- Jones Public Affairs adds Kathleen Wahlbin as a senior vice president. In her new position, Wahlbin will lead the digital team, focusing on Web design and development, search engine optimization, social media strategies, accessibility and online reputation management. Prior to joining JPA, she served as a SVP of Virilion, where she led the account management practice responsible for guiding the account management activities for clients such as Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Before joining Virilion, Wahlbin was CEO of RampWEB, a consultancy that helps clients turn accessibility requirements into communications opportunities for government agencies, contractors and multi-national corporations, as well as organizations that reach people online with disabilities.
- West Glen Communications, a broadcast and Internet public relations consultancy and production company, adds Allison Langfelder Hamilton as account director in the company's D.C. office. Hamilton brings a decade of broadcast public relations experience to WestGlen, having worked with organizations such as Medialink – in both sales and production roles - and MultiVu where she was a national account manager.
- Widmeyer Communications promotes two:
Katie Reardon has been promoted to senior associate; and,
Sara Lense to senior account executive.
- PRWeb announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with blogging application Zemanta, a free content discovery tool that automatically recommends relevant content to bloggers as they write posts and draft content. “This is an efficient way to share news online with bloggers with interest in related content – it’s just-in-time communications,” said Boštjan Špeti, founder and director, Products. “PRWeb is our first newswire partner and we believe the agreement validates the value of our social network.” The partnership with Zemanta provides PRWeb customers with a social media friendly way to get their news to bloggers. If a PRWeb customer’s news release is considered relevant by Zemanta’s recommendation engine, it will be suggested as related reading to bloggers using the application. PRWeb is the online news distribution service of Vocus.
-The Independent Public Relations Alliance, a network of approximately 50 senior-level communications executives who own or operate independent practices or small virtual agencies in the D.C. metro area, has announced its 2010 Board of Directors:
- Chair: Sandra M. Remey, MA, APR, president, Remey Communications;
- Chair-Elect: Susan C. Rink, principal, Rink Strategic Communications;
- Treasurer: Ami Neiberger-Miller, APR, Chief Executive, Steppingstone, LLC;
- Secretary: Jennifer Reising, principal, Reising Communications;
- Program Co-Chairs: Shawn Flaherty, president, Creative Strategies Public Relations; Rita Mhley, president, senior writer, Mhley/Davis & Associates; and Sheri L. Singer, president, Singer Communications;
- Membership Co-Chairs: Nancy Plemens Mayes, APR, owner/principal, Mayes Communications; and Susan C. Rink, principal, Rink Strategic Communications;
- Marketing/PR Co-Chairs: Claudia Askew, APR, president, ASQ Communications; Mary-Jane Atwater, president, Atwater Communications; and, Ann Andrews Morris, principal, AndMore Communications, LLC;
- Web Update: Heathere Evans-Keenan, APR, founder, Keenan Public Relations;
- New Member Web: Robert Deigh, principal, RDR Communication/PR;
- Collective Buying: Helen Sullivan, APR, Fellow, PRSA, president, InHouse Communications, LLC;
- Partners: Jeffrey Porro, speechwriter, Porro Associates LLC; and
- PRSA International Conference Liaison/Ad Hoc Member: Robert Udowitz, principal, Robert Udowitz Consulting.