The Ron Council Mentorship Award was established in 2015 by the Alabama chapter to recognize members who demonstrate the commitment to professionalism and mentoring that Ron exemplified. Ron was an active member of the chapter at the time of his death in 2014. He had served as chapter president and in other leadership roles.

Ron was the consummate public relations master, advertising professional, serial entrepreneur and innovator. He believed in the importance of mentoring students and young professionals. Among his many professional endeavors over the decades, he founded and ran the Advertising & Art Council, was the Director of the Office of Public Information for Birmingham-Southern College and retired as Director of Communications for the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. Ron and his family later founded Metro Monitor, a Birmingham-based media monitoring company.

Ron’s son, Bryan, continues as president of Metro Monitor and is an active member of the Alabama PRSA chapter.

Criteria 

 Nominees must be current, active members of the Alabama PRSA chapter.

• Nominees must demonstrate a strong, ongoing commitment to mentorship of students and professionals, both within and outside the chapter.

• Nominees should be well-known in the public relations community as a practicing professional and have provided pro bono service in the community.

• Nominees should be committed to upholding PRSA’s Code of Ethics.

• Special consideration will be given to nominees whose mentorship extends beyond the geographic footprint of the Alabama PRSA chapter.

The Young Professional Award honors a PRSA member who exemplifies strong professional capabilities, leadership qualities, service to the public relations community and a respected character. PRSA members with five or fewer years of experience qualify for this honor.

The Outstanding Educator Award recognizes a PRSA member in good standing with a minimum of 20 years of experience in public relations who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of public relations education through college or university teaching.

The Service Award is given to a PRSA member whose participation as a volunteer in important public activities has increased the common good and reflected credit on society.

The Public Relations Professional of the Year Award honors a PRSA member who, in the previous year, represented the best in public relations as an outstanding communicator(s) or influencer(s), establishing or reinforcing the mutually beneficial relationship between an organization and the public or otherwise impacting the communications landscape.