The Nashville Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America won the second place National Chapter Diversity Award. The award was announced at the PRSA International Conference, October 26, 2013 in Philadelphia, PA. The award was for a program produced in late October 2012 by then-Diversity Chair Peter Woolfolk. With over 100 chapters across the nation only two top awards are given. The Orange County, CA chapter won first place.
The official PRSA press release noted: “The PRSA Nashville Chapter, the second prize recipient, held a panel that closely examined how reporters addressed diversity issues and worked to eliminate stereotyping based on geography, socio-economics, religious affiliation and gender. In addition to public relations and public affairs professionals, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) students were invited to attend.”
Notified of the top award, Woolfolk said, “Our program was produced with a determination to be unique but also offer a very substantial program on an important issue—ethnic stereotyping. This program partnered with the Nashville chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists—Nashville, WTN-the Tennessee Tribune’s internet radio station and had panelists from Newschannel 5, The Tennessean and Hola Tennessee Hispanic newspaper. Although we previously earned two other awards winning one of the top two awards was our target for 2012/13 and we did it.”
Panelists on the award-winning program included:
Harriett Vaugh-Wallace, WTN Radio, Moderator
Deborah Fisher, The Tennessean
Neysa Taylor, Newschannel 5
Alfredo Nieto, Hola Tennessee
Peter Woolfolk is president of Communications Strategies. This is the third national diversity recognition he has won for the Nashville PRSA chapter