PRSA West Virginia Chapter

Photos from our 2025 Night of Honors! It was a wonderful evening of celebrating and honoring the very best in PR.

📬 Crystal Award notifications are hitting inboxes! 🎉

Join us for our Night of Honors on Thursday, November 13 at the WVU Art Museum to find out if you’re taking home the crystal. 🏆✨

Dress sharp, cheer loud, and celebrate the best in WV public relations. 💎 Register here: bit.ly/nightofhonors25

Join us Nov. 13 from 6–8:30 p.m. at the Art Museum of WVU for the 2025 PRSA-WV Hall of Fame & Crystal Awards, celebrating the best in public relations across the mountain state.

Hosted by PRSA West Virginia and WVU PRSSA, this special evening honors inspiring campaigns, remarkable professionals, and new Hall of Fame inductees, all while supporting West Virginia’s PRSSA chapters.

Tickets:
Members $40 | Non-Members $50 | Students Free | Table of 8 $500
A portion of the proceeds benefits the next generation of PR pros.

Don’t miss this unforgettable night of recognition, connection, and a little bit of magic. ✨

Register here: bit.ly/nightofhonors25

Announcing Our 2025 West Virginia Public Relations Hall of Fame Inductees! 🌟

We’re proud to honor two remarkable leaders whose impact has shaped the field of public relations in West Virginia and beyond: Karen Frashier, APR, Fellow PRSA, and Diana Martinelli, Ph.D.

Karen Frashier, APR, Fellow PRSA
Karen’s distinguished career in health care communications began at Charleston Area Medical Center, where she also launched her long-standing involvement with PRSA. Over the years, she has led strategic marketing, branding, and government relations efforts for major hospital systems across Georgia and Florida. Today, she continues her leadership as Chief Strategist and CEO of Advocate Marketing PR. Accredited in 1987 and named a Fellow PRSA in 2012, Karen remains a passionate advocate for accreditation and lifelong learning within the profession.

Diana Martinelli, Ph.D.
A former dean of the Reed College of Media at West Virginia University, Diana’s journey began as a member of WVU’s PRSSA Chapter. Her 36-year career has been defined by a steadfast dedication to advancing public relations through education, research, and leadership. As the first Widmeyer Professor in Public Relations and an author of more than two dozen academic works, she guided the college through reaccreditation and championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Diana’s visionary leadership helped merge the College of Media with the College of Creative Arts, setting the stage for innovative, interdisciplinary growth in the field.

Join us in celebrating these extraordinary women and their lasting contributions to the public relations profession at the 2025 PRSA WV Night of Honors, November 13 at the Art Museum of WVU.

Save your seat now: https://bit.ly/nightofhonors25

Future of PR: AI & Ethics
Artificial intelligence is transforming communication faster than ever, but how do we stay ethical while innovating?

Join global PR experts Dr. Ana Adi, Stuart Bruce, and Stephen Waddington for an interactive Q&A webinar exploring how AI is reshaping communication, ethics, and the future of our field.

🗓️ November 18, 2025
⏰ 9-10 AM EST
💻 Free Webinar

Register here: https://prsawv.starchapter.com/meet-reg1.php?id=55

Congratulations are extended to Rachel Coffman and Coffman Collaborative for their wins in the Public Relations Society of America East Central District’s 2025 Diamond Award Competition. This year’s competition was judged by PRSA-Greater Connecticut Chapter.

Coffman Collaborative won the following awards:

The only winning Diamond Award for Tactics for Launching TIMET: Media Relations.

Rachel and company won three Merit Awards for Campaigns:

Community Relations for “Ride for Heart.”

External Communications for “TIMET: Communicating Innovation, Workforce Development.”

Reputation/Brand Management for “Building A Brand for Generations: TIMET WV.”

Well done, Rachel.

We’re accepting individual nominations for our annual Night of Honors on November 13, 2025, in Morgantown.

Please submit a one-page summary explaining why your nominee (individual or group) should be recognized. We’re looking for professional contributions, community service, and other notable achievements from Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.

Award Categories
• PR Practitioner of the Year
• Young Professional of the Year
• Dr. Hal Shaver, APR Educator of the Year
• Cathryn G. Harris, APR PRSSA Chapter of the Year
• Graphic Artist of the Year
• Photographer of the Year
• PRSSA Student of the Year
• John H. Womack, Jr. Chapter Service Award

📩 Send nominations by Thursday, September 19, at 5:00 p.m. ET to [email protected]
Help us celebrate the pros who move West Virginia communications forward!

Join us to craft some connections! 🍺
Monday, August 18th
5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Fife Street Brewery- Charleston

No formal program. Stay for 5 minutes or 50! 😎

Reminder: The West Virginia Public Relations Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for 2025 inductees! 🏆

Nomination Form 👉 https://forms.gle/srK33cwezenGgpVh6

Induction into the West Virginia Public Relations Hall of Fame is the highest recognition the West Virginia Chapter of PRSA can bestow, honoring distinguished public relations professionals for their career achievements, significant contributions to public relations, mentoring and exemplary community service. Criteria include:

☑️ Minimum 25 years of experience in a public relations field, with a significant portion of their employment being in West Virginia.
☑️ Demonstrated a commitment to PRSA, the profession and the communities they serve through service and mentoring.
☑️ Unquestionable professional and ethical standards.
☑️ Possess a portfolio of work that demonstrates leadership, innovation and superior client/customer success.

The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, August 29. The
2025 Hall of Fame Induction will take place on Thursday, November 13th as part of the PRSA Night of Honors event in Morgantown.

𝐓𝐰𝐨-𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 - 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭. 𝟏𝟐-𝟏𝟑

Register NOW for the PRSA-East Central District Conference Sept. 12-13 in Dublin, Ohio! And check out the roster of speakers and sessions now posted on the ECD website! See more information below:

𝘞𝘩𝘰: Open to all chapter members of the East Central District
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦: International Center for Creativity, Dublin, OH
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯: Friday, Sept. 12 (5-8 pm opening reception); Sat., Sept. 13 (7:30 am - 4 pm)
𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨: Member - $70; Nonmember - $90; PRSSA Student - $30; Nonmember Student - $40
𝘏𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭: Holiday Inn Express Columbus-Dublin, Dublin, OH
𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴/𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢: Now available on the ECD website

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚: ➡️
https://www.prsaecd.org/leadership-conference/

We've extended the deadline for Crystal Award Entries to July 31st! What are you waiting for?

👉 Enter now and get the recognition your work deserves: https://prsawv.org/About_the_Crystal_Awards