogilvy PR Worldwide in Atlanta.  Both women have also worked on other tasks for the Chapter before creating and implementing the Social Media Committee.

As a result of this type of volunteerism, the Georgia Chapter ranks as the No. 2 Chapter in the nation and has been recognized for its best membership practices among PRSA Chapters across the country.