Each year, the FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter presents four awards to outstanding members of our chapter. These include PR Professional of the Year; Rising Star; Chapter Member of the Year; and the Unsung Hero. The Lifetime Achievement Award, the Pam Nulman Soaring Eagle PR Award, and the Friends of Janet Philanthropic Award are only awarded when there is an individual eligible and does not require distribution annually.
PR Professional of the Year
Our chapter honors a member who exemplifies the high standards of the public relations profession in Southwest Florida with the PR Professional of the Year award. The recipients of this award display a professional attitude and exercise professional conduct, are cooperative and supportive of fellow public relations professionals, and are very interested in raising the professional standing of FPRA in our community. Think of this person as one who both leads by word and deed. She/he is a person you respect for their work and for their determination to constantly improve.
2024 PR Professional of the Year: Mike Jackson, MBA, APR
The Rising Star Award
The Rising Star Award recognizes an up and coming leader in our chapter. This is someone who has shown enthusiasm and passion for the profession, and where ever you see them, they are likely to be making a positive difference through their service to chapter events, career pursuits and in other arenas. We like to encourage our members to seek opportunities to get involved, and the Rising Star awardee is someone who puts this call into action.
2024 Rising Star: Yliana Viella, MS, APR
Chapter Member of the Year
The Southwest Florida Chapter Member of the Year Award is one who goes above and beyond in their commitment of time and energy to ensure the success of the chapter. Not only has this recipient embraced the creative thinking and opportunities for participation in chapter programs and projects, but she or he also serves as an ambassador to the community of what FPRA is all about. This person excels at their profession, and enjoys giving back to this chapter to inspire future PR leaders to learn and grow through FPRA.
2024 Chapter Member of the Year: Emily Golden, APR
Unsung Hero Award
In 2013, we added another award to our annual slate of honorees. The Unsung Hero Award was created to recognize the contributions of an individual SWFL FPRA member for their hard work and dedication to the chapter ‘behind the scenes’ that helps to enhance and promote the Public Relations profession. This award honors an individual who consistently provides support and assistance to the chapter and its professional goals without hesitation.
2024 Unsung Hero Award: Randy Mitchelson, APR
Lifetime Achievement Award
By far the most prestigious and honorable award, the Lifetime Achievement Award is reserved for those public relations professionals who have dedicated their career to the profession and the advancement of it. It’s given only when there is someone eligible and is not required to be distributed annually.
2024 Lifetime Achievement Award: Lynn Schneider, APR, CPRC
Pam Nulman Soaring Eagle PR Award
The Pam Nulman Soaring Eagle PR Award was established in 2018 to honor retired public relations practitioner, Pam Nulman, APR, CPRC. Passionate about lifelong learning and naturally restless and inquisitive, Pam followed an already successful 25-year career in corporate public relations and as an independent public relations practitioner to mentor aspiring young PR professionals in the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University. Throughout Pam’s long career she was always devoted to leadership and mentorship of the next generation of public relations professionals.
This award recognizes an active FPRA FGCU student member who has demonstrated exceptional leadership ability, talent and passion for the public relations profession, as well as esteemed contributions to the student organization. This student is one that is respected by their peers for their dedication to lifelong learning in the field of public relations. Students competing for this award will be judged based on their leadership, public relations-related achievements, and their commitment to furthering the public relations profession.
This award is given only when there is an individual eligible and does not require distribution annually.
2024 Pam Nulman Soaring Eagle PR Award: Will be awarded in 2025
Friends of Janet Philanthropy Award
The Friends of Janet (FOJ) Philanthropy Award was established in memory of Janet Wilson, a true leader during her decade as a member of the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA, who passed away unexpectedly in December 2019. Janet was kind to everyone she met and contributed graciously to a vast list of worthy causes in our community. Janet never met a stranger, and often joked about her worldwide network of ‘Friends of Janet’.
The FOJ award is bestowed upon an active member of the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA who embodies the spirit of Janet Wilson’s philanthropy and has a proven track record of dedication to the community through volunteering and leadership. The deserving chapter member is someone who consistently demonstrates generosity by giving their time, talent and treasure to benefit our community and leads by example to inspire others to do the same.
This award is given only when there is an individual eligible and does not require distribution annually. The recipient of this award must also be a member in good standing for a minimum of 2 chapter years.
2024 Friends of Janet Philanthropic Award: Teri Hansen, APR
Joe Curley Rising Leader Award
The Joe Curley Rising Leader Award is awarded at the state level at FPRA’s Annual Conference. This award is intended to identify and honor up-and-coming individual FPRA members that demonstrate emerging leadership traits along with dedicated active involvement in FPRA Chapter activities, programs, functions and events. The goal of the award is to help recognize personal dedication and engagement of members with two to five years of membership, and to help build a healthy leadership stream at the local chapter level.
Past Chapter Award Winners:
Year | PR Professional | Member of the Year | Rising Star | Unsung Hero | Lifetime Achievement | Friends of Janet | Pam Nulman Award |
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2023 | Lisa Murray, APR, CPRC | Heather Doane, APR | Shannon Williamson, APR | Karen Ryan, APR, CPRC | Jada Bigord & Melanie Lamarche |
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2022 | Holly Boldrin, APR, CPRC | Sorena Vargas | Emily Beltran, APR | Marie Heisler, APR | Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC | Karen Ryan, APR, CPRC | Alexa Gutierrez |
2021 | Trish Robertson, APR, CPRC | Nina Barbero, APR | Mike Jackson, APR & Josh Milton |
Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC | Samantha Scott, APR | Kaylee Zuidema | |
2020 | Jaimie Miller, APR | Niki Mann | Kandice Hayes | Lisa Murray, APR, CPRC | Vicki Moreland | Jessica Walker, APR, CPRC | Sorena Vargas |
2019 | Tiffany Esposito, MA, APR | Jaimie Miller, APR & Trish Robertson, APR, CPRC |
Niki Mann | Vicki Moreland | Pam Nulman, APR, CPRC | Krista Kihlander | |
2018 | Betsy Clayton, APR, CPRC | Lisa Murray, APR, CPRC | Heather Doane, APR | Trish Robertson, APR, CPRC | Teri Hansen, APR | ||
2017 | Jessica Walker, APR, CPRC | Randy Mitchelson, APR | Lisa Murray, APR, CPRC | Pam Nulman, APR, CPRC | |||
2016 | Connie Ramos-Williams | Mike Jackson, APR | Kate Hampton, APR & McKenzie Cassidy |
Tiffany Whitaker, APR | Carolyn Rogers, APR, CPRC |
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2015 | Samantha Scott, APR | Angie Strait, APR | Jaimie Miller, APR | Vicki Moreland | Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC | ||
2014 | Vicki Moreland | Heidi Taulman, APR | Trish Robertson, APR, CPRC & Jessica Boles |
Kara Winton, APR, CPRC | Amy Gravina, APR | ||
2013 | Phyllis Ershowsky, APR, CPRC | Phyllis Ershowsky, APR, CPRC | Janelle Beaber | Laura Puerto, APR | |||
2012 | Carolyn Rogers, APR, CPRC | Michelle Nagel | Tiffany Esposito-Kittinger, APR | ||||
2011 | Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC | Phyllis Ershowsky, APR, CPRC | Erin Croop | ||||
2010 | Pam Nulman, APR, CPRC | Victoria Moreland | Danielle Flood | ||||
2009 | Tina Haisman, APR, CPRC | Laura Puerto, APR | Carla Ulakovic | ||||
2008 | Kara Winton, APR, CPRC | Ginny Cooper | Vicki Collins | ||||
2007 | Karen Sloan, APR, CPRC | Kara Winton, APR, CPRC | Laura Puerto, APR | ||||
2006 | Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC | Olivia Orth | Kirsty Whelen | ||||
2005 | Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC | Deb Webb, APR | Kaley Miller | ||||
2004 | Melinda Isley, APR | Nancy McCarthy, APR & Debbie Steele |
Paul Filla, APR | ||||
2003 | Colleen Reynolds, APR | Eileyn Sobeck-Bador, APR | Nancy McCarthy, APR & Olivia Orth |
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2002 | Karen Ryan, APR, CPRC | Lee Rose | |||||
2001 | Laska Ryan, APR | Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC | |||||
2000 | Susan Johnson | Kelly Powell | |||||
1999 | Teri Hansen, APR | Tina Haisman, APR, CPRC | |||||
1998 | Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC | Melinda Isley, APR | |||||
1997 | Lynn Schneider, APR, CPRC | Susan Johnson | |||||
1996 / 1995 | Andrea Meyer, APR, CPRC | Carolyn Rogers, APR, CPRC | |||||
1994 | Kitty Green, APR & Craig Bair, APR, CPRC |
Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC | |||||
1993 | Margie Byers, APR | Betsy Pearce | |||||
1992 | Deb Wolfson | Trish Leonard | |||||
1991 | George Cecil | Claudia O’Brien, APR | |||||
1990 | Donna Woldorf, APR | Cyndi Doragh & Steve Floethe |
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1989 | Craig Bair, APR, CPRC | Lynn Schneider, APR, CPRC | |||||
1988 | Laurel Smith, APR | Janette Hunt | |||||
1987 | Amy Gravina, APR | Nancy Frahmann, APR, CPRC | |||||