FPRA Gainesville was proud to celebrate exceptional PR practitioners in the community on April 27 at Blue Gill Quality Foods.
Each year, the chapter presents three special awards, the Rising Star of the Year, the Member of the Year and the John Detweiler, Ed.D., APR, CPRC, Professional of the Year awards.
“We are very fortunate to have so many amazing professionals in this chapter, and in our community, from which to choose,” said Immediate Past FPRA Gainesville President Amy Azoulay, APR. “Determining the recipients among such a distinguished group of nominees is not an easy task. I’d like to thank this year’s selection committee for their thoughtful deliberation in selecting the recipients.”
The 2022-23 Rising Star of the Year Award recipient is Liana Resvanis. According to one nomination, “I’ve seen her continuously grow and take on more responsibility. She’s done an amazing job in the educational services role in her first year on the Board and I think she has a bright future ahead!”
Another member stated, “She continuously reached out to not only the student chapter of FPRA, but also to the other student groups in PR. She worked with the students to provide speakers and coordinate finding professionals to help with resume reviews and mock interviews.”
Angela Chan, this year’s Member of the Year, fits the bill perfectly and has done so since first becoming a member of FPRA in 2018.
One nomination noted, “Although she took a step back from the Board this year, she has remained one of our most active and committed FPRA members. Her ideas, contributions and insight have continued to propel our chapter forward.”
Another member wrote, “She has served on the Board in several different roles and participated on multiple committees. She has also helped the chapter to secure sponsorships from her workplace two years in a row, including a cash sponsorship this year! She is an invaluable member of FPRA Gainesville!”
The 2022-23 John Detweiler, Ed.D., APR, CPRC Professional of the Year Award recipient is Amelia Bell, APR, CPRC. Amelia deserves the honor because of her strong track record of success and commitment to public relations. She consistently demonstrates the highest standards of ethics, service to the public relations profession and dedication to FPRA Gainesville.
One nomination stated, “Who do we go to when we need someone to review our Image Award entry? Amelia. Who is the first person to volunteer to help with chapter needs? Amelia. Who continues to serve frequently as an Image Awards judge and APR or CPRC panelist? Amelia. She has served in many different board positions for our chapter, filling in when we needed her to.”
To close out the awards ceremony, North Florida Image Awards Chairwoman Alisha Katz, APR, announced Amy Azoulay as an Image Award recipient for Division A, Category 6 Internal. This category includes any program developed to communicate with internal publics such as employees, shareholders, association members, etc.
Amy received an Award of Distinction for CPAmerica, Inc.’s Learning Management System Launch.
For more information on FPRA Gainesville’s annual awards and other development and recognition opportunities, click here.