New National Organization American Women in Public Relations (Women in PR USA™) Announces 2017 Board of Advisors

The Organization of American Women in Public Relations (Women in PR USA™), the group that was developed to connect women leaders in public relations across North America, is pleased to announce the addition of 9 new members to serve on the organization’s national advisory council in 2017.

Directors are located in cities across the USA; Deirdre Breakenridge (New Jersey), Shonali Burke (Washington, DC), Gini Dietrich (Chicago, IL), Abbie Fink (Phoenix, AZ), Shannon Furey (NJ), Michelle Garrett (Columbus, OH), Rebekah Iliff (San Francisco, CA), Crosby Noricks (San Diego, CA), and Nicole Rodrigues (Los Angeles, CA).

“Our membership will greatly benefit from the experience of these women leaders,” says Talia Beckett Davis, President of Women in PR USA and Founder of Pink Pearl PR. “One of our main goals when forming this organization was to provide a place for women to thrive earlier in their careers and to strengthen the capabilities of established leaders in the PR industry.”

Advisory Council Members will be officially welcomed at a launch celebration in New York City on June 9, 2017 (Women in PR New York™). The organization is building chapters across the USA.

“Being named to this council, especially with so many other outstanding female executives in public relations, is a great honor,” says Nicole Rodrigues of NRPR Group. “When I started NRPR Group, I did so with a mission to share my experience and know-how with aspiring PR professionals. At heart, I’m a coach and a teacher, and I can’t wait to take our industry to the next level with Women in PR USA.”

The organization will be proactively reaching out to event partners, sponsors and PR industry leaders over the coming months to seek input into future activities.

“Women dominate the PR industry in junior- and mid-level jobs, yet we hold less than 30 percent of leadership positions,” says Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich and author Spin Sucks. “Through Women in PR USA, this will change. We aim to add more women to boards, increase work flexibility, eliminate stereotypes, and teach women how to promote themselves. It’s pertinent we support one another, collaborate together, and garner the well-deserved senior leadership positions.”

The team is committed to maintaining a high caliber of programs for members and aims to become a thought leader and influencer in the field of public relations. Women in PR USA is the only organization across North America dedicated to advancing women in the field of public relations.

“When women get together we can move mountains. Women in PR USA is the supportive community that will foster great connections and shape the future of women in PR,” says Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO of Pure Performance Communications.

“As the field of public relations continues to evolve, women need the support of other women to thrive in our profession. While many women work in our industry, there’s still a gender gap in leadership roles. Women in PR USA will help the female leaders of tomorrow break through that gap,” says Michelle Messenger Garrett, CEO of Garrett Public Relations.

Through student, individual and corporate subscriptions, members have access to online courses, resources, case studies and networking opportunities. Memberships are reciprocal across the USA and Canada.

The Organization of American Women in Public Relations (Women in PR USA™) is a division of The Organization of Canadian Women in Public Relations Ltd. Together, our organizations form the networking group Women in PR North America™.

Advisory Council Members:

Talia Beckett-Davis (Vancouver, BC and Seattle, WA) is the Chairwoman and President of the Organization of American Women in Public Relations. She is the Founder of Pink Pearl PR, an agency that specializes in baby and kid’s products, beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands. Beckett-Davis is a Women in Business Judge for the Stevie Awards and serves as Communications Chair for the Women in Leadership Foundation. She holds a Masters’ Degree in International Relations from the University of London, England, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Royal Roads University.

Deirdre Breakenridge (New Jersey) is the CEO of Pure Performance Communications. A 25+ year veteran in PR, Breakenridge is the author of five Prentice Hall and Financial Times Press books. She speaks internationally on the topics of PR, marketing, branding and social media. She is an adjunct professor at UMASS at Amherst, an online instructor for Rutgers University, as well as a LinkedIn and Lynda.com video author. Breakenridge hosts the podcast show, Women Worldwide and is a blogger at PR Expanded.

Shonali Burke (Washington, DC), is President and CEO of social PR consulting firm, Shonali Burke Consulting, Inc. She is an IABC-Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) and was honored by PRWeek as one of the top “40 Under 40” public relations professionals in the United States. Burke is an adjunct faculty for the Master of Arts in Communication program at Johns Hopkins University and an Instructor at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. She is also the curator of the #measurePR Twitter chat and she publishes Waxing UnLyrical, the blog community of like-minded professionals from around the globe.

Gini Dietrich (Chicago, IL), is the Founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communications firm. She is the lead blogger at the PR and marketing blog, Spin Sucks, is co-author of Marketing In the Round, and is co-host of Inside PR, a weekly podcast about communications and social media. Dietrich has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Creighton University.

Abbie Fink (Phoenix, AZ) is Vice President and General Manager of HMA Public Relations. She is also
past president of the Phoenix Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and a member of the Public Relations Society of America’s Counselors Academy. Fink has a Master’s Degree in mass communications and a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism/public relations from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication at Arizona State University. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University, teaching classes for both the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation and the School of Community Resources and Development and previously with the Center for the Advancement of Small Business.

Shannon Furey (NJ), is Public Relations Director at M studio Design & Marketing and Owner of Shannon Furey Public Relations. Furey holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from New York University.

Michelle Garrett (Columbus, OH) is President of Garrett Public Relations. She was recently named a top 100 PR influencer by Onalytica and is a contributor to Muck Rack and Ragan’s PR Daily, Entrepreneur, Spin Sucks, CIO, Freelancers Union and more. Garrett frequently speaks on PR, sharing her advice and expertise. She currently sits on the boards of COPEC (Central Ohio Professional Education Council) and previously served on the boards of the American Marketing Association (AMA) (Columbus chapter) and IABC Silicon Valley. Garrett has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism/ public Relations from Ohio State University.

Rebekah Iliff (San Fransisco, CA), is the Chief Strategy Officer for AirPR, a technology platform to increase PR performance. Previously, she was the CEO of talkTECH Communications, where she created an industry-first methodology for emerging technology companies which positioned talkTECH as one of the fastest growing, launch-only PR firms in the U.S. She is currently a columnist for Inc., and a contributing writer for Mashable, Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, PRWeek’s “The Hub”, and the Salesforce blog. IIiff holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago, and an M.A. in Organizational Management and Applied Community Psychology from Antioch University at Los Angeles (AULA).

Crosby Noricks (San Diego, CA), is the founder of PR Couture and Lecturer in Journalism/Media Studies at San Diego State University. She was included in the iMedia 25 as a key influencer in interactive marketing, and is an experienced fashion & consumer marketing strategist. Noricks is the author of two published books: Ready to Launch: The PR Couture Guide to Breaking into Fashion PR, and eBook, Pitch Perfect. She has contributed thought leadership to Fast Company, Mashable, and PR Week. She holds a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication & Media Studies from San Diego State University.

Nicole Rodrigues (Los Angeles, CA) is the CEO and Founder of NRPR Group. She’s a seasoned publicist and social media marketing pro with 16 years of experience under her belt. Nicole is also the host of the radio show PRfect Pitch, contributor to Forbes and The HYPE Magazine, and has been published on top PR blogs and websites. She is a member of the Forbes Agency Council and a board member for Fremont College and Face Forward.