2026 PRSA Puget Sound Annual Meeting recap
Last week at Seattle University, we hosted at our 2026 Annual Meeting, celebrating our public relations community impact and recognized industry leaders.
Board President Jillian Henze, APR kicked off the meeting talking about the chapter's momentum.
"We started the year with a high-energy South Sound Mixer, and since then, we hosted 23 events," Jillian said. "We've had 816 event registrations, including 11 happy hours."
Jillian also spotlighted the board's advocacy work and standing up for public communicators: "Our board of directors published a powerful message to members, defending public communications, emphasizing that communities lose when public information channels are sidelined or delayed."
Image caption: PRSA Puget Sound President Jillian Henze, APR speaking to annual meeting attendees.
2027 PRSA Puget Sound Board of Directors Announced
We announced our new chapter board of directors for next year:
- President: Lily Gordon
- President-Elect: Curtis Rogers
- Past-President: Jillian Henze, APR
- Treasurer: Martin Munguia
- Treasurer-Elect: Kati Sills
- Secretary: Mariesa Bus
- Director 1: Lauren Penning
- Director 2: Rashaad O'Neal
- Director 3: Lance Kissler
- Director 4: May Wildman
- Director 5: Ian Coon
- Delegate 1: Jason Hagey
- Delegate 2: Whitney Chiang
- Delegate 3: Lily Gordon
Student and Mentorship Push
Committee Co-Chairs Kate Hughes and Makenna Schwab launched an initiative to support communications students. The plan includes:
- Expanding one-on-one mentorship between communications professionals and students.
- Bringing more guest speakers to PRSSA chapter meetings.
- Expanding site-visit hosts from PR agencies, in-house teams and government organizations
- Encouraging PRSA Puget Sound members to donate $65 to remove barriers and cover membership costs.
Image caption: Makenna Schwab (left) and Kate Hughes (right) talk about the initiative to support communications college students.
Celebrating our Chapter Members
We recognized several members for their communications industry and chapter contributions.
- 2026 J. Rocky Lifetime Achievement Award: Janelle Guthrie, APR, Fellow PRSA
- 2026 Community Service Award: Linda Farmer, APR, CERA
- 2026 President’s Award for Volunteerism: Catherine Sweeney
- 2026 New Member of the Year: Danielle Capers
- New APR Accreditation: Sarah Taydas, APR
Image caption: (L-R) Catherine Sweeney, Janelle Guthrie, APR, Fellow PRSA, Matt Marcial, CAE, APR and Linda Farmer, APR, CERA.
Image caption: (L-R): Danielle Capers and Lily Gordon
Image caption: (L-R) Sarah Taydas, APR and Current PRSA Puget Sound APR Chair Whitney Chiang.
Update from our national ceo
PRSA National CEO Matt Marcial, CAE, APR provided several updates and career tips to members, such as:
- PRSA membership renewal rate currently sits at 74%.
- Pairing new members with industry veterans.
- Advising communicators to look beyond daily operational grinds.
- Encouraging communicators to focus on how strategies tie directly into broader organizational goals.
- A new digital strategy to position PRSA as a thought-leadership organization.
Additionally, Matt announced that he earned his APR (Accreditation in Public Relations). This achievement helped demystify the process and inspire other members to pursue accreditation.
Keynote Insights: U.S. Ambassador Roger Nyhus
U.S. Ambassador Roger Nyhus spoke about his journey from PR leadership to international diplomacy. He also reminded members on how to be effective communicators in a noisy world.
He quoted, "In a normal world, the world doesn't usually reward the loudest voice, it ideally rewards the clearest one."
Image caption: U.S. Ambassador Roger Nyhus
Roger also encouraged attendees to define their personal brand and find courage during the rapid changes of the communications industry.
Looking ahead
As we head into 2027, PRSA Puget Sound remains an important hub for connection, professional development.
Check out our upcoming events!
