The Black Public Relations Society DC (BPRS-DC) honored four leading professionals in the public relations sphere on Oct. 21 at their inaugural event that highlighted the life of one of the most prominent African American public relations professionals and founder of BPRS-DC, Ofield Dukes, at the J.W. Marriott Hotel. The organization was honored to have Edgar Brookins host this event to recognize one of his longtime friends.

This event was created to celebrate the life and legacy of Mr. Dukes, who is widely recognized for his dedication and avid support for the advancement of equality in the public relations and communications industry. During the event, BPRS-DC announced the Ofield Dukes Scholarship award winners, as well as honored the achievements of D.C.-area practitioners, thought leaders and academics in the public relations and communications field. The recipients included:

The Millennial Excellence in PR Award: Candice Nicole Mackel, a graduate of Morgan State University, a full time entrepreneur, owner of Candice Nicole Public Relations and Creator of Women Who Hustle. Most recently, she launched The CRWN Agency which is a creative consulting agency for the “Hustlin’ Creative” and PR the Right Way Coaching Program, which is designed to teach individuals how to handle their own publicity. She started CNPR 10 years ago and has worked on projects including Master of the Mix, Black Alumni Networking Expo, Taste Prince George’s Food & Wine Festival, The Scarborough Foundation Gala, Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer” DC Screening & Press Tour, OWN Network’s “Sweetie Pie’s”/”The Have’s & Have Nots”/”Love Thy Neighbor” DC Screenings and Press Tour and Truvee Wines DC Launch.

The Millennial Excellence in PR Award: Alex Hill II, graduated from Consortium College Prep High School as the Class of 2010 Valedictorian. His focus was on studying nursing to eventually become an OB/GYN. Upon entering college, his passion for singing led him to join the Stellar Award-nominated Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University. In 2013, he worked with Dreamer Management as PR assistant and CBS 62/CW50 as community affairs intern. He later was elected president of the Howard Gospel Choir and coordinated the Fall and Spring auditions. With this experience, he assisted BET Sunday Best producer Neily Dickerson with sourcing location for a preliminary audition on campus. Hill currently works with Miles Ahead Entertainment (MAE). MAE is a full-service marketing agency that specializes in strategic public relations planning, lifestyle marketing, special events production, broadcast and social media activation that targeted the multicultural consumer market. Hill is also president/CEO of Humble Hill Public Relations, a firm that is committed to maximizing the awareness of publicity initiatives and taking its clients to the top, one hill at a time.  (Hill was named “One of the Top 25 African American PR Millennials to Watch” and you can find out more here.”

 The Ofield Dukes Legacy in PR Award: Joanna Williams, earned her place in the communications field by designing award-winning programs and developing cutting-edge strategies.  Her inter-disciplinary approach has served a client base representing the corporate, public and nonprofit sectors. She formed Barrington Associates in 1991 and since its beginning has managed the multifaceted communications needs for her client base, developed a presentation skills practice for foreign and domestic corporate leaders, political candidates, and organization heads seeking to perfect their message delivery. In addition, she launched Barrington’s Caribbean and African Affairs Practice to assist companies in opening new markets.

The Ofield Dukes Legacy in PR Award: Joe Madison, began in 1980 at Detroit’s WXYZ-AM. In the early 1990s, he joined an otherwise white lineup at WWRC-AM. There, he worked to develop crossover appeal while discussing racial and other issues with the station’s multiracial audience. In the late 1990s, he started his own online talk show before moving to Washington, D.C.’s WOL-AM. Currently, he is a radio talk show host and civil rights activist.   He can be heard every weekday morning on SiriusXM Urban View. Madison has been ranked in the top ten of Talker Magazine’s Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America for 11 consecutive years.

Edgar Brookins, Executive Director of the Black Public Relations Society, Washington D.C. was also awarded the inaugural Black Public Relations Society’s Blue Heart Award, which was given for his unwavering and sustained support of BPRS-DC over the years since its founding.

A panel of judges evaluated the work and contributions each of the winners has made in their respective fields.  The 2017 panel included:

Michael Dutton,  Communications Counselor at The Executive Leadership Council;

Monica Sanders, HR Specialist at 2nd Family; and,

Patricia Wheeler, Interim Chair, Department of Strategic Communication, Morgan State University.

Shown in photo:  Craig Muckel, Wynona Redmond, Edgar Brookins, Candice Mackel, Alex Hill, Joanne Williams, Antonice Jackson and Deborah Hyman.

This post provided by BPRS-DC.