PR News Salutes Top PR People of the Year

Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 10, 2006

More than 200 PR professionals gathered at the National Press Club for PR News' annual PR People Awards luncheon to celebrate the year's most outstanding PR achievements and to salute the leading communications pros. Presented by PR News, the leading trade publication among communicators, this highly notable awards program showcases the chosen few with the right combination of dedication, passion, creativity and proven success.

PR News' PR People and 15-to-Watch award programs generate thousands of entries, putting a spotlight on the best practices and the up-and-coming stars in the PR profession. The recipients of this year's awards beckon from corporations, nonprofits and agencies large and small. The winning PR People and 15-to-Watch likewise stood apart for their leadership, creativity and results-driven activities during the 2005 calendar year judging period.

Four PR executives were also named to the PR News Hall of Fame: D. Michelle Flowers, Richard Levick, Tom Martin and Victor Kamber.

"PR professionals often work behind the scenes, sometimes without the 'thanks' and accolades they so deserve," notes Diane Schwartz, Vice President & Publisher of PR News. "These PR News awards are one way of recognizing the outstanding achievements in the PR community."

Winners of the PR People Awards: (Honorable mentions and the 15-to-Watch can be found at http://www.prnewsonline.com and in the All-Star Issue.)

Account Manager of the Year

Lori Tokunaga, The Hoffman Agency

Agency Executive of the Year

John Deveney, Deveney Communications

Brand Marketer of the Year

Michael Keller, Dairy Queen

Crisis Communicator of the Year

Sandra R. Alstadt, Entergy Corporation

Internal Communications Professional of the Year

Elaine Hinsdale, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Measurement/Research Expert of the Year

Bryan Dumont, APCO Worldwide

Media Relations Professional of the Year

Raymond L. Buse III, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

PR Professional of the Year: Academic Institution

Ann Marie Varga, Rollins College

PR Professional of the Year: Nonprofit/Association

Ted Nguyen, Orange County Transportation Authority

PR Professional of the Year: Corporate

Kathy Callahan, Ameristar Casinos, Inc.

PR Team Leader

Peggy Heller, Vox Medica, Inc.

Public Affairs Executive of the Year

Carolyn Tieger, Porter Novelli

Spokesperson of the Year

Stephanie Bunker, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

PR News Hall of Fame Inductees

Michelle Flowers, Flowers Communications Group

Victor Kamber, Carmen Group Communications

Richard S. Levick, Levick Strategic Communications

Tom Martin, ITT

This year's winners are profiled in the annual All-Stars issue of PR News, which is available at http://www.prnewsonline.com or by contacting clientservices @ accessintel.com. The awards program is sponsored by Vocus, D S Simon Productions, PR Newswire, Medialink, NAPS, Burrelles Luce, CommCoreConsulting and Stanton Communications.

About PR News

The PR News family of products includes PR News, the Platinum PR Awards, PR People Awards, Nonprofit PR Awards, CSR Awards, The 100 Best Case Studies Book, Guidebook to Best Practices in CSR; Guidebook to Best Practices in Measurement and the upcoming Crisis Management and Media Training Guidebooks and PR News Webinars. For more information, go to http://www.prnewsonline.com.

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