Involvement

The Accreditation Committee is responsible for generating publicity and distributing information to members eligible for the APR or CPRC designations. The Accreditation Committee organizes study sessions for those eligible, as well as coordinating the accreditation and certification processes.

• Board Liaison: Patricia Vernon, APR, CPRC
• E-mail: kroghpatricia@gmail.com

The Communications Committee is responsible for performing public relations functions for the chapter. The committee writes or approves all press releases and coordinates the dissemination of releases. The committee also organizes the creating content  — in-depth articles and case studies — for posting to the chapter website and for possible publication. The committee is also responsible for collecting information and designing, updating and coordinating the chapter website. This committee is constantly seeking new ways to make the chapter website a more effective and useful tool and to improve communications to better serve our members.

• Board Liaison: Justin Caudell
• E-mail: jcaudell@pioneer.coop

The Community Relations Committee is the chapter’s service entity. This committee provides programs and other communication services to the Gainesville community in meaningful ways. Each year the committee selects projects from local non-profit organizations. In the past, the committee has also coordinated seminars and events aimed at non-public relations professionals that are both affordable and educational.

• Board Liaison: Altoria White
• E-mail: altoria.white@ecs4kids.org

The Educational Services Committee is a liaison between the Gainesville Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association and public relations students in North Central Florida. The committee plans networking events for students and professionals and student field trips. It also supports career preparation programs and promotes internships to help students acquire expertise in “real-world” public relations situations and to help public relations professionals by offering a pipeline of qualified, skilled pre-professional student assistants.

The committee works with graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, particularly those who are members of the FPRA Chomp Chapter and the Alpha Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). All students attending Santa Fe College, Lake City Community College and UF are welcome to participate.

• Board Liaisons: Styliana Resvanis
• E-mail: sresvanis@gmail.com

The Image Awards Committee is responsible for developing and instituting an annual local Image Awards program. This committee first creates and distributes a “call for entries” for the awards. It also organizes, implements and coordinates a fun, exciting event to recognize Image winners and publicize winners through local media and chapter events. The committee may be called upon to coordinate the judging process for another chapter.

• Board Liaison: Alisha Katz, APR
• E-mail: alishaskatz@gmail.com

The Member Services Committee is responsible for the recruitment of new members and the retention and general service to the chapter membership. This committee’s responsibilities include keeping a current member database with contact information and continuously updating it throughout the year, creating nametags, and coordinating registration at events, along with the originating committee and the chapter Treasurer. The committee is also responsible for developing and maintaining the electronic chapter member directory.

• Board Liaison: Patty Carroll
• E-mail: marbellaFPRA@gmail.com

The Professional Development Committee is responsible for planning and organizing an educational seminar for the membership each year. The event is typically a full-day program and includes a series of speakers on public relations topics.

• Board Liaison: Shelby Martin
• E-mail: shelby.martin@ffbf.org