2024 HONORING Excellence
EVENT SCHEDULE
5:30 p.m. Reception
6:30 p.m. Opening Remarks
Laura Kruszewski
PRSA Southern Arizona Chapter
2024-2025 President
Family Life Radio
Messaging Matters in a Fractured Age of Misinformation and Incivility
Kate Kenski, Ph.D., Professor of Communication
University of Arizona
Master of Ceremonies
Matt Russell, CEO
Russell Public Communications
Presentation of Project and Individual Awards
Presentation of “Best in Show”
SPEAKERS
Matt Russell, CEO
Russell Public Communications
Russell is a veteran PR and communications professional with 25 years of experience in media relations, federal government relations, marketing communications and nonprofit administration. As the head of Russell Public Communications in Tucson, he and his team are three-time Best in Show winners in the PR Campaign of the Year. In PR staff or consultant roles, he has secured publicity for his clients on such major media outlets as Larry King Live, Good Morning America, the TODAY show, USA Today, Oprah, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post.
Kate Kenski
Professor of Communication
University of Arizona
Dr. Kate Kenski (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania), a Professor in the Dept. of Communication and School of Government & Public Policy, teaches political communication, public opinion, and research. A former senior analyst at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, she is co-author of The Obama Victory: How Media, Money, and Message Shaped the 2008 Election and Capturing Campaign Dynamics: The National Annenberg Election Survey. Co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication, Dr. Kenski has been published in many journals. Her research focuses on social media and incivility, gender and politics, and public opinion.
Jessa B. Turner
Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Tech Parks Arizona
Turner develops and executes communication strategies that promote and publicize Tech
Parks Arizona and its units: UA Tech Park, UA Tech Park at The Bridges, and the UA Center for Innovation since 2003. A graduate of the Greater Tucson Leadership (GTL) class of 2013 and currently serving a three-year term on the GTL board, Turner also has been an active member of PRSA’s vibrant network of local practitioners for over 15 years and has served on the board in a variety of roles. She is an award-winning PR practitioner, including winning the organization’s coveted Best in Show Award multiple years.
Lupita Murrillo
Broadcast Journalist (retired)
KVOA-News 4 Tucson
Murillo worked at KVOA for 46 years, specializing in crime reporting. Lupita attended what is now the University of Texas at Pan American, majoring in Mass Communications. She’s considered a pioneer in her field, working as the first Hispanic female in broadcasting in South Texas. Lupita has been recognized by the Arizona Press Club, United Press International, and the Associated Press and earned numerous Edward R. Murrow awards. Nominated for a regional Emmy, she was inducted into the Academy of Arts and Sciences Silver Circle in October 2017. Murrillo gives her time to numerous organizations and charities.
Ellie Wolfe
Higher
Education Reporter
Arizona Daily Star
Wolfe is the Higher Education reporter at the Arizona Daily Star. New to Tucson from Northampton, Mass., Ellie reports on the University of Arizona, the largest employer in the city of Tucson, and Pima Community College. A graduate of Bates College, she also worked at the Boston Globe, the Maine Monitor and the Lewiston Sun Journal.
Mandy Betz
Account Coordinator
Caliber Group
Betz is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in digital journalism and a minor in public relations. At the Caliber Group, Betz specializes in public relations and content creation, working to increase community engagement on client social media. She served as the Social Media Chair for the 2023 PRSA Western District Conference Committee and currently serves on the 2024 PRSA Southern Arizona Chapter’s Board of Directors as Social Media Chair.
Lisa Romero Associate Vice President, Research Communications and Marketing University of Arizona Research, Innovation & Impact
Romero leads marketing communications, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement efforts for the university’s research and innovation enterprise. A native Tucsonan, she has held leadership positions in six other high-profile organizations and has served as a consultant/advisor to many other companies and executives throughout her three-decade career. Romero is a 2013/14 University of Arizona Academic Leadership Institute Fellow, a recipient of the 2017 University of Arizona Team Award for Excellence, and a 2023 University of Arizona Woman of Impact.
