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About the

PR Council

Agencies
100 +
Leaders Connected
1500 +
Years Leading
the Industry
10 +

Our mission is to help agency leaders work smarter to grow more valuable agencies. In short, we aim to give our members a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Our Story

Established in 1998, the PR Council (PRC) connects leading PR agencies across North America, fostering collaboration and advocacy. With a mission to enhance agency value and industry impact, we promote best practices and support professional growth while upholding ethical standards. The PRC is the only U.S. and Canada-focused association dedicated to agencies with PR offerings, and our diverse membership includes 150+ of the premier global, mid-size, regional and specialty firms across every discipline and practice area.

Our Values

Collaboration

We believe in the power of collective wisdom and collaboration, fostering partnerships among members to drive innovation and achieve shared goals.

Excellence

We uphold the highest standards of excellence in all aspects of PR, promoting best practices, continuous improvement and professional development.

Advocacy

We serve as passionate advocates for the PR industry, championing its value, impact and ethical standards to stakeholders and the broader community.

Inclusivity

We embrace diversity and value unique perspectives, fostering an environment of welcome, respect and empowerment for all.

Our Leadership

Executive committee

Diana Littman

Chair

Julie Colehour

Vice Chair

Brandon Wilson

Treasurer

Brooke Hovey

Secretary

Kim Sample

PR Council President

Board oF directors

Valarie De La Garza

CEO
Fenton

Tiffany Guarnaccia

ceo and founder 
Kite Hill PR

Jillian Janaczek

Global ceo
Porter Novelli

Matt Kucharski

President
Padilla

Ellen Ryan Mardiks

Chairman
GOLIN

Alexis Davis Smith

CEO and President
PRecise Communications

Rodell Mollineau

Co-Founder & Partner
ROKK Solutions

Bob Osmond

President
Racepoint Global

Jasmine Flowers Mazyck

Managing Director
Flowers Communications Group

James Wright

Global CEO & Global Chairman
Havas Red
Havas PR Global Collective

Kass Sells

Global COO and President of International
WE Communications

Trisch Smith

Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer​
Edelman

Andy Pray

Founder
Praytell

Maryellen Royle

Group President
Inizio Evoke

Our Committees

Audit Committee

Objective: Review findings of the annual audit of the association’s finances.

  • Peter Frank, Sharp Think
  • Mark McNulty, Taft Communications
  • Patrick Resk, MikeWorldWide
  • Brandon Wilson, Wilbron

Eligibility and Membership

Objective: Review all applications to ensure adherence to eligibility requirements and determine whether membership is granted.

  • Marty McDonald, Fahlgren Mortine
  • Colleen Moffitt, Communiqué PR
  • Phil Singer, Marathon Strategies
  • Kathy Tunheim, Tunheim Communications

Ethics

Objective: Advocate for ethics within the communications agency industry through thought leadership and events.
  • Anne Green, G&S Business Communications
  • Mark McClennan, C+C

PR Council Staff

Kim Sample

President

Michelle Ruiz-Ponce

Senior Vice President, Programming and Membership

Paul Cusker

Vice President, Digital and Market Research

Kristin D’Urso

Director of Finance & Quality Assurance

Elena Dypiangco

Director of Content & Learning

Amanda Rosser

Content Specialist

Want to Learn More About Us?

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© 2024 PR Council. All Rights Reserved.

Diana Littman

Job Title

CEO

MSL U.S.

https://mslgroup.com/

As the CEO of MSL U.S., Diana Littman is at the helm of Publicis Groupe’s premier PR agency and its more than 250 team members who have ranked it one of the “Best Places to Work” in the industry. With a mission to make every company, brand, and leader more influential, MSL’s client partners are among the most impactful in the world – Procter & Gamble, GM, Lilly, Inspire Brands, J.M. Smucker, Gilead and KitchenAid to name a few.

Under Diana’s leadership, her teams have pushed category boundaries and changed cultural norms, and the agency’s work across corporate reputation, consumer and health is consistently recognized for innovation in communications and impact on business. Recent accolades include Titanium and Grand Prix Cannes Lions, Best Consumer Products and Marketing to Youth SABREs, PRWeek Awards for Best in Corporate Social Responsibility and Best Proof of Authenticity, Effies and MM&Ms.

Diana has been named to PRWeek’s Women of Distinction, the PRWeek Power List twice, the MM+M and PRWeek’s Health Influencer 50 and PRWeek 40 Under 40 in 2010, as well as PRovoke Media’s 15 to Watch. She is on the Boards of the PR Council, Institute for Public Relations, ColorComm and Women’s Forum USA and is an active member of Page and Chief. She also dedicates a significant portion of her time to mentoring rising talent.

Prior to joining MSL in December 2018, Diana spent a decade each at Marina Maher Communications/Omnicom and BCW (formerly Cohn & Wolfe)/WPP and the past 20+ years dedicated to reimagining what public relations can accomplish and how expansive it can be, especially when culture, creativity and data are at its core.

Julie Colehour

Job Title

Partner

C+C

https://cplusc.com/

Julie Colehour is a Partner at C+C, a 100+ person social marketing and PR agency. She is a leading social marketer who has spent her 33-year career working to motivate people to alter their behaviors for social good working on causes ranging from energy efficiency to COVID, wildfires, waste prevention, opioids, and distracted driving.

Brandon Wilson

Job Title

President & CEO

Wilbron

https://wilbron.com/

Brandon Wilson, APR, Fellow PRSA, is president and CEO of Wilbron — an award-winning public relations and management consultancy company. Wilbron is responsible for helping Apollo Global Management establish its $100 million corporate foundation — the Apollo Opportunity Foundation — and was instrumental in helping Ares Management and Oaktree Capital Management scale AltFinance, a program that prepares Black college students for success in the alternative investment industry. Wilbron is currently working with Apple to build a $100 million campus of innovation for historically Black colleges and universities in Atlanta.

Brandon is the author of Sabotage: Leadership that Overcomes Betrayal, Theft and Deceit. His work has influenced projects that have won both an Emmy and Academy Awards, and his executive consultancy has served leaders at some of the world’s most influential companies.

Brandon is a graduate of Auburn University; and is a 2023 inductee into the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) College of Fellows. The College of Fellows is an assembly of the world’s most distinguished public relations practitioners, and is considered a lifetime achievement honor.

Brandon is married to Shani Wilson, and has one daughter, Kenny Wilson (5 years old). In his spare time he coaches his daughter’s youth soccer team, and runs multiple marathons each year to raise money for causes near to his heart.

Brooke Hovey

Job Title

Global President

BCW

https://www.bcw-global.com/

To work alongside Brooke Hovey is to know what it means to effectively balance the delivery of excellence in real time and for the long term. In her role as Global President, Brooke leads initiatives to accelerate agency growth, drive innovation of BCW’s Earned-Plus offering and ensure clients receive exceptional service and access to the full resources of the agency.

Among the most tenured members of BCW’s leadership team, Brooke previously held the roles of Global Chief Client Officer and Head of the Digital Innovation Group for the Americas. In these roles, she worked with clients across industries – including retail/CPG, technology, hospitality, food/beverage, energy, travel and consumer health. She’s masterful at understanding clients’ business challenges, assembling integrated global teams, and mobilizing those teams to deliver impactful work. Whether the challenge du jour is to shape a sustainability story, launch a new company, raise funds for education or sell more hot dogs, Brooke jumps in with genuine curiosity to understand what moves people, and what will move the clients’ business forward.

In 2021, Brooke was named to PRWeek’s “Hall of Femme,” an exclusive list of the top female talent within the industry, and, in 2009, PRWeek named Brooke to its annual “40 Under 40” list. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in corporate communications with minors in business and Spanish.

Kim Sample

Job Title

PR Council President

Kim’s role is to help the PR Council’s 140 member agencies grow talent, revenue and profits and elevate the PR profession overall. Prior to joining the PRC in August 2018, Kim was the founder/CEO of Emanate, a $35 million, 100+ person international marketing communications agency. During her tenure Emanate was named PR WEEK Agency of the Year and CRAIN’S Best Places to Work in NYC, and the team’s work for clients was recognized with numerous industry awards. Kim also worked at Ketchum, Marina Maher Communications and Golin earlier in her career, and has served Fortune 500 clients across a range of industries, including financial services, travel and hospitality, CPG and consumer electronics.

Michelle Ruiz-Ponce

Job Title

Senior Vice President, Programming and Membership

Michelle Ruiz-Ponce joined the PR Council in 2024, bringing over 20 years of experience in delivering transformative brand marketing strategies for Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining PRC, Michelle held senior leadership positions at global PR and advertising agencies, where she managed high-performing teams with portfolios exceeding $9MM that encompassed branding, creative, digital and data analytics. She also spearheaded new business, DEI and agency marketing efforts. Michelle’s career highlights include creating award-winning disruptive campaigns for P&G, Toyota, Pfizer and Bank of America.

Originally from Southern California, Michelle spent nearly a decade living in NYC. She is passionate about world travel, discovering new wines, reading and hip-hop music. When not chasing her young children, Michelle enjoys quiet evenings streaming shows with her husband.

Paul Cusker

Job Title

Vice President, Digital and Market Research

Paul Cusker joined the PR Council in 2024. Paul has worked in and around the data and analytics space for more than 25 years. Paul spent the previous 10 years at Edelman, where, as a part of the DXI organization, he managed partnerships on a global scale, ensuring that the organization had access to the best tools and data sources.

Prior to Edelman, Paul worked in various roles in marketing and market research, always having research as part of those roles. He spent nearly a decade with Harris Interactive (now Harris Insights & Analytics) in both operations and analytical roles. He’s done research across almost all verticals.

Paul was born and raised in the Rochester, NY, area. He and his wife currently reside just outside of the city. He is a very proud graduate of St. Bonaventure University. He loves following the Bonnies’ basketball team, traveling and exploring new restaurants around Rochester.

Kristin D’Urso

Job Title

Director of Finance & Quality Assurance

Kristin D’Urso joined the PR Council in 2016 as the Administrative Manager before expanding her role to Director of Finance & Quality Assurance in 2024. She addresses the PRC’s needs in terms of Financials, Copy Editing, Office and Member Services, and HR and Benefits.

Kristin came to the PRC with an extensive administrative background. Most recently she was the Executive Assistant and Board Liaison for New York Restoration Project, an urban greening non-profit founded by Bette Midler. Prior to that she was the Project Coordinator/Office Manager at Eric Sheffield Architect for nearly eight and a half years.

Kristin was raised just outside New York City in Rockland County. She has a passion for running, nature, animals, and travel. She graduated from New York University with a B.S. in Sociology.

Elena Dypiangco

Job Title

Director of Content & Learning

Elena Dypiangco joined the PR Council in 2023. She leads strategic communication efforts across the Council’s digital platforms and helps curate learning and development programming for members.

Elena came to the PR Council with years of experience teaching, working in development and programming at nonprofits, and in content at the start-up Dadventures. A writer, editor, program manager, and educator, Elena received her B.A. in English Literature and Media Studies from Scripps College and her M.A. in Comparative & International Education from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Originally from the Los Angeles area, Elena currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Amanda Rosser

Job Title

Content Specialist

Amanda Rosser joined the PR Council in 2023. She coordinates virtual events, supports the content efforts, and conducts research on industry topics to improve the Member experience.

Prior to joining the PR Council, Amanda coordinated the social media efforts for the Veterans Clinic at the University of Missouri School of Law. She also gained experience in event planning and research during her time as an undergraduate.

Amanda was born and raised in Eagan, Minnesota and received her B.A. in Journalism with an emphasis in Strategic Communication from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.