• Chair: Heather Kernahan, CEO, North America, Hotwire (San Francisco)
  • Vice Chair: Chris Foster, President, North America, BCW Global Group (Washington, DC)
  • Treasurer: Mike Santoro, President, Walker Sands (Chicago)
  • Secretary: Cheryl Gale, President, March Communications (Boston)
  • Directors (six): Rebecca Honeyman, Managing Partner, SourceCode Communications (New York), Dave Imre, CEO, imre (Baltimore), Diana Littman, CEO US, MSL (New York), Ellen Ryan Mardiks, Global Chairman, Golin (Chicago), Josh Rosenberg, Co-Founder and CEO, Day One Agency (New York), and Trisch Smith, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Edelman (New York)

As Chair, Heather Kernahan will continue to lead the efforts of the Board and the PR Council (PRC) staff to help Members build the world’s most successful agencies. Heather was named interim Chair in August 2020, and since that time has directed the PRC’s focus on helping Members return to growth and profitability and becoming best places to work for diverse talent.

“Last year’s dual pandemics – COVID-19 and racism – tested our Members but also reinforced the power of our discipline,” Kernahan said. “By staying close to Members and delivering the support they needed, when they needed it, we helped our agencies survive and even thrive in a challenging environment and significantly improved Member satisfaction scores.”  She added, “The PRC is now well positioned for a very successful 2021.”

Also continuing in his role, Mike Santoro is responsible for overseeing the finances of the not-for-profit association, including the annual budget, audit and investment accounts.

Also joining the Executive Committee are Chris Foster, NA President, BCW Global, as Vice Chair, and Cheryl Gale, President, March Communications, as Secretary. Kim Sample, PRC President, is also a Member of the Executive Committee.

PRC Board Members, who serve three-year terms, represent diverse regions of the country, areas of expertise and agency sizes. Honeyman, Imre, Littman, Rosenberg, Ryan Mardiks and Smith join 11 Directors continuing their terms: J.J. Carter, COO, FleishmanHillard (San Francisco), Michelle Flowers Welch, Founder and CEO, Flowers Communications Group (Chicago), Teneshia Jackson Warner, Founder and CEO, EGAMI Group (New York), David Jarrard, President and CEO, Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock (Nashville), Michael Kempner, CEO, MWWPR (New York), Tom Lindell, Managing Director, Exponent PR (Minneapolis), and Philip Nardone, CEO, PAN Communications (Boston). Foster, Gale, Kernahan and Santoro also serve as Board Members.

“This diverse and impressive group of leaders brings clear thinking about priorities and incredible energy to supporting our Members,” said Kim Sample, President, PR Council. “We look forward to continuing to push the envelope with innovative and rich programming that helps agency leaders define and achieve success in exciting new ways.”

 

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About the PR Council

The PR Council is the only association dedicated to agencies with public relations offerings. PR Council Member agencies – 110+ of the country’s premier global, mid-size, regional and specialty firms – operate in the most sophisticated public relations market in the world, set the standard for excellence, and share a common desire to build the world’s most successful agencies. For more information, see www.prcouncil.net and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

 

Media Contact

Andi Hughes, Vice President

Andi@prcouncil.net

914.417.7687