Contributor and global media and communications strategist Gwendolyn Quinn andAntonice Jackson, President of the National Black Public Relations Society’s Washington, D.C., Chapter (BPRS-DC) and founder and principal of Audacious Publicity and Management Group, have partnered to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of young African American communications professionals in the world of public relations. The two will launch a series of daily Q&A profiles celebrating the top 25 African American PR millennials to watch. The series kicks off today, Monday, November 13th, with an inaugural feature on Antonice Jackson, and continues through Thursday, December 14th.
Those profiled in the new series represent a wide range of industries, including corporate, government, politics, health care, non-profit, entertainment and lifestyle, sports, fashion, beauty, faith-based, and special events. The selections were based on the following criteria: top leader in his or her company or profession, influential in their industry and making positive contributions, forward thinkers, inspiring role models and mentors, and active in their communities and beyond. The series can be accessed via Quinn’s HuffPost Contributor’s platform.
In addition to Ms. Jackson, others set to be profiled include: Kristal Howard of Kroger’s; Alex R. Hill II of Humble Hill Public Relations Firm; Imani Pope-Johns of Influplexity; Candice Nicole of Candice Nicole Public Relations; Vaughn Alvarez of CR8 Agency; Megan Alston and Nia Rice of Serene Management; Alexia Baillow of Ketchum Public Relations; Marc Banks of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated; Jenna Boyer of Marriott International; Ciara Brooks of Brooks PR Solutions; Brittni L. Brown of The Bee Agency; Pierre Candidate of Duke Energy; Allissa Cummings of the NFL Players Association; Jason Hardy of The J. Hardy Agency; Narcisse James of Coffee x Hustle; Ashley Johnson of ANJPR Consulting, LLC; Brittney Carter McKinnon of B. Carter Solutions, LLC; Syreta J. Oglesby of SJO Public Relations; Raven Robinson of PR2Politics; Alonda Thomas of TV One; Ashley Simms of FleishmanHillard; Dreena Whitfield of WhitPR; and Kevin Williams of 4.0 Public Relations & Marketing.
The seeds for the new series were sown this past summer, when Quinn was invited by Jackson to be a panelist on the Black Public Relations Society D.C. Presents “Entertainment PR UNFILTERED” panel, which Jackson hosted at Mulebone in Washington, D.C.
“I was impressed with Antonice Jackson and her team [during the panel] and thought it would be great to partner with her to highlight the millennials in the public relations field,” says Quinn. “We later discussed the idea, and she expressed her desire to move forward. I relied heavily on Antonice’s expertise to select a majority of the young professionals to be included in the series. I thought it was important to celebrate their journey as they continue to navigate and elevate their careers. Hopefully, this platform will give them the opportunity to connect and develop a stronger community that often leads to lifelong friendships and associations. I will always have a heart for the PR profession and more importantly, black publicists. It’s my way of giving back to a community that has given so much to me and has changed the trajectory of my career and my life.”
A career publicist celebrating more than 25 years in public relations, Quinn has long supported the efforts of public relations professionals across the country. In 2001, she founded the African American Public Relations Collective (AAPRC), a platform of more than 1,000 public relations, communications and media specialists. The AAPRC associates have networked and shared special event information, employment leads, career development resources, vital links to media opportunities, and provided professional support to their peers.
“I am honored that Gwendolyn Quinn had the vision to highlight myself and the other phenomenal black public relations professionals on this list,” says Jackson. “It is a great opportunity, and I hope that, as young professionals, we use this platform to acknowledge what we have done well, but also realize that we still have much to learn and experience in our careers. I also hope this creates another layer of support and camaraderie in the millennial public relations community.”
