Heathere Evans-Keenan, APR, president of Keenan, PR, Inc was named the 2011 Washington PR Woman of the Year by Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) at their signature award luncheon today. WWPR annually hosts the event to honor public relations professionals in the Washington, D.C. area who exemplify true integrity and leadership characteristics.
Evans-Keenan was selected from a panel of esteemed industry judges based on her exceptional influence and dedication to the field of public relations, as well as her community involvement. Christine Till, director of communications at Venable LLP, and Donna Vincent Roa, PhD, ABC, CSR-P, managing partner and chief strategist, Vincent Roa Group LLC were also celebrated as honorees at the event.
“All three of our honorees today are standouts in the public relations field,” says Kendra Kojcsich, president of WWPR. “We are thrilled to select Heathere Evans-Keenan as our 2011 Washington PR Woman of the Year. She is a distinguished leader in our practice and she contributes to the community by doing pro bono work for The Children’s Law Center and mentoring students and new professionals.”
Evans-Keenan founded Keenan, PR, Inc., an award-winning public relations and marketing communications firm in 1999. She is the past president of the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and founder of the Independent Public Relations Alliance (IPRA). Evans-Keenan has received numerous awards for her public relations work, including PRSA’s Silver Anvil, and multiple Thoth Awards. She was a Washington PR Woman of the Year honoree by WWPR in 2008.
The event also featured a keynote address by Jen Psaki, former White House deputy communications director and nearly five-year veteran of the Obama communications team. Psaki recently joined Global Strategy Group as senior vice president and managing director.
A raffle was held to benefit WWPR’s pro bono client, Thrive DC, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent and end homelessness by providing vulnerable individuals with a comprehensive range of services to help stabilize their lives.
A list of previous recipients of this distinguished award is available at www.wwpr.org.
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Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) is the first and only D.C. based professional organization advancing women in the communications industry. WWPR is committed to delivering outstanding professional development, networking, marketplace positioning, and leadership opportunities to area communicators. Visit us at wwpr.org, “Like” us on Facebook.com/WashingtonWomeninPR, and follow us on Twitter @WWPR.