PRSA NEWS RELEASE
April Conway, a major in the Air National Guard, and Helyse Turner, with Sierra Nevada Job Corps, have successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations, entitling them to use the APR professional designation.
The Accreditation program aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessing competence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the profession. The Examination is designed for public relations professionals with five to seven years of job experience and/or a bachelor’s degree in a communication field. Candidates who successfully complete the rigorous process, including presenting his/her portfolio to a readiness review panel of three APR-accredited peers and sitting for a computer-based examination, are granted the APR.
Accredited professionals must maintain their credential through continuing professional development, providing leadership to the profession and serving their local communities. Conway and Turner join a group of 19 accredited public relations professionals in northern Nevada.
“Earning the APR reflects a mastery of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to succeed in our increasingly complex profession,” said Janet E. Kacskos, APR, Fellow PRSA, 2012 chair of the Universal Accreditation Board, consortium of nine professional communication organizations that directs this competency certification program.
“These two outstanding public relations professionals contribute positively to our community and our local PRSA chapter,” said Frankie Vigil, APR, PRSA Sierra Nevada Chapter president. “Practitioners who achieve the designation are demonstrating their commitment not only to our profession, but also to a strong code of ethics and to the betterment of their organizations and clients.”
About April Conway, MBA, APR, State Public Affairs Officer, Nevada National Guard
Major April Conway is the State Public Affairs Officer for the Joint Force Headquarters, Nevada National Guard. She is responsible for strategic communications, internal communications and media relations for the 4,300 Airmen and Soldiers of the Nevada National Guard. She is the reputation manager for the Battle Born Guard and oversees communication efforts with the state’s congressional delegation, state legislators, and a variety of spheres of influence in Las Vegas, Reno and other Nevada communities. Major Conway began her military career in the United States Army in 1992 as a broadcast journalist and throughout her career has been stationed in South Korea, Turkey, Iraq and the U.S.
About Helyse S. Turner, MA, APR, Business & Community Liaison, Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center
Helyse Turner is a public relations practitioner with expertise in nonprofit and government sectors. In the past six years, she has focused on essential needs and education within the nonprofit industry, currently working as the Business & Community Liaison with Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center. She has also held roles with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and the Bureau of Land Management. Turner holds a master’s degree from Gonzaga University in communication and leadership studies and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a board member of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and an active Ambassador for The Chamber.
About the Universal Accreditation Board
The UAB was established in 1998 by a coalition of public relations professional organizations that today includes the Agricultural Relations Council, Asociación de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico, Florida Public Relations Association, Maine Public Relations Council, National School Public Relations Association, Public Relations Society of America, Religion Communicators Council, Southern Public Relations Federation and Texas Public Relations Association. Each organization contributes resources and senior-level volunteer members who represent all segments of the public relations profession.
For more information about the UAB and the APR designation, visit www.praccreditation.org.
