Meet the 2022 PRSA Tampa Bay Chapter Award Winners
Posted on Nov. 22, 2022 / Subscribe 0
By Kaley Infield, APR 2022 PRSA Tampa Bay President
I was honored to announce the 2022 Chapter Recognition Awards during the recent 2022 PRestige Awards ceremony joined by my friend and colleague, Terri Durdaller, who is our current president-elect and 2023 chapter president.
When Terri and I made a call for nominations with this year’s awards, we were so excited to see the response from our chapter. All of the individuals being recognized for this year’s Chapter Recognition Awards have deep ties and connections to our chapter. They have been true advocates for PRSA Tampa Bay, and we are so proud to recognize them all.
Deanne D. Roberts Excellence in Community Relations Award
The first award is the Deanne D. Roberts Excellence in Community Relations Award, which goes to Noelle Fox, APR. This award recognizes a chapter member or local agency who has given pro bono public relations support to one or more community organizations throughout his or her professional career. Noelle’s volunteerism with our chapter runs deep—most recently with the start of the mentorship program she took on this year. Noelle is currently a board member of Get Live 45 Foundation, which benefits foster children and foster families in the Tampa Bay area. She is also affiliated with several other non-profit organizations, providing pro bono work, and is continually the first to raise her hand when PRSA puts out a call for volunteers to help with Metropolitan Ministries.
Excellence in Chapter Service Award
Our next award is our Excellence in Chapter Service Award. This award is presented to a chapter member who has been with the chapter for more than one year and has made outstanding contributions to chapter management and member programming. This year, it goes to a member that is dedicated to ensuring all our regular programming events occur without a hitch. Along with her co-chair, she is responsible for planning nearly every aspect of PRSA Tampa Bay’s monthly program events, which for those of you who have assisted with that role, could be considered a full-time job on its own. I am proud to recognize Laura Fontanills, APR, with this year’s Excellence in Chapter Service Award.
Michael B. Manning Leadership Award
Our next award is our Michael B. Manning Leadership Award, which is presented to a chapter member who has demonstrated exceptional leadership within the chapter. The individual who was selected for this award has become a trusted advisor to not only myself, but also to Terri. He has stepped up to assist with every extra ask throughout the year, he has shared advice and guidance in a direct and friendly way on every board call, and further, he has shown true leadership by being an amazing advisor and team member to the crew who put on the PRestige Awards. I am honored to recognize Justin Herndon, APR, with this year’s Michael B. Manning Leadership Award. He has become such a great advocate for PRSA and all the leaders within our organization.
Sue Ellen Richardson “Rookie of the Year” Award
Our next award is the Sue Ellen Richardson “Rookie of the Year” Award. This award is given to a chapter member who has one-to-two years of service with our chapter and who has gone above and beyond for the chapter’s programming. The individual who was selected for this year’s award stepped in to fill a much-needed website chair role, under our digital communications committee, which again, for those of you who have served in this role in the past, can feel like a full-time job. This individual is responsible for sending out every email communication that comes from our chapter—without her, we would have no participation in our events. She’s also gone the extra mile and stepped in to beef up our event postings on social media as well. I am proud to present this year’s “Rookie of the Year” award to Morgan Brochetti!
Tampa Bay Chapter Life Achievement Award
Our next award is one that I can’t believe I have the honor to present—the Tampa Bay Chapter Life Achievement Award. When this nomination was suggested to us, I was thrilled. This category honors a senior chapter member who has committed his or her professional career to public relations and has achieved numerous accolades in public relations management, community relations and overall PRSA service. When you start to add up the accolades this individual has received over her more than 18-year career within PRSA Tampa Bay, you would wonder how she still has any hair left. This individual has served in nearly every volunteer capacity within PRSA Tampa Bay. Additionally, she has served at every level of the PRSA Sunshine District, and she currently serves as member of PRSA’s National Board of Directors. As an aside, this person has been a solid rock of an adviser and friend to me personally throughout my presidency. I am so proud to recognize Angela Walters Eveillard, APR, with this year’s Tampa Bay Chapter Life Achievement Award.
PRSA Tampa Bay 2022 President’s Awards
Our next awards recognize four chapter members who have gone above and beyond for the good of the chapter. Honestly, I wish there were 10 of these awards to distribute! We have such an amazing team of volunteers this year.
Our first President’s Award goes to Lisa Wolf-Chason, who led our Professional Development Day program earlier this year. When I asked Lisa how she was interested in giving her time to the chapter in 2022, she literally responded with, “I’ll help wherever I am needed.” As a chapter president, that is a thrilling response! Lisa stepped up, and led an awesome team who ultimately pulled off our first large-scale event since the start of the pandemic. I am proud to present her with our first 2022 President’s Award.
Our next award goes to Heather Parsons, APR, who nearly every person related to the PRestige Awards had communicated with leading up to the event. Heather is a PRestige Awards veteran, who we somehow convinced to stay on for 2022. She is a phenomenally organized individual, who I am so honored I got to know through PRSA Tampa Bay. The PRestige Awards is the largest-production event we host all year, and Heather, without a doubt is so very deserving of a 2022 President’s Award.
Our next award goes to Ashley Moore, APR. Ashley serves as our programs co-chair with Laura Fontanills, and she is literally one of the most positive individuals within PRSA Tampa Bay. I’ve never seen her stress or break a sweat, as she co-plans our many busy events in the chapter. Her kindness and willingness to help is one of the reasons why so many enjoy working with her. I am so proud to recognize Ashley with one of this year’s President’s Awards.
The last President’s Award goes to Kecia Carroll, who serves as co-chair of our D&I Committee. Kecia has spent several years meticulously putting together a force of a committee, with liaisons who partner with nearly every standing committee within PRSA Tampa Bay. She is passionate about D&I and recognizes that what makes us different often makes us stronger. I am pleased to recognize Kecia with our final President’s Award for 2022!
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