The Miami chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA Miami) will celebrate its landmark 60th anniversary during the 2015 Ev Clay/PRSA Miami Endowment Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 2, 11:30 a.m., at Jungle Island in Miami.
At the event Ron Magill, communications and media relations director at Zoo Miami, and Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, Fellow PRSA, vice president of corporate communications at Wells Fargo & Co., will be honored for their contributions to the public relations profession in Miami.
“Ron and Rosanna are two remarkable community leaders who have been instrumental in furthering not only the public relations industry, but also in educating the South Florida community through their work,” said Marcia Gomez, president of PRSA Miami. “It is with great admiration that we honor these industry role models along with local, promising PR students.”
Magill, who is best known for his promotion of animal and wildlife conservation on behalf of Zoo Miami, will receive the PRSA Miami Royal Palm Award, which is presented to a member of the community who embodies and demonstrates key values of the public relations profession and who has made a significant contribution to Miami-Dade County. The recipient maintains a high standard of ethics and social responsibility along with positively affecting attitudes, beliefs and behavior for the common good.
Magill has worked with wildlife for more than 35 years. As Zoo Miami’s goodwill ambassador, he has made frequent appearances on TV including: National Geographic Explorer, Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS This Morning, and Dateline among others. A Spanish-speaker, Magill has made regular appearances on national Spanish-language TV shows including the top-rated shows Despierta América and Sábado Gigante.
He also has written and produced many wildlife articles and award-winning photographs that have appeared in publications and galleries around the world. Magill has traveled throughout Africa, India and Tropical America while developing and directing conservation projects and Emmy Award-winning documentaries focusing on the wildlife of those regions.
For her impact on the public relations and communications field as an educator, industry leader and mentor, Fiske will receive the Bill Adams Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, named after nationally admired educator and public relations professional Bill Adams, recognizes exceptional leadership and contributions to the public relations profession and the community.
Fiske recently was admitted into PRSA’s prestigious College of Fellows, a community of fewer than 350 senior PRSA members successfully who have advanced the public relations profession and distinguished themselves through their leadership in the public relations profession.
Fiske is widely known for her cross-cultural understanding and expertise. She is a nationally recognized executive whose experience spans more than 25 years and includes driving marketing communication, brand positioning and public relations strategies. A past president of both the Miami chapter and the national PRSA organization, in 2010, she earned the Hispanic Public Relations Association’s Professional of the Year award. She also has received three PRSA Silver Anvils, a Bronze Anvil, several Addys and Cannes Lions awards excellence in public relations programming. As an award-winning writer, Fiske is a source for and contributes to The Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, PR Week, AdAge and DigiDay.
In addition, the following public relations students will each be presented with an Ev Clay/ PRSA Miami Endowment Fund scholarship:
Florida International University — Nicole Aguiar and Manuela Carvajal;
Florida Memorial University — Patrice Duncombe and Noelle McGeachy;
Miami Dade College — Katya Chinchilla and Rafael Portuondo, and
University of Miami — Zoe Kafkes and Dora Williams,
The luncheon raises funds to support the Ev Clay/PRSA Miami Endowment Fund, PRSA’s largest chapter-operated scholarship fund, which provides financial resources to South Florida students with a public relations interest. Since its establishment in 1985, the fund has awarded more than $177,000 to 123 deserving students.
For event registration and additional information on the 2015 Ev Clay/ PRSA Miami Endowment Luncheon, visit www.prsamiami.org.
