OFFICERS
PRESIDENT: Stephen Chavez
ChavezPR
As President of ChavezPR based in Los Angeles, Stephen is a leading voice in the marketplace on effectively reaching multicultural communities. A highly skilled strategist, writer, and team builder, Stephen has a proven track record developing successful multi-channel campaigns working with some of the world’s leading brands and national nonprofits such as Verizon, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and the National Institutes of Health. READ MORE…
PRESIDENT ELECT: Marisol Barrios Perez, MSPA, APR
Mission Driven PR, Inc.
With more than 25 years of successful experience in communications, public relations, and the nonprofit sector, Marisol creates impact with GRACE, a five-step process in public relations to transform an organization’s mission. Through her company Mission Driven PR, Inc. and Nonprofit PR Academy, she helps nonprofit communications and development professionals generate impact in public relations that align with their missions. In addition, she provides event management to her nonprofit clients.
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SECRETARY: Stacy Schwartz
Independent Public Relations Strategist and Consultant
Stacy Schwartz is a seasoned and award-winning public relations professional with nearly twenty years of experience across multiple industries and media verticals. She works successfully with public and private companies and brands to provide high-level strategy and implement media campaigns, including corporate communications, media relations, product launches, crisis communications, social media programs and special events. Her client experience is broad yet focused, including both B2B and B2C expertise, with a focus on professional services. READ MORE…
TREASURER: John McCartney, APR
JMAC PR
John McCartney, APR, is the Principal at Jmac PR and has more than 20+ years of experience between Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York leading PR and social media campaigns for technology, advertising, marketing, and media brands. READ MORE…
VICE PRESIDENT: Bilal Kaiser
Agency Guacamole
Bilal Kaiser is the Founder and Principal of Agency Guacamole, an award-winning, LA-based PR, influencer marketing, events, and social media firm that specializes in beauty and lifestyle brands. In his role at Agency Guacamole, Bilal helps clients articulate and bring to life their brand’s story, which can range from a product launch campaign and influencer partnerships to fun experiential activations. READ MORE…
DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE (1-Year Positions)
Gita Amar
GCI Health
Gita Amar is a senior vice president of media at GCI Health (part of the WPP holding company), offering strategic counsel on media relations for health, wellness, medical device, animal health, and bio-tech clients. She works with a multitude of clients advising on strategic communications, FDA approvals, identifying new angles for media coverage, CEO executive positioning, and crisis management. She’s known for deploying innovative media skills and ideas in the congested and changing media landscape. She employs creative tactics for complex high-science messaging direct to consumers.
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Melendy A. Britt
be360
Melendy A. Britt is seasoned, award-winning integrated marketing professional with over 25 years of international experience at agencies Ogilvy, Weber Shandwick, Edelman, MC Saatchi PR, and more. Melendy leads campaigns designed to transmit core brand values via enriching experiences that build lasting bonds with the consumer. She is also the Immediate Past President of PRSA Los Angeles.
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Maricela Cueva
VPE Communications
Maricela Cueva is the President of VPE Communications, the largest Latina-owned full-service public relations agency in Los Angeles that understands and meaningfully connects with diverse audiences. VPE is a results-driven agency known for its excellent media relations and publicity, outstanding community contacts, and influential networks.
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Erik Deutsch
ExcelPR Group
Erik Deutsch (2014 PRSA-LA President) is an award-winning media strategist with more than 20 years of experience in public relations, digital marketing, and content creation.
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Tony Ferguson
Society House
Principal of Society House, a boutique PR team based in Los Angeles, Tony has masterfully orchestrated high-impact PR initiatives that have resonated with a diverse range of clients – from Fortune 500 brands and music powerhouses to TV and film projects, non-profit organizations, and corporate ventures. His ability to cultivate and nurture enduring professional relationships is a testament to his impeccable networking skills and innate understanding of client needs.
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Melanie Gazazian
TriplePoint PR
PRSA-LA Young Professionals Lead
Melanie Gazazian has been in the PR industry for the last four years with a focus on technology, startup culture, virtual reality, and video games. After her first internship, she knew this would be the career for her.
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Justin Glover
Communications LAB
Justin Glover is a veteran communicator with more than two decades of experience in reaching audiences. After working in state government and in the corporate world, Glover joined Communications LAB, a family-owned public affairs agency with clients across Southern California. Glover leads the firm’s Los Angeles office, serving clients including LA Metro and Port of Long Beach.
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Angela Herrera
Team Friday
Angela Herrera is a seasoned digital communication professional with a diverse background in earned media, press relations, and social media outreach. With a career spanning both federal and state levels, including positions in the heart of Washington D.C., where she collaborated closely alongside the White House, Angela has honed her skills in managing online communications for a multitude of organizations.
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Jenny Kantor
Edelman
Jenny Kantor has two decades consulting experience, specializing in corporate positioning, media relations, thought leadership, employee engagement, issues management and business transformation communications. She creates communications programs that help organizations build reputations, manage transitions and align around a strategic vision and purpose. Jenny has supported communications efforts for clients across multiple sectors including technology, BtoB, retail, education and health/wellness.
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Keenan Kurihara
La Salle College Preparatory
Keenan Kurihara serves as the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Chief Communications Officer at La Salle College Preparatory, an independent, Catholic Lasallian co-educational high school serving the Greater Pasadena Area in Southern California.
Sallie Olmsted-MacKinnon, APR
i.am.Media
Sallie is a recognized strategic corporate communications expert with deep experience in public relations, branding and narrative creation, crisis and issues management, executive and talent visibility and image management across business-to-business and consumer-facing programs.
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Scott Pansky
Allison+Partners
Scott is a co-founder of the agency and leads Allison+Partners’ Social Impact group. He developed the agency’s proprietary Corporate Socialanthropy™ process, which helps corporations identify social impact partners and builds the foundation for long-term campaigns that incorporate employee recruitment and retention programs, internal and external communications, and cause-related marketing strategies.
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Claudia Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Communications
Claudia Santa Cruz is the President of Santa Cruz Communications, Inc., a woman-owned, award-winning Public Relations agency she founded in 2001, which delivers communications solutions for companies seeking to engage with the U.S. Hispanic market. A seasoned PR professional with over 30 years of experience, Santa Cruz leads and oversees the agency’s work for an expanding roster of loyal clients in a variety of industries, including Entertainment, Education, Environment, Non-Profit, and Health, among others. Her extensive knowledge of the U.S. General and Hispanic market, and her capability to develop and execute strategic campaigns that produce measurable results, has earned her a reputation as a leading PR professional for the U.S. Hispanic and General market. READ MORE…
Leshelle Sargent
Amazon MGM Studios
Leshelle V. Sargent is currently Publicity Principal for Amazon MGM Studios where she leads publicity on various scripted series, comedy specials, and the Academy of Country Music Awards for Prime Video.
Prior to Amazon, she was Vice President, Communications for Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios where she led publicity for the brands VH1, Smithsonian Channel, MTV Movie & TV Awards, Comedy Central’s Hell of A Week with Charlamagne Tha God, and so much more.
Zach Stevens
Weber Shandwick
Zach Stevens is Director, Media Relations at Weber Shandwick, an earned-first global communications agency led by world-class strategic and creative thinkers and activators. As a passionate public relations professional with over ten years of experience, he leads media strategy efforts across several clients in the consumer and consumer technology space.
Yurina Melara Valiulis
Multiethnic Press Secretary for the Office of Community Partnership and Strategic Communications at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
Yurina Melara Valiulis, MS, Ph.D. is a media communications strategist with over 20 years of experience in journalism and media relations. Currently, she serves as the Multiethnic Press Secretary for the Office of Community Partnership and Strategic Communications at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.
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