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PRSA was named Global Public Relations Association of the Year by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management during the World Public Relations Forum 2024 in Bali, Indonesia. The 2024 Global Alliance World Public Relations & Communication Awards received over 100 entries from 20 countries worldwide. PRSA was the only finalist selected from the United States. The Global Public Relations Association of the Year category is open to associations with outstanding work in the public relations and communication industry that push the profession forward. “For 75+ years, PRSA has been a leading advocate for the communications profession in the U.S. and around the world, and we are thrilled to be recognized as the Global Public Relations Association of the Year,” said 2024 PRSA chair Joseph Abreu.
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Cornerstone Government Affairs brings on new state offices and personnel in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Texas and South Carolina. The additions expand the firm’s national footprint beyond its headquarters in Washington, DC and offices in 14 states. Lauren Vella, who was most recently chief of staff to the president at the University of Delaware, will lead the opening of Cornerstone’s Delaware office. Cornerstone’s capabilities at the local level in the District of Columbia and within the state of Maryland will be bolstered by the addition of Manny Geraldo and Derron Parks, while Matt Garcia will work with clients in the Dallas area, and Mark Harmon will help build out Cornerstone’s Charleston, SC location, which opened in August. “Clients continue to ask us for advice and counsel at the state level, and we are excited to be able to expand these capabilities to meet their needs,” Cornerstone president Campbell Kaufman said. “The political landscape is ever-changing, and we are working to stay ahead of the curve.”
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Mercury Public Affairs is merging Chicago-based Serafin & Associates into its Illinois business. Serafin & Associates president and CEO Thom Serafin will join Mercury as co-chair for the agency in Illinois. The partnership is intended to strength Mercury’s Chicago and Illinois statewide operations, leveraging Serafin's knowledge of the Midwest and strategic resources from coast to coast. "Our clients require strategic communications counsel and execution, and Serafin has been a leader in this space. Mercury-Illinois will be full service in every sense in the public affairs world," said former Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), who leads Mercury’s Illinois team.
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.
