PRSA-NY Elects 2022 Chapter Leadership With Executives From BCW Global, GLAAD, M Booth, Padilla, Stagwell Global and Other Leading Organizations

2022 Board of Directors is the most diverse and inclusive in Chapter history

Chapter becomes first in the country to introduce inclusive pronouns to membership

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#PRSANY–The New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-NY) announced its 2022 President, Executive Committee, and Board of Directors today. The chapter elected Aaron Kwittken, Founder and CEO of PRophet as 2021 President. Also elected today was Carmella Glover, President of the Diversity Action Alliance (DAA) and the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) at Page, as 2022 President-Elect.

Kwittken is the founder and CEO of PRophet, an AI-driven PR SaaS platform backed by Stagwell Global. Prior to PRophet, Aaron founded KWT Global in 2005 (f/k/a Kwittken), a highly acclaimed global PR and brand strategy firm with offices in New York, London, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where he currently serves as Global Chairman of the agency. He’s past president of the Americas for the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO), a former Board member of the PR Council, a former adjunct professor at New York University, and a former Forbes contributor.

On his appointment, Kwittken said, “As one the nation’s oldest chapters celebrating our 75th year alongside PRSA national in 2022, this will be a transformative year for our membership and industry as we transition from pandemic to endemic. My focus for our membership next year will revolve around improving our mental health and well-being, continuing the great work of our DEI Committee leadership, upskilling on comms-tech and creating more urgency around the need for us to lead in ESG and social impact. I am deeply honored to work with such a great slate of talented, compassionate and enthusiastic individuals.”

Glover is President of the Diversity Action Alliance (DAA) and the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) at Page. The DAA is a cross-industry coalition led by communications trade organizations with a mission of accelerating progress in meaningful and tangible achievement in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field for people of color. In partnership with the DAA Board, she oversees the organization’s operations, programs, budget, and strategic plan. In her Page role, she provides strategic direction for member and staff DE&I initiatives. Before her current role, Carmella was the first-ever Executive Director of the PRSA Foundation. She oversaw budget, compliance, programs, and operations for the diversity-focused charitable arm of the PRSA.

“At such a pivotal time for communicators, and with PRSA-NY being a forward-thinking chapter centered in a PR mecca, I am humbled to be party to these historic moments for the chapter,” said Glover. “The unapologetic, timely, intentional focus for this coming year is inspiring and advances the chapter’s exemplary legacy of influence and leadership. I look forward to collaborating over the next few years with our talented and passionate chapter members.”

Next year, PRSA-NY will continue to build on its focus of accelerating diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging across the industry. Starting in Q1 2022, PRSA-NY membership will be pronoun inclusive to increase representation amongst members and celebrate their identities and what makes them unique. PRSA-NY is the first chapter nationwide to institute pronoun inclusivity and will continue to build on these efforts. This year, PRSA-NY announced its inaugural “Driving DEI Forward” Summit, which featured sessions with industry CEOs, leaders, and other influential voices. The summit reinforced the importance of intersectional representation in PR and the role organizations and PR practitioners have in driving equity across the industry.

The 2021 Nominating Committee was responsible for selecting the Board of Directors and this committee was chaired by Kellie Jelencovich, PRSA-NY immediate past president and PR for Internova/ Global Travel Collection. The seven-person committee consisted of Jelencovich; Aaron Kwittken, PRSA-NY president-elect, founder and CEO of PRophet, and chairman of KWT Global; Kate Ryan, U.S. managing director of Diffusion; Terrell Merritt, digital and editorial strategy assistant for The City University of New York; Art Stevens, managing partner of The Stevens Group; Leslie Gottlieb, president of LG Strategic Communications; and Sandra Fathi, chief strategy officer of Gregory FCA.

PRSA-NY’s mission is to lead, educate, mentor, and inspire public relations and communications professionals to advance their knowledge, skills, and careers. The 2022 Board of Directors embodies this mission and will continue to elevate it across chapter programs, events and initiatives.

2022 PRSA-NY OFFICERS

ONE-YEAR TERMS EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2022

PRESIDENT

Aaron Kwittken

Founder and CEO, PRophet, Chairman of KWT Global

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Carmella Glover

President, Diversity Action Alliance

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Andrew Graham

Founding Partner, Clear

VICE PRESIDENT (Marketing)

Sabrina Browne

Vice President, BCW Global

VICE PRESIDENT (Programs)

Christina Stokes

Senior Vice President, Director of Talent Acquisition, Rubenstein

VICE PRESIDENT (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion)

Richard Ferraro

Chief Communications Officer, GLAAD

VICE PRESIDENT (Membership)

Carly Mednick

Founder and Partner, Monday Talent

SECRETARY

Lance Buckley

Vice President, Lippe Taylor

TWO-YEAR TERM EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2023

TREASURER

Ethan Andersen

U.S. Head of Marketing, Communications and CX, United Bank for Africa

2022 PRSA-NY DIRECTORS

TWO-YEAR TERMS EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2022

DIRECTOR (Senior) — Marketing*

Claire Nance

Head of Marketing Communications, Activision Blizzard Media

*Completing second year of two year term*

DIRECTOR (Senior) — Programs

Cessie Cerrato

Vice President Public Relations, Palace Resorts

*Completing second year of two year term*

DIRECTOR (Senior) — Diversity, Equity & Inclusion*

Rashidah Timothy

Vice President, Media, Lippe Taylor

*Completing second year of two year term*

DIRECTOR (Senior) — Membership

Kristen Stippich

Executive Vice President of Client Services, SourceCode Communications

DIRECTOR (Senior) — Big Apple Awards

Fay Shapiro

CEO and Publisher, CommPRO Global, Inc.,

New York City Leader, BitAngels Investor Network

DIRECTOR (Senior) — 15 Under 35 Awards*

Meredith LeJeune

Owner, Thought Bubble Communications

*Completing second year of two year term*

DIRECTOR (Associate) — Marketing*

Yesenia Reinoso

Digital Marketing & Media Relations Officer, Y Communicate

*Completing second year of two year term*

DIRECTOR (Associate) — Programs

Marcus Braham

Vice President, Padilla

DIRECTOR (Associate) — Programs

Terry Preston

Account Supervisor, ICR

DIRECTOR (Associate) — Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Moon Kim

Executive Vice President, M Booth

DIRECTOR (Associate) — Membership

Ivan Cardona

Graduate Director, Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, Hofstra University

DIRECTOR (Associate) — Big Apple Awards

Brooklyn MacKenzie

Senior Account Executive, HUNTER

DIRECTOR — Finance

Daria Coney

Director of Advancement and Communications, La Salle Academy

For more information about PRSA-NY’s upcoming events, mentorship program, jobs boards, volunteer opportunities, sponsorship opportunities, and for membership details, go to prsany.org.

About PRSA-NY

The New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is one of the oldest, largest, and most prominent public relations Chapters in the country. Located in the media capital of the world, it offers top-level professional development, networking, mentoring, and awards. PRSA-NY serves communications professionals in agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government, as well as independent practitioners.

Contacts

Sabrina Browne, Vice President of Marketing, PRSA-NY

sabrina.browne@bcw-global.com or +1 646 389 2620