Founded in 1938, the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) is the oldest

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

association in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The statewide organization is composed of nearly 1,200 public relations professionals dedicated to: *Enhancing the professional development of its members, *Providing a forum for personal growth through interaction and resource exchange, *Serving as the "united voice" of the public relations profession in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, *Fostering the highest professional standards and ethics of its members, and *Gaining understanding and support for the performance of its members and the profession as a whole on behalf of all practitioners within the state of Florida.

Professional Chapters

With a network of 1
professional chapters
and 1
student chapters
located throughout the state of Florida, FPRA offers its members many opportunities for professional development and networking. Chapters meet regularly to hear speakers, discuss career experiences and conduct general business.
Capital ChapterCentral West Coast ChapterDick Pope/Polk County ChapterGainesville ChapterJacksonville ChapterLake County ChapterNorthwest Florida Coast ChapterOcala ChapterOrlando Area ChapterPensacola ChapterSpace Coast ChapterSouth Florida ChapterSouthwest Florida ChapterSpace Coast ChapterTampa Bay ChapterTreasure Coast ChapterVolusia/Flagler Chapter

Student Chapters

*Barry University
Chomp Chapter at University of FloridaFGCU Student Chapter at Florida Gulf Coast University
*First Coast Student Chapter at Jacksonville University
Florida Tech Student Chapter at Florida Institute of TechnologyPensacola Student Chapter at University of West FloridaPRoMotion Student Chapter at Florida Southern CollegeQuotes Student Chapter at University of Central FloridaStudent Chapter at Southeastern UniversityStudent Chapter at University of TampaTallahassee Student Chapter at Florida State University and Florida A&M UniversityVision Student Chapter at Bethune-Cookman College

History

FPRA was founded in 1938 when Chamber of Commerce executives cut the subject out of their program at a statewide meeting in Jacksonville. John W. Dillin, publicity director of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, had made the trip to Jacksonville especially to participate in the program. On his return to South Florida, he stopped at Silver Springs to talk with Wilton Martin. They discussed forming an organization dealing with publicity and public relations. The owners of the attraction agreed to host those who would be interested. Invitations were extended to six others. Two meetings were held before calling an all-Florida meeting in Tampa where 45 attended. The group voted to form the Florida Association of Publicity Directors and elected Dillin to serve as president. Executive meetings were held throughout the year and in several locations in the state prior to the first annual meeting in St. Augustine where Dillin had moved to take over a chamber of commerce management. The assembly drew representatives of attractions, chambers of commerce, newspaper and radio stations, advertising and display executives. It also was held simultaneously with the Florida Press Association and the Florida Junior Chamber of Commerce. Although Dillin wanted to develop a clinic for learning to do "publicity and public relations" better, it developed into a Florida promotional program. In the second year, it was voted to change the name to the Florida Publicity and Public Relations Association, but before the meeting was concluded it was back to FAPD. The organization grew steadily until World War II when many members enlisted and were in service until 1946. Although it took time to refresh its activities, the association began to grow again. Finally, the name "publicity" was eliminated and adopted the "public relations" theme. Clinics were held in "learning to do the job" better, which was the objective in the first place. University of Florida, University of Miami and Stetson University joined the learning program and written examinations were held at the conclusion of each clinic. After four years, Certificates of Attainment were issued. Chapters were formed throughout the state and the association grew to more than 1,000 members. Some of the universities formed student chapters. Those studying public relations were invited to state conferences and chapter seminars. Today, there are student chapters at Florida State University, University of Central Florida, Rollins College, Bethune-Cookman College, Stetson University, Florida Southern College, Florida Tech, University of West Florida, as well as a student chapter in Jacksonville

Accreditation

FPRA is a member of the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), the governing body of the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) credential. Members can demonstrate their professional skills by sitting for the

Accreditation in Public Relations The Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), the Accreditation in Public Relations and Military Communications (APR+M), and the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations are voluntary certifications in the United States and Canada for persons wo ...

exam. In addition, FPRA offers an even higher level of professional certification, giving members an opportunity to earn the title o
Certified Public Relations Counselor

PR & Comms Summit

Every year the Florida Public Relations Association hosts a professional conference for professionals in public relations and related fields in Florida. For the 2024 iteration of the conference, the FPRA underwent a conference rebranding to the PR & Comms Summit (Presented by FPRA). The 2024 PR & Comms Summit will be hosted at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa Bay, Florida between August 4 and August 7, 2024. The conference will feature speakers from "...leading brands such as

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

Royal Caribbean Group Royal Caribbean Group, formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., is a cruise holding company based in Miami, Florida, United States and incorporated in Liberia. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corp ...

, Paramount/MTV Studios and more

2023-2024 Executive Committee

The executive committee is the central governing body of the Florida Public Relations Association. Executive Committee members start and end their terms at FPRA's Annual Conference. {, class="wikitable" , + !Title !Name , - , President , Wendy Crites Wacker, APR, CPRC , - , President-Elect , Julie Frey, APR, CPRC , - , Immediate Past President , Jay Morgan-Schleuning, APR, CPRC , - , VP of Annual Conference , Elise Ramer, MBA, APR, CPRC , - , VP of Communications & PR , Chris Graham, MBA, APR , - , VP of Credentialing , Kevin Christian, APR, CPRC , - , VP of Digital Media , Tina Banner, APR, CPRC , - , VP Diversity, Equity & Inclusion , Melissa DiMaria , - , VP of Finance , April Salter, APR, CPRC , - , VP of Golden Image , Lindsay Hudock, APR, CPRC , - , VP of Membership , Amanda Handley, APR, CPRC , - , VP of Professional Development , Lindsey Robertson, APR , - , VP of Research & Planning , Lynn Hobeck Bates, APR, CPRC , - , VP of Sponsorship Development , Heidi Otway, APR, CPRC , - , VP of Student Services , Amy Azoulay, APR , - , Counselors’ Network Chair , Amelia Bell, APR, CPRC , - , FPRE Foundation Chair , Trish Kapustka, APR, CPRC , - , LeadershipFPRA Chair , Samantha Senger, APR, CPRC , - , Executive Director , Cheray Keyes-Shima, APR, CPRC

Past State Presidents

1938 – John W. Dillin, APR, CPRC
1939 – Wilton Martin
1940 – Milton Bacon
1941 – Ray Billings
1942-46 – MacDonald Bryan
1947 – Frank Wright, APR
1948 – Russell Kay
1949 – William Rolleston
1950 – William Wells
1951 – Robert Eastman
1952 – Allen O. Skaggs Jr.
1953 – John W. Dillin, APR, CPRC
1954 – Walter J. Page
1955 – Edward D. Whittlesey, APR
1956 – Wm S. Chambers Jr., APR
1957 – J. Blanford Taylor
1958 – Albert R. McFadyen
1959 – Royce R. Powell
1960 – Cliff D. Davenport
1961 – Jack Shoemaker
1962 – J.S. (Jack) Peters
1963 – Alan B. Fields Jr.
1964 – Philip E. DeBerard Jr.
1965 – Robert E. Philips
1966 – Stirling Turner
1967 – James Hunter
1968 – Robert A. Dahne
1969 – Grover Jones
1970 – James Turner
1971 – Doris Wilkes
1972 – Vernon E. Bradford
1973 – L. John Wachtel
1974 – A. Royce Godshall
1975 – Robert G. Jones
1976 – Bea Quigg
1977 – Roy C. Anderson, APR
1978 – William D. Hunter, APR
1979 – J. Donald Turk, APR
1980 – Wm. V. Fenton Jr., APR
1981 – Dick Whalley
1982 – Joseph J. Curley, APR, CPRC
1983 – Kay Bartholomew, APR
1984 – Patricia Trubow, APR, CPRC
1985 – Bob E. Gernert Jr., APR, CPRC
1986 – Mary A. O’Reilly, APR, CPRC
1987 – Cathlean Coleman, APR
1988 – Bob Davis, Ph.D., APR, CPRC
1989 – Mickey G. Nall, APR, CPRC
1990 – C. Del Galloway, APR, CPRC
1991 – Karen Plunkett, APR
1992 – Donna Z. Davis, APR, CPRC
1993 – Marilyn Waters, APR, CPRC
1994 – Jay Rayburn, II, Ph.D., APR, CPRC
1995 – Virginia Troyer, APR, CPRC
1996 – Janet T. Dennis, APR, CPRC
1997 – Frank Polito, APR, CPRC
1998 – Carol Trivett, APR, CPRC
1999 – Lynn Schneider, APR, CPRC
2000 – Rick Oppenheim, APR, CPRC
2001 – Kathleen M. Giery, APR, CPRC
2002 – Tricia Ridgway-Kapustka, APR, CPRC
2003 – John McShaffrey, APR
2004 – Carole Savage, APR, CPRC
2005 – Leah Lauderdale, APR, CPRC
2006 – Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC
2007 – Jessica Rye, APR, CPRC
2008 – Suzanne Sparling, APR, CPRC
2009 – Lanette Hart, APR, CPRC
2010 – Sheridan Becht, APR, CPRC
2011 – Jennifer Moss, APR, CPRC
2012 – Melanie Mowry Etters, APR, CPRC
2013 – Jeff Nall, APR, CPRC
2014 – Chris M. Gent, APR, CPRC
2015 – Rachel Smith, APR, CPRC
2016 – Roger Pynn, APR, CPRC
2017 – Terri L. Behling, APR, CPRC
2018 – Ryan Gerds, APR, CPRC
2019 – Gordon Paulus, APR, CPRC
2020-21 – Alyson Gernert, APR, CPRC
2022 – Devon Chestnut, APR, CPRC
2023 – Jay Morgan-Schleuning, APR, CPRC

External links

Florida Public Relations Association
Professional associations based in the United States Public relations in the United States 1938 establishments in Florida Organizations established in 1938 Organizations based in Florida