PRSA-LA’s 6TH ANNUAL SUNRISE HONORS: A Celebration of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion was held on Friday, August 2nd, 2024 at Art Share L.A. in the Arts District Los Angeles, 801 E 4th Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Thank you to all attendees who joined us in celebrating our 2024 Honorees and recognizing their remarkable efforts who have each ignited positive change and illuminated the path toward a more diverse and inclusive PR landscape.
Sunrise Honors is part of PRSA-LA’s mission to foster and support those who promote diversity and inclusion. This prestigious award recognizes trailblazer individuals who have demonstrated significant leadership and influence to advance diversity and inclusivity within their organization or industry. The event is a fireside chat with a moderator where the honorees share their journey and answer questions from the audience.
Our sixth annual Sunrise Honors reaffirmed our commitment to fostering a society where every voice is heard, every perspective is valued, and every opportunity is accessible. Our champions of diversity and inclusion inspire us all to break barriers and create a world that thrives on the strength of its differences.
2024 HONOREES:
GLENN OSAKI
Senior Advisor to the President, International Communications and Marketing
University of Southern California
Glenn Osaki is senior advisor to the President, International Communications and Marketing, at the University of Southern California, where he is focused on USC’s global strategy, branding and thought leadership. Working with a robust team in Los Angeles and nine international USC offices around the world, Osaki is tasked with elevating the university’s reputation and standing among international constituencies.
Osaki returned to the university in 2019, bringing than 30 years of experience in strategic communications, most recently serving as president of Asia-Pacific for MSL, an international public relations firm.
During his 32-year career with MSL, the public relations network of Publicis Groupe, Osaki managed issues and strategic communications for a wide range of clients across industries and geographies. He has been a key adviser to major international clients such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Volkswagen Group, Netflix, Mondelez, Nike and Nestle, among many others. While leading MSL’s Asia-Pacific operations, he oversaw a development strategy that grew a 15-member team into a regional powerhouse with more than 40 offices and 1,500 consultants.
Osaki has been recognized for his achievements with numerous honors, including being named Asia-Pacific PR Agency Head of the Year by Campaign Asia, being honored for Outstanding Individual Achievement by The Holmes Report and guiding MSL to six selections as Asia-Pacific PR Consultancy of the Year.
Prior to relocating to Shanghai in 2005, he was managing director of MSL’s Los Angeles office, which he helped develop into a leading public relations firm in the region.
Osaki has strong connections to USC, having earned his master’s degree in public relations from USC Annenberg. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the USC Center for Public Relations at USC Annenberg.
GWENDOLYN YOUNG
President & CEO of Young Communications Group
Gwendolyn Young is a media and strategic communications expert with more than two decades of experience developing and implementing public education campaigns that reach the emerging majority populations. As a social change agent, in 1995 Gwendolyn shifted the focus of her full-service communications agency to creating, developing and implementing multicultural campaigns that combine the principles of journalism, research and marketing with proactive community engagement to reach diverse markets where they live, work, play and worship.
Gwendolyn combines her journalism experience with passion for social justice and equity to develop authentic messages that help change behavior, educate and raise awareness about complex cultural and societal issues, while laying the foundation for shaping policy. She has substantial experience leading campaigns on issues ranging from AIDS, economic development, COVID and homelessness.
JOSÉ VILLA
President/Chief Strategy Officer
Sensis Agency
José Villa is the founder and President / Chief Strategy Officer of Sensis, a national integrated cross-cultural marketing agency. Jose founded Sensis as a Web development firm in 1998, and one of the first agencies focused on the multicultural digital market. Under José’s direction, Sensis has grown into an award-winning advertising agency that has been listed on the prestigious Inc. 5000 ranking of America’s fastest growing private companies 11 years in a row. As of 2023, Sensis has grown to over $61 million in revenue and a national footprint including offices in Los Angeles, Washington DC, Atlanta, Austin, Tepic, Mexico, and Bogota, Colombia. Sensis clients include Voya Financial, ChenMed, U.S. Army, University of Texas, Covered California, Match.com, CDC, Sempra, Heaven Hill Brands, Los Angeles Community College District, Georgia Lottery, AltaMed, Coca-Cola, and U.S. Census Bureau.
José has a unique professional background that combines digital technology and advertising with economics, market research and strategy consulting. Prior to founding Sensis, he started his professional career as a management consultant with Mitchell Madison Group (a spin-off of McKinsey).
José has more than 28 years of experience in advertising, digital technology, and multicultural marketing across a variety of industries, including healthcare, financial services, higher education, CPG, technology, media, government, and recruitment advertising. Jose has run the overall operations of Sensis for 25 years, as well as leading the Research and Strategic Planning departments that develops research-driven digital marketing strategies and consumer insights.
He has pioneered a new “cross-cultural” approach to reaching the diverse American marketplace. Jose is a regular industry speaker and contributor to MediaPost, AdAge, Mashable, and other industry publications– providing his unique insights on the future of advertising at the intersection of digital and cultural transformation. A thought leader in marketing, advertising and cultural trends, José has co-authored innovative research studies including the “Hispanic Millennial Project,” the “We are Gen Z” Report, the Boomers Culture Report, and the upcoming “New Immigrant Project.”
José serves on the national board of the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and is the Board Chair of TEACH.org. José has an Economics degree from Harvard University and an MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sponsorship registration is now open and we invite you to become a valued supporter as we recognize and celebrate the remarkable achievements of deserving individuals. By lending your support, you will play a pivotal role in acknowledging the dedication, expertise, and impact of our outstanding honorees.
If you are interested in sponsorship, please click below for a sponsorship kit, or contact executive.director@prsala.org or call the office: (626) 313-4343.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 SUNRISE HONORS GOLD EVENT SPONSORS
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 SUNRISE HONORS BRONZE EVENT SPONSORS
