Chapter Awards

FPRA Ocala Chapter Awards Communicator of the Year, PACEsetter, and More

Media Contact:
Danielle Veenstra
VP of Communications
M: 352.817.4327
[email protected]

 

Ocala, FL (SEPT. 9, 2024) – The Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Ocala Chapter held its Annual Awards Banquet and Gala on Friday, August 30, at the Appleton Museum of Art. The elegant event celebrated the achievements of communication professionals and recognized the contributions of chapter members and community leaders.

Set against the backdrop of the museum’s renowned collections, guests enjoyed a sophisticated evening featuring fine dining and desserts amid twinkling lights and exquisite art. Attendees donned glamorous attire, from glittering gowns to velvet tuxedos, enhancing the night’s ambiance.

The second half of the evening saw the installation of the 2024-2025 board of directors by former FPRA State President Devon Chestnut, APR, CPRC. A significant moment was the unveiling of the Beverly Brown, APR Legacy Scholarship fund, which honors the memory of a beloved chapter member and supports future public relations professionals in the Ocala area.

Awards Recognitions:

  • FPRA Ocala Individual Communicator of the Year Award: Tammy Gantt from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owner’s Association was recognized for the work she completed for the protection and advocacy of horse farms in Marion County. Her work advanced the field of public relations and upheld ethical standards critical to the communications industry.
  • FPRA Ocala Institutional Communicator of the Year Award: 352Today received the COTY award for its ability to provide timely, accurate, and critical information to the community, while demonstrating a mastery of communication skills and strategies.
  • FPRA Ocala Chapter Outstanding Member Award: Wendy Williams from the Early Learning Coalition of Marion County, Inc., was honored for her exceptional support, mentorship, and advancement of the chapter’s goals.
  • FPRA Ocala Chapter Toni James, APR, CPRC PACEsetter of the Year Award:
    • Kevin Christian, APR, CPRC: Recognized for his dedication to lifelong learning and leadership over two decades. As a mentor and strategist, Christian’s contributions to the public relations field have earned national recognition.
    • Greg Davis: Celebrated for his transformative leadership, commitment to excellence, and ability to balance visionary leadership with genuine care for colleagues and the community.
    • Following his installation as Chapter President, Davis honored Immediate Past-President Lindsay Tozer with the PACEsetter of the Year Award, acknowledging her deep love for FPRA and her involvement at both the chapter and state levels.
  • FPRA Ocala Chapter Lifetime Achievement in Communications Award: Kevin Christian, APR, CPRC, received this prestigious award, marking only the fourth time it has been presented. Christian’s unwavering dedication and exemplary service to Marion County Public Schools, as well as his leadership roles in FPRA and other organizations, set a high standard for the profession.

Additional Honors:

  • Joe Curley APR, CPRC Rising Leader Award: Greg Davis was named the statewide 2024 recipient at the FPRA 85th PR & Comms Summit. The award recognizes emerging leaders showing dedication, innovation, and active involvement in organizational activities.
  • FPRA State President’s Awards: Lindsay Tozer was honored with the President’s Award for Furthering the Profession and the President’s Award for Leadership Development, reflecting her significant contributions to advancing public relations and developing leadership within the chapter.
  • FPRA 65th Golden Image Awards:
    • Awards of Distinction: Kristina Donohue, APR (Kimberly’s Cottage) and Devon Chestnut, APR, CPRC (COX Communications) received recognition for their outstanding submissions.
    • Pinnacle Award: Tom Hyle and his team at the Southwest Water Management District were honored as the inaugural winners for a government agency.

The FPRA Ocala Chapter extends its heartfelt gratitude to all members, honorees, and nominees who made the event memorable. Special thanks go to our generous Gala sponsors, including Tall Tail Communications LLC, whose support made the evening possible.

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FPRA Ocala Chapter to Host Annual Banquet and Communicator of the Year Awards

Media Contact:
Danielle Veenstra
VP of Communications
M: 352.817.4327
[email protected]

 

Ocala, FL (AUG. 13, 2024) – The Ocala Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) is set to host its Annual Banquet on Friday, Aug. 30, at the Appleton Museum of Art (4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.).

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with the event commencing at 7 p.m. and concluding at 9 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to dress in formal attire for this elegant evening.

The banquet will feature a keynote address by incoming FPRA State President Julie Frey, APR, CPRC. The evening’s program includes the presentation of several distinguished awards, including the prestigious Communicator of the Year award, recognition of state-level award winners from the PR & Comms Summit, and the induction of the 2024-2025 officers for the Ocala Chapter. The event will also see the ceremonial passing of the gavel from past presidents to the incoming president, Gregory Davis.

Davis, who serves as the Public Information Officer for the City of Ocala and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, has been an active FPRA member since 2021. With over 11 years of experience in communications, Davis is well-poised to lead the Ocala Chapter in the coming year.

Dinner will be served to all guests. Tickets are available for $35 and can be purchased online at https://www.fpraocala.org/event/annual-awards-banquet-gala-and-pass-the-gavel/.

FPRA is committed to fostering the development of public relations professionals across Florida through ethical and standardized practices. Founded in 1980, the Ocala Chapter has a long-standing tradition of excellence within the association, which today boasts over 1,000 professional and student members statewide and nationally.

For more information about the event, please contact Danielle Veenstra, VP of Communications, at
352-817-4327 or [email protected].

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Area public relations and communications professionals honored

Image Winners

OCALA, Fla. (April 14, 2022) – The Free the Ocklawaha River Coalition, led by its founder and longtime local environmentalist Margaret Spontak, has been named the 2022 Wilton F. Martin Institutional Communicator of the Year for efforts to reconnect the Ocklawaha River to the Silver and St. Johns rivers and Silver Springs.

The three-year-old organization was honored by the Ocala Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association at the annual Mid-Florida Image and Communicator of the Year Awards which took place Wednesday, April 13 at the Marion Theatre. Founded in 1938, FPRA is the oldest professional association of public relations practitioners in the nation.

Recognizing that their work is ongoing until the Ocklawaha is “finally set free,” Spontak and Free the Ocklawaha’s efforts were lauded for “dramatically increasing the public interest, awareness, engagement, and support” needed to reunite the rivers.

The Communicator of the Year award honors institutions and individuals who have demonstrated excellence in strategic communications to improve the quality of life in Marion and Citrus counties. It is named in memory of the late Wilton F. Martin, native Ocalan and the Association’s co-founder.

NPR’s Joe Byrnes, a versatile and veteran reporter and editor for the Star-Banner and Gainesville Sun before joining WMFE in 2020, received the Wilton F. Martin Individual Communicator of the Year for his “unrelenting commitment to quality journalism … reporting, distilling, and communicating the most complex topics with uncommon clarity and color.” 

Image WinnersAdditionally, 14 Image awards were presented to public relations professionals from Marion, Lake, Volusia and Flagler counties. FPRA’s Image Awards and the state Golden Image competition have become the standard of public relations excellence throughout Florida, honoring the very best in public relations innovations, planning and design.

This year’s big winners were Jen Pagh, Scott Schroeder and Matias Raby of Liquid Creative who received the Grand All Image Award in the digital tools of public relations division in the external video category for their Straight Line Construction video, which also earned an Image Award and Judges Award. Also, in the digital tools division website category, the team won an Image Award and Judges Award for rebuilding Straight Line Construction’s website. Lastly, in the public relations programs division  promotional marketing category, they picked up an Award of Distinction for a comprehensive marketing strategy for Straight Line Construction.

Additional winners:

Beverly Brown and Taylor College won a Judges Award in digital tools of public relations division social media category for Taylor College Facebook Engagement Plan.

Rachel Cote and the College of Central Florida won an Award of Distinction and Judges Award in the digital tools of public relations website category for the College of Central Florida website redesign.

Heather Danenhower, APR, CPRC, and Duke Energy won an Image Award in the public relations programs division internal category for Duke Energy’s Power Plant Worker Appreciation Day Campaign.

Mary Dorn, APR, and Cindi Lane, APR, won an Award of Distinction and Judges Award in the public relations programs division special events category for the Volusia/Flagler Chapter of FPRA Media Day at Daytona International Speedway.

Savannah Silliman, Pamela Calero Wardell, and Andy Stracuzzi won an Award of Distinction and Judges Award in the public relations collateral brochure category for the Ocala Symphony’s 46th Season brochure.

FPRA is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida. Today there are more than 1,000 professional, at-large and student members throughout the state and country. The FPRA Ocala Chapter was established in 1980. For more information about the chapter, go to www.fpraocala.org.

FPRA Ocala Earns Statewide Recognition from FPRA for Chapter of the Year and Strengthening the FPRA Brand

Ponte Vedra, Fla., Aug. 6, 2018— The Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) recently recognized the Ocala Chapter for two awards at the President’s Luncheon at the 80thFPRA Annual Conference.

FPRA State President Ryan Gerds, APR, CPRC first recognized the Ocala Chapter for strengthening the FPRA brand in the community. Gerds mentioned how the chapter further informed community members about the statewide association through the Mid-Florida Local Image Awards and Wilton F. Martin Communicator of the Year program, Monthly Mixers, regular communication as well as through the chapter’s annual Toolkit for Success seminar.

Culminating the President’s Luncheon, the Ocala Chapter was announced as Chapter of the Year among the Association’s 15 statewide chapters.

“The Ocala Chapter has a rich heritage of leadership for FPRA locally, as well as on the State Association’s executive committee,” said FPRA Ocala Chapter President Lisa Varner, APR, CPRC of Ocala Brodcasting. “It’s been my honor to serve as president this year. It’s easy to lead an organization when you have such a deep bench of seasoned professionals who remain committed on the local level. When you team that with newer members with great enthusiasm and a vision for the future, it’s a game plan for success.”

The Ocala Chapter meets the third Friday of each month at 11:45 in the teleconference room of the Ewers Century Center at the College of Central Florida. For additional information on the Ocala Chapter Name of FPRA please call Ocala Chapter Communications Director Ginger Broslat, APR, CPRC at 352-861-0252.

The Florida Public Relations Association is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida. The organization’s 15 professional and 12 student chapters provide professional development, networking and recognition opportunities for nearly 1,200 members across the state. FPRA is the nation’s oldest public relations organization, established by Lt. Col. John Dillin, APR, CPRC in 1938. For more information, visit www.fpra.org.

Lauren Debick Graduates From Leadership FPRA

Ponte Vedra, Fla.,  Aug. 4, 2018— Ocala Health Marketing and Communications Manager Lauren Debick graduated from Leadership FPRA at the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Annual Conference recently.

Debick was chosen to receive a scholarship to participate in the program from among the 15 members of the 2017 Joe Curley Rising Leaders Class.

LeadershipFPRA provides members with the tools they need to become stronger leaders in their organizations, their communities and FPRA. The program is formal, consisting of an orientation and five full-day sessions held over 12 months.

Class size is limited to 21, so applications are competitive. The LeadershipFPRA Selection Committee reviews all applications and choses the most qualified applicants. And while the Selection Committee evaluates individual applications, it is also charged with building a class that represents diversity—professionally and geographically, as well as in the areas of age, race, gender and ethnicity.

Each class member participated in LeadershipFPRA orientation the day prior to the start of the 2017 Annual Conference, followed by five seminar-styled leadership training classes from a faculty of some of the most accomplished professionals in the state. The curriculum is challenging, and participants are required to attend the orientation, graduation and four of the five independent classes of the program instruction.

Graduates of the LeadershipFPRA program are better equipped to not only function as PR professionals in their respective workplaces, but also strengthen their rightful seat at the boardroom table and to evolve into further leadership roles in FPRA, their communities and the industry in general.

Deadlines for Mid-Florida Local Image and Communicator of the Year Awards Competition are March 13 and March 21; Enter Today!

Image-Communicator-FPRADeadlines for entries and nominations toward the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Ocala Chapter’s 2015 Mid-Florida Local Image and Communicator of the Year Awards competition are fast approaching.

Professionals and organizations seeking recognition for their public relations programs must submit their Image Awards entries by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 13. The Image Awards competition recognizes outstanding public relations programs, while encouraging and promoting the development of public relations professionals. Winners demonstrate the best examples of PR innovation, planning and design. A standard of public relations excellence in theState of Florida, the Image Awards competition is open to the public. Public relations-related projects conducted between January 2014 and March 2015 are eligible for entry.

Citizens and businesses interested in nominating an outstanding communicator for the individual or institutional categories of the Wilton F. Martin Communicator of the Year Awards may submit their entries by 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. The Wilton F. Martin Communicator of the Year Awards – Individual recognizes the person who uses his/her position to enhance Marion County’s community causes, advance the field of public relations and uphold the ethical standards representing theOcala Chapter. The Institutional recognition honors the institution, business or media outlet that has gone above and beyond to provide timely, accurate and critical information to the community, and has demonstrated mastery of communications skills and strategies.

Guidelines and entry rules for the Image competition are available on the FPRA Ocala Chapter website: http://www.fpraocala.org. The entry fee is $45 for FPRA members and $55 for non-members. Communicator of the Year nominations are also available online at www.fpraocala.org. There is no cost to submit a nomination. For any questions, please email [email protected] or [email protected].

The Ocala Chapter’s 2015 competition theme, The Art of Public Relations, will additionally showcase the talented and creative art community in Ocala/Marion. Award recipients will be honored by the FPRA Ocala Chapter Friday, April 24 at the awards gala presented by our community partner, the Appleton Museum of Art.

Local public relations awards showcase outstanding work

April 25, 2014, Mid-Florida Local Image Awards Gala (80)

OCALA, Fla. – The Florida Public Relations Association Ocala Chapter recognized public relations professionals for achieving industry excellence at the recent Mid-Florida Local Image Awards gala.

As determined by a third-party panel of judges, the winners represent the very best examples of public relations innovation, planning, implementation and design. Winners and gala attendees represented several area organizations, including CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion, Duke Energy, Hospice of Marion County, Marion County Fire Rescue, Marion County Office of Public Information, Southwest Florida Water Management District and United Way of Marion County.

This year’s awards theme, ReciPe for Results, emphasized the importance of a planning process for any successful public relations campaign. Like a recipe, the public relations process is precise, and it specifies steps: research/situational analysis, objectives, implementation, evaluation and budget. The event was held at Community Technical & Adult Education (CTAE), Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts School, where honorees and guests dined on cuisine prepared by CTAE Chef James Kennedy and his students.

The Mid-Florida Local Image Awards honor outstanding public relations programs, printed tools of public relations and audio, visual and online tools of public relations. Entries must meet strict criteria and undergo tough scrutiny by a third-party panel of judges. Judges must have their Accredited in Public Relations (APR) credential and have won an Image Award in the past. Many are also Certified Public Relations Counselors.

Three of this year’s entries met the highest standards of public relations excellence and were bestowed a Grand All Image award (Public Relations Programs division) or Grand Image awards (Printed Tools of Public Relations and Audio/Visual/Online Tools of Public Relations):

Heather Danenhower, APR; Duke Energy Corporate Communications; and the Crystal River Nuclear Plant won a Grand All Image Award for their employee communications plan associated with the announcement to retire the Crystal River Nuclear Plant. The plan focused on informing plant employees of the retirement decision firsthand through face-to-face meetings, email communications and videos. The group additionally received an Image Award for that plan and also received an Image Award for their Crystal River Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Open House event. The event successfully increased awareness of the decommissioning plan and positively influenced how people felt about plant workers and Duke Energy.

Barbara Hernandez, APR; Marion County Office of the County Engineer and the Stormwater Section won a Grand Image award for their 2013 Marion County “Discover Our Water Resources” tabloid, an educational newspaper developed to increase water knowledge and promote water-conserving behaviors among Marion County fourth- and fifth-graders. The group also received an Image Award and Judges’ Award for the publication.

Michele Sager, Allen Yarbrough and Robin Felix won a Grand Image award for the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Springs Instagram Contest, developed to educate and engage the residents of Citrus, Hernando and Marion Counties, home to five major springs systems. The group also received an Image Award for the contest.

Other notable awards included:

Carrieann Adkins, Don Weaver and Robyn Felix received an Image Award for the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Springs Website, which positions the district as the leading scientific agency that understands springs and takes action to restore them.

Laura Byrnes, APR, and CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion were honored with an Award of Distinction for their website redesign, which resulted in a more cohesive and clearer information tool that better communicated the nonprofit’s programs and increased engagement.

Jessica Greene Fuchs and Marion County Fire Rescue (MCFR) Partners received an Award of Distinction for the “Prepare. Protect. Prevent. Water Safety Campaign.” Partnering with local agencies, MCFR raised awareness about water safety and raised funds to purchase swimming lesson packages for local families.

Lila Ivy and Lisa Varner, APR, were honored with an Award of Distinction for their Hospice of Marion County’s Flowers for Alzheimer’ Fundraiser, an awareness-raising effort to support an end to Alzheimer’s disease.

Teresa Martyny and United Way of Marion County received an Award of Distinction for their 2-1-1 Blog to help community members become more aware of the wide range of services available to them locally and nationally.

In addition to the awards ceremony, Monique Yeager, vice president of marketing at Tijuana Flats’, shared her company’s ReciPe for Results on winning marketing strategies in the highly competitive fast casual restaurant industry. Attendees received valuable insight into how Tijuana Flats fosters its unique approach to employee relations, customer communication and brand management.

Sponsors for the ReciPe for Results 2014 Mid-Florida Local Image Awards included: Frankel Media Group, $1,000 in-kind contribution for design services; Community Technical & Adult Education, $250 in-kind contribution for the event venue; Diana Scott, $250 in-kind contribution for photography; Webster University, $250 cash; and Duke Energy, $250 cash.

FPRA is comprised of 15 professional and 10 student chapters throughout the state, providing professional development, networking and professional recognition opportunities.

The Ocala FPRA Chapter, www.fpraocala.org, was established in 1980. Members and
guests meet the third Friday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Ocala.

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