NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.
