Contact:
Cedric L. Bess
212-460-1495
cedric.bess@prsa.org
To read article on PRSA website: http://www.prsa.org/conf2004/gibson.html
PRSA ANNOUNCES D. PARKE GIBSON PIONEER AWARD WINNER
Elena del Valle Honored as 2004 Recipient
NEW YORK (October 25, 2004) – The Multicultural Communications Professional Interest Section of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) announced today that Elena del Valle, president, LNA World Communications, Miami, Fla., is the recipient of the 2004 D. Parke Gibson Pioneer Award.
“Elena del Valle’s career clearly reflects the progressive thinking and inclusion advocated by D. Parke Gibson,” said Gail Baker, APR, Fellow PRSA, vice president, public relations, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., and 2004 chair of PRSA’s Multicultural Communications Section. “She is an ideal choice for this award and the Multicultural Section is proud of her past efforts. We look forward to benefiting from her future contributions to the field of public relations.”
Established in 1990 by the PRSA Multicultural Affairs Committee, the D. Parke Gibson Pioneer Award is PRSA’s highest individual award presented to a public relations professional that has contributed to the increased awareness of public relations within multicultural communities and participated in the promotion of issues that meet the special informational and educational needs of these diverse communities. The Award is named for D. Parke Gibson, APR, a pioneer in multicultural public relations who founded the first African-American-owned public relations firm.
This year’s recipient, Elena del Valle, is being recognized for her outstanding contributions to the field of multicultural communications. A founding member and past chair of PRSA’s Multicultural Communications Section, del Valle has made her mark not only in the South Florida community, but nationally and internationally as well. Prior to establishing LNA Communications, del Valle – a multilingual public relations professional with more than 20 years experience – oversaw the Hispanic and Latin Market communication efforts for major corporations as an account supervisor with Rubin, Barney & Birger, Florida’s largest independent public relations firm.
A past chairwoman of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Business Group, del Valle is also founding president of the Hispanic Marketing & Communication Association (HMCA), a Miami-based organization that focuses on marketing and business communications related to Hispanic markets. She is a member of the PRSA Counselors Academy and co-founded the Miami Chapter’s Hispanic Market Section (one of the first in the nation). She has served on a number of community boards including: the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the Health Council of South Florida, the Alliance Francaise de Miami, the SEFLIN Free-Net Miami Advisory Board, STARS/H.O.P.E., the National Association of Women Business Owners and Carrfour Corporation.
A published author, del Valle is a graduate of Leadership Miami, the Center for Creative Leadership, the National Hispana Leadership Institute, the Embassy of Spain Young Hispanic Americans, the Cuban American National Council and the Harvard John. F. Kennedy School of Government leadership programs. She was the 1988 recipient of the Up & Comers Award in Public Relations.
Past recipients of the D. Parke Gibson Pioneer Award include: Terrie Williams, owner, Terrie Williams Agency, New York; Ofield Dukes, APR, Fellow PRSA, owner, Ofield Dukes and Associates, Washington, D.C.; Lyria F. Howland, APR, owner and president, Howland PR Inc., Dallas; Rosanna Fiske, APR, principal & partner, Communiqué Group/Rise Strategies; and most recently, William B. Marks, APR, president, GCI-Atlanta, who was the 2003 honoree.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org), based in New York City, is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals. The Society has more than 28,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 114 Chapters nationwide, 18 Professional Interest Sections along with Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 255 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States.