The Public Relations Society of America announced that National Capital Chapter members Aaron Ellis, APR, (left in photo) and Mitch Marovitz, APR, (right in photo) are among the 2016 class elected to the organization’s College of Fellows.

The College of Fellows is an honorary organization within PRSA comprised of more than 350 senior practitioners and educators, each of whom has left a significant footprint on the public relations profession.

“Induction to the PRSA College of Fellows is a prestigious acknowledgement for a public relations professional and considered a pinnacle career achievement,” said Sultana F. Ali, APR, president of PRSA’s National Capital Chapter. “Aaron and Mitch are more than leaders and members within our chapter. They are true friends and we are pleased and proud that they have been recognized for the significant achievements they have left in their respective fields and the PR industry as a whole.”

A selection committee, consisting of current College of Fellows members, solicited and reviewed applications and recommended this year’s group of candidates to the PRSA 2016 National Board of Directors. The new Fellows will be formally inducted into the College at a dinner to be held Oct. 22, immediately prior to the PRSA 2016 International Conference in Indianapolis, Ind.

Ellis is the public affairs director for the Alexandria, Va.-based American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), which calls heavily on his skills in editorial writing, media relations and issues advocacy to ensure awareness among stakeholders and media of AAPA’s policy positions.

“I’m honored and thrilled to be accepted into the PRSA College of Fellows,” said Ellis. “Election to the College is the pinnacle of a communications professional’s career. In addition, being able to include ‘Fellow PRSA’ after my name is a recognition I’ll never take lightly and one I will always appreciate. I am grateful to those who supported me in earning this prestigious honor.”

Marovitz, the immediate past president of PRSA-NCC, is a collegiate professor and chair of the public relations program at the Graduate School of the University of Maryland University College. He also serves as co-chair of the Universal Accreditation Board’s marketing and communications work group, and chair-elect of the PRSA’s Mid-Atlantic District. Marovitz retired from the Army in 2002 as a colonel after serving 30 years in a variety of public affairs positions.  (You can check out Capitol Communicator’s profile of Marovitz here.)

“This public relations profession has given me so much over the last 40-plus years,” said Marovitz. “Becoming a member of the College of Fellows, a group dedicated to the future of the profession, is a great honor for me. It is a chance to give back to the next generation, which fits in perfectly with what I think I need to be doing in this next phase of my career.”

For a complete list of the 2016 inductees to the PRSA College of Fellows, visit the PRSA website.