THREE MEMBERS OF FLORIDA PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CHAPTER EARN PROFESSIONAL PR ACCREDITATION
Three members of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) recently earned professional public relations accreditation, and received the designation of Accredited in Public Relations (APR). Earning the prestigious recognition are: Francesca Donlan, APR; Dayna Harpster, APR; and Tiffany Whitaker, APR.
Donlan, Harpster and Whitaker join more than 4,300 active public relations professionals worldwide who represent an elite group of highly skilled professionals committed to practicing with exemplary ethical standards, including 33 in southwest Florida.
Donlan is the communications manager at the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB). She spent most of her career as a journalist before joining the VCB three years ago. Her last position in journalism was as a Pulitzer-Prize nominated reporter for The News-Press in Fort Myers. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Rutgers University and a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Missouri.
Harpster is the editor of Expressions magazine with WGCU Public Media at Florida Gulf Coast University. She’s also a freelance writer and mental health advocate. Previously she worked in the marketing department at Park Royal Behavioral Health Services and as a writer and editor at The News-Press and The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Harpster is a member of FPRA, the Textbook and Academic Writers Association and the NAACP.
Whitaker is director of business development and client services for Pushing the Envelope Inc., where she specializes in multi-media marketing, public relations, communications and operations and coordinates the agency’s internship program. A native of southwest Florida, Whitaker earned a degree in business administration from Hodges University, and she currently serves as treasurer for the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA. She also is a member of FPRA’s Joe Curley Rising Leader Class of 2015.
To earn accreditation, candidates must pass an oral presentation and rigorous written examination administered by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), which is an alliance of eight national and statewide professional associations dedicated to furthering the field of public relations and the development of public relations professionals. FPRA is a member of the UAB.
About the Florida Public Relations Association
The Florida Public Relations Association is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida. For more information on the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, visit www.fpraswfl.org.
