PRSA Chapter Awards Gala & Annual Meeting
2026 PRSA Orlando Chapter Awards Gala & Annual Meeting
Join PRSA Orlando for an evening gala of celebration and entertainment, as we recognize the talented professionals within our organization and confirm the 2027 chapter board.
Event Details
- Thursday, November 5, 2026
- 6 – 9 p.m.
- Rollins College, Rice Family Pavilion
Parking Info
- Truist Parking Garage
- 131 E Comstock Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789
- Shuttle Available
2026 Event Sponsors
The PRSA Orlando Chapter Awards Gala & Annual Meeting attracts the region’s leading public relations professionals and industry leaders. Click here to view our list of available sponsor opportunities.
Thank you to the following sponsors who have helped make this event possible:
Venue Sponsor
Transportation Sponsor
About PRSA Orlando Chapter Awards
The PRSA Orlando Chapter Awards were established in 2021 to recognize the chapter’s most dedicated and service-oriented members. Award recipients are nominated during the fall and recognized at the annual Chapter Awards Gala & Annual Meeting. With the exception of the President’s Award for Distinguished Service, nominations are reviewed by judges from another Sunshine District chapter.
Geri Evans Lifetime Achievement Award
Named in honor of Geri Evans, APR, Fellow PRSA, an award-winning public relations professional, public speaker, writer, consultant, and educator. With more than 40 years of public relations practice, Evans has served in varying roles within PRSA for more than 16 years including eight years on the PRSA Orlando Regional Chapter board of directors and chapter president in 2003. She also served on the board of the Sunshine District as well as on three national committees before being elected to the PRSA national board for a three-year term in 2011. She was elected into the College of Fellows in 2014 and served as Chair of the College of Fellows in 2019.
The PRSA Orlando Geri Evans Lifetime Achievement Award honors a practitioner who:
- Lives and works in Central Florida
- Has 20 years or more of experience in a communications-related profession
- Is a member in good standing of PRSA Orlando
- Played a vital role in the advancement of the PR profession
- Has been recognized for public relations excellence through numerous accolades
- Demonstrated service and exceptional leadership to PRSA throughout their career
Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award
Created in 2005 and named after local public relations professional, teacher and mentor, Frank Stansberry, APR, Fellow PRSA. With a career spanning 30 years of public relations practice and 10 years of print media experience, Stansberry served as president of the PRSA Orlando Regional Chapter, chair of its Sunshine District, and as a member of its national board of directors. Stansberry’s career is highlighted by his outspoken advocacy for the highest ethical standards in business practice, and his dedication to public relations ethics has had a profound impact on thousands of young professionals while he served as a professor at the University of Central Florida and Rollins College.
The PRSA Orlando Frank R Stansberry Ethics Award is given to a practitioner who:
- Lives and works in Central Florida
- Is a member in good standing of PRSA Orlando
- Embodies PRSA’s member code of ethics
- Works to educate, promote and guide others in the ethical practice of public relations
PR/Communications Advocate Award
Recognizes a public relations practitioner who represents the exceptional standards of practice in the Central Florida community and whose work and activities serve to advocate for and elevate the public relations or communications profession.
The PRSA Orlando PR Advocate Award is given to a practitioner who:
- Lives and works in Central Florida
- Is a member in good standing of PRSA Orlando
- Demonstrates exceptional professional capabilities
- Serves as an advocate for the profession through service to PRSA, their clients or organization or community involvement
Communicator to Watch Award
Recognizes a PRSA Orlando member with no more than 10 years of experience who has demonstrated leadership qualities and has made significant contributions to their organization, the chapter and/or community, while advancing the public relations and communications profession. The Communicator to Watch Award is given to a communications practitioner who:
- Lives and works in Central Florida
- Has no more than 10 years of experience in a communications-related profession
- Is a member in good standing of PRSA Orlando
- Has demonstrated strong professional capabilities, leadership qualities, service to the public relations community and respected character
President’s Award for Distinguished Service
Recognizes up to (3) members who have gone above and beyond in service to PRSA Orlando’s membership in the past year. The PRSA Orlando President’s Award for Distinguished Service is given to a practitioner who:
- Lives and works in Central Florida
- Is a member in good standing of PRSA Orlando
- Has provided outstanding leadership, extraordinary involvement or loyal support to the local chapter
Recipients are selected by the current chapter president.
Past Award Winners
2025
- Geri Evans Lifetime Achievement Award: Ann Marie Varga, MHR, ARP, Fellow PRSA
- Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award: Dan Ward, APR, CPRC
- PR/Communications Advocate: Jen Atwell, MA
- Communicator to Watch: Sade N. Teel, MA
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Dr. Doragnes Rivera Bradshaw, SHRM-SCP
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Nadia Vanderhoof, MA
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Melissa Zayas Moreno, MA, APR
2024
- Geri Evans Lifetime Achievement Award: Andrea Finger
- Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award: Ann Marie Varga, APR, Fellow PRSA
- Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award: Doreen Overstreet, APR
- PR/Communications Advocate: Stefanie Macfarlane, APR
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Rich Donley, APR
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Chelsea Eagle
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Maria Wyatt-Uhl
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Alyssa List
2023
- Geri Evans Lifetime Achievement Award: Kena Lewis, APR, Fellow PRSA
- Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award: Christina Morton, APR
- PR/Communications Advocate: Rich Donley, APR
- Communicator to Watch: Tyrone Law
- Communicator to Watch: Liz Kamper
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Hailey Fitch
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Mike Piacentino, APR
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Heather Wilson
2022
- Geri Evans Lifetime Achievement Award: Roger Pynn, APR, CPRC
- Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award: Carolyn Reis, APR
- PR/Communications Advocate: Laura Lord Blackwell, APR
- Communicator to Watch: Melissa Zayas Moreno, MA, APR
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Stefanie Macfarlane, APR
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Jazmyn Reed
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Mimi Flatley, APR
2021
- Geri Evans Lifetime Achievement Award: Geri Evans, APR, Fellow PRSA
- Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award: Heather Morgan, APR
- PR/Communications Advocate: Jamie Floer, APR, CPRC
- Communicator to Watch: Katarina Dos Santos
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Kimberly Devitt, APR
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Lauren Leetun, APR
- President’s Award for Distinguished Service: Veronica Figueroa, APR