FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Josh Kauffman
Chapter President, Central Illinois PRSA
815/263-3035
JoshuaKauffman3@gmail.com

Local Professionals Named to Regional Board of Directors
Central Illinois PRSA Poised for Stronger Service to Communication Professionals

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Jan. 28, 2016 – The Central Illinois Public Relations Society of America (CI PRSA) chapter announced its 2016 Board of Directors slate this month. The board is comprised of highly experienced public relations professionals who practice the craft throughout the central Illinois region, including communities such as Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Charleston, and many more. The board is tasked with providing strong programming, educational opportunities, networking, and enriching the member experience.

“With a new slate of officers in 2016 and the extensive knowledge of board members from previous years, we embrace the opportunities that await our chapter’s members,” said Josh Kauffman, APR, CI PRSA president and system director of communications and public affairs at Hospital Sisters Health System. “Our chapter’s strategy for this year is focused on extending services, engagement opportunities, programming, membership benefits, and growth. We look forward to the chapter achieving success in all these areas.”

The new 2016 Central Illinois PRSA Chapter Board of Directors consists of:

• Josh Kauffman, APR, president (Hospital Sisters Health System, Springfield);
• Chris Stroisch, president-elect (COUNTRY Financial, Bloomington);
• Brian Sowa, Ph.D., secretary (Eastern Illinois University, Charleston);
• Ernie Slottag, APR, treasurer (Slottag Communications, Springfield);
• John Lyday, APR, Fellow PRSA, ethics chair (Morton Community Bank, Morton);
• Pete Smudde, Ph.D., APR, accreditation chair (Illinois State University, Normal);
• Stefanie Santos McLeese, membership chair (Santos McLeese Public Relations,
  Champaign);
• Elizabeth Kerns, communications chair (Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais);
• John Wirtz, Ph.D., board member (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign); and
• Ruth Slottag, APR, immediate past-president (Slottag Communications, Springfield).

“Given the rise of communications to organizations and their constituents through digital channels, public relations is more vital than ever before. The new slate of CI PRSA Chapter officers is devoted to bringing the best tools and value possible to PR practitioners at all levels,” said Lewis Pryor, APR, nominating committee chair and assistant vice president at State Farm Insurance. “With the increase of consumer engagement, networking, and programming opportunities, PR professionals in central Illinois can rely on our local PRSA Chapter for quality support and industry insights.”

For more information about PRSA, visit the organization’s website at
https://www.prsa.org/index.html. More information about CI PRSA can be found online at https://centralillinoisprsa.wordpress.com/.

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Download the press release here.