History

The Sierra Nevada Chapter of Public Relations Society of America was chartered in 1986 by a dozen public relations practitioners in northern Nevada.

It was the second PRSA chapter in the state, complementing an older chapter based in Las Vegas and aimed at providing public relations practitioners in northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area with a closer professional connection to each other and to national public relations activities.

The impetus for the Sierra Nevada Chapter was provided by four late greats in the industry: Janice Ayres, who ran a senior involvement program for decades in Carson City; John Baker, then of Porsche Cars of North America; the Stan Berdrow of Sierra Pacific Power Company; and the late Mark Curtis, Jr., APR, Fellow PRSA, of Harrah’s Hotel and Casino.

The Chapter has been recognized as a leader in PRSA from its beginnings. Formal recognition of that leadership was accorded in 1995 with the national “Best of Chapter Excellence” award. Sierra Nevada Chapter members have held a number of regional and national PRSA positions, and four of its members – Curtis and another charter member, Jim Ellis, APR, Fellow PRSA, emeritus of the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno – became Nevada’s first members of the PRSA College of Fellows in 1994. Two of Ellis’ students secured Fellow standing: Ronele Dotson, APR, Fellow PRSA, owner of RAD Strategies and Alison Gaulden, APR, Fellow PRSA, senior lecturer at the Reynolds School.

The Chapter is active in professional development for its members and community-service service programs for organizations without formal public relations departments. It maintains a close working relationship with the University of Nevada Reno Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA Nevada), gifting RSJ PR-focused students with an annual scholarship, supporting the PRSSA Nevada chapter and mentoring students engaged in the prestigious Bateman Case Study Competition.

Individual achievement of members is recognized through the Chapter’s annual Silver Spike Awards.