During her Nov. 1 acceptance speech, the Elon alumna shared her inspiring journey from an uncertain post-graduation start to becoming executive editor of PR Daily. Her story highlights the importance of resilience, curiosity and embracing unexpected paths.
As Allison Carter ’09 stood on stage before tables of current students in Snow Family Grand Atrium, accepting the School of Communications’ Outstanding Alumna Award during Homecoming Weekend, she marveled at her career’s unexpected twists and turns. The Elon alumna emphasized to the audience that their paths, too, would be filled with struggles and triumphs — and that both should be embraced.
“Since I heard that I’d be receiving this award, I’ve been trying to think of what I would tell the girl who walked – and tripped on the bricks – here,” Carter quipped. “She thought that she had it all figured out. She saw her path ahead of her straight and clear. And I would tell that girl that nothing will turn out the way she planned – and that that is marvelous.”
As she held the glass alumni award close, Carter, now executive editor of PR Daily, recalled graduating into an unpredictable job market. Instead of landing her dream job following Commencement, she bided her time working at a big-box retail chain. Yet, her ambition was unwavering.
She initially took on communications roles at Roundpeg, an Indianapolis-based digital marketing agency, before moving to The Indianapolis Star, where she spent seven years honing her skills as a social media producer, writer, editor and digital strategist. In spring 2022, she accepted her first of several editor positions with PR Daily, a well-known digital publication focused on public relations, marketing, social media and corporate communications.
In his award presentation remarks, Dean Kenn Gaither praised Carter as a leader in her industry. He noted her ability to balance journalistic integrity and her commitment to elevating others’ voices. In her roles, Carter often champions authentic stories and brings attention to pressing industry issues, he explained.
To see photos of the award ceremony, visit our Flickr album.
“Allison’s corpus of work as an editor at PR Daily is earmarked by her coverage of critical public relations issues with the applied rigor of a journalist,” said Gaither, who taught Carter years ago. “If you want to know what’s happening in public relations, who’s doing what, what’s happening, you read PR Daily. It is the instructional manual for doing PR well. Along with healthy attention to organizational missteps and PR blunders, Allison Carter gives a voice to those in the industry that might otherwise be overlooked or disenfranchised. She helps elevate this industry and, as the cliche goes, PR indeed needs its own PR.”
Reflecting on her journey, Carter shared that it was filled with moments of self-doubt, unexpected challenges, and serendipitous discoveries. One of these fortuitous turns was her return to her home state of Indiana. She recalled how Elon’s supportive environment encouraged her to develop not only her professional skills, but also a resilient, curious outlook on life.
As Carter accepted the award, she fondly remembered her early days at Elon and the small moments that shaped her. These memories resurfaced as she interacted with students and visited the classrooms where she was once taught.
“I have been so impressed throughout this day as I have been chatting with students,” Carter said.” Your passion, your interests, your future plans – you all exemplify everything that I love about being at Elon.”
