School of Communications associate professor and interim department chair Frances Ward-Johnson was an invited speaker at the 11th annual National Black Public Relations Society Conference and Career Fair held Oct. 27-30 in Milwaukee.
Ward-Johnson was one of the leaders in a workshop session titled “Breaking In & Staying In: Realities & Strategies for Blacks in Public Relations, which was advertised as “a no-holds-barred discussion of what it really takes to make it in the PR field.”
In the workshop, Ward-Johnson drew on research she has completed as a result of a grant from the Public Relations Society of America titled “Realities in the Workplace: The Future of Minorities in Public Relations,” as well as research she has conducted as a member of the Public Relations Society of America’s Universal Accreditation Board, which oversees activities related to the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation. With fellow UAB board member, Dr. Bey-Ling Sha of San Diego State University, Ward-Johnson has completed a study titled “Minorities in Public Relations: Racial and Ethnic Differences Among Practitioners.”
Since its founding in 1987, the National Black Public Relations Society has served as an advocate for black professionals in the public relations, media relations, corporate communications, investor relations, government affairs, community relations and related fields. It has more than 500 members with chapters in major media markets around the country.