Local Woman Earns Top Designation from Public Relations Society

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2002

Contact:
Mary H. Hemlepp, APR, 859-219-1295

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 2, 2002) -Nancy M. Wiser, APR, of Wiser, Hemlepp & Associates, L.L.C., has been elected to The College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). With this honor comes the title of "Fellow, PRSA."

Wiser is among only 16 PRSA members worldwide to earn the distinction this year. Only 407 people have this title, out of the nearly 20,000 members of PRSA and an estimated 98,000 public relations practitioners in the United States.

Election to The College, which was established in 1989, is a professional honor awarded to senior practitioners and educators based on lifetime achievement. Wiser will be formally inducted into the College during PRSA's International Conference Saturday, November 16, 2002 in San Francisco.

Wiser has practiced public relations and marketing in Kentucky for more than 20 years and holds a masters degree in communications from the University of Kentucky. During her 10 years as a consultant, she has advised and assisted nearly 80 organizations in Kentucky and across the country in media relations, marketing, opinion research, strategic planning, crisis management and response and other areas of communication. She has taught related courses at the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University and is a frequent presenter at national, regional and local seminars and conferences. She opened a consulting firm with business partner Mary Hemlepp, APR in 2000.

According to the PRSA Bylaws, to be considered for The College of Fellows, a member of PRSA must have practiced public relations for 20 or more years; demonstrated superior capability as a practitioner; exhibited personal and professional qualities that serve as a role model for other practitioners; and advanced the state of the profession. Criteria also include being accredited, which means the practitioner has passed rigorous oral and written examinations involving a depth of knowledge in strategic analysis of public relations issues including program, research, ethics, legal issues, and communications, and other areas.

The Public Relations Society of America is the world's largest professional organization for public relations professionals, with nearly 20,000 members organized into 117 chapters who represent business and industry, counseling firms, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional service firms and nonprofit organizations. PRSA's headquarters is in New York City.

Wiser, Hemlepp & Associates, L.L.C. is a full-service public relations and marketing firm. Principals Nancy Wiser and Mary Hemlepp identify opportunities, develop strategies and produce communication materials to help businesses and non-profit organizations succeed. For more information, call Nancy Wiser at 859-887-0866 or visit www.wiserhemlepp.com.