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| Erica Smith |
Porter Novelli launches the Erica Smith Future Leaders Fellowship program, an immersive three-month fellowship focused on supporting justice, equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. The program honors the late Erica Smith, who worked at Porter Novelli and also founded The BW Factor, an organization dedicated to helping mid-level Black, Latinx and Asian women ascend to higher levels of management. The selected fellow will receive coaching and mentorship from Porter Novelli SVP Suzy An, as well as direct engagement with several other senior leaders based on the fellow’s interests. Applicants must be an early-career professional or 2022 graduate with an undergraduate, graduate or associate degree and have relevant or transferrable volunteer, course work or research experience, with an interest in pursuing a communications career centered around justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. The fellowship will take place October through December 2022, and applications will be accepted through September 9. Questions about the program can be emailed to Suzy An at [email protected].
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The Diversity Marketing Consortium adds Inkhouse and No. 29 as members. Launched in June 2020 with four members, the DMC now consists of 10 marketing and communications agencies. It recently reached a milestone goal of $1 million in pro bono services provided to more than 20 startups including Noora Health, WorkChew and Moving Analytics. The consortium’s other members are SourceCode Communications, Superbolt, Cheer Partners, Peppercomm, Clarity, Racepoint Global, Praytell and Max Borges Agency. “Bringing on quality agencies is essential to maximizing our impact, so needless to say, we’re thrilled to have this impressive group join us in our mission to change the face of the boardroom by supporting diverse founder-led startups,” said co-founder of the Diversity Marketing Consortium and Managing Partner of SourceCode Communications Greg Mondshein.
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PR Boutiques International announces its 2022-2023 executive leadership team and board. Juris Petersons, founding partner of Jazz Communications in Latvia, is named the organization’s new president, the first time that a European member has held that role. Julia Labaton, president and founder of RED PR, will serve as vice president. Bame Public Relations principal Cheryl Bame is now secretary, WordWrite Communications president Paul Furiga is treasurer, and Tarunjeet Rattan, managing partner of Nucleus Public Relations, is the at-large member. PRBI has also brought on New York-based Pace PR as a member, bringing the number of members in the organization to 30, representing 16 countries.
53Six, a Dublin- and London-based sports marketing agency, is acquired by Irish experience and entertainment group FUEL... Blue Highway Advisory releases a report that looks at how the shift from CEO to AI has changed the way in which consumers access information, and offers advice on how to handle the new landscape... Get Engaged, whose services include campaign ideation, social media management, influencer marketing, celebrity partnerships, content production and paid media, joins SAMY, a social-first agency headquartered in Madrid. 
The Hoffman Agency, a Silicon Valley-based firm with offices in Europe, Asia and the U.S., teams up with United Partners Network, a global community of independent communications agencies... ChangeMakers acquires R&G Strategic, a Halifax, Nova Scotia-based firm with a practice that spans ESG and sustainability strategy and reporting; stakeholder engagement; climate and GHG consulting; sustainability campaigns; branding; communications; and marketing... AltaVista Strategic Partners, a Baltimore-based firm, opens an second office in Tampa, effective Oct. 15.
Curley & Pynn Public Relations Management rebrands as Biplane focused specifically on helping nonprofits build visibility, reputation and trust to advance their philanthropy... SKDK launches a payer negotiation practice that is designed to support health systems as they navigate increasingly complex negotiations with insurers... ChangeMakers, a strategy and communications firm with over 400 professionals across North America, launches RepScore.
Prosek Partners opens in San Francisco under the leadership of partner Nadia Damouni... Caliber Corporate Advisers, which works with clients in the fintech and financial services sectors, introduces the Caliber Authority Index (Caliber AI), a proprietary measurement platform... Herbie Thiele Consulting, a public affairs firm blending lobbying and communications, is launched by the longtime Sachs Media partner.
Bospar expands its Audit*E tool for small- and medium-sized businesses, which provides comprehensive visibility scoring, competitive analysis and platform-specific improvement recommendations, giving users actionable intelligence to help with brand positioning.... 5W is increasing its presence in Tampa and the Florida market....PR Consultants Group, a nationwide network of senior-level public relations, strategic communications and marketing specialists in more than 50 U.S. markets, has brought on 13 independently owned public relations firms across 13 markets and 12 states so far in 2026.
