Jeff Wilson, APR, to be honored June 7 by PRSA Richmond with Excellence in Public Relations Award

Jeff Wilson, APR, is being honored by PRSA Richmond as this year’s Excellence in Public Relations Award winner. The award, being presented June 7 at the 76th Virginia Public Relations Awards in Richmond, recognizes the achievement of a seasoned public relations practitioner who has made an ongoing commitment to the advancement of the profession.

With nearly 30 years of communications experience, Wilson serves as vice president of workplace culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and chief of staff at Padilla. As a member of the agency’s Cabinet (senior leadership team), he is responsible for workplace culture programs, internal communications and DEI initiatives. He also provides DEI strategic counsel to clients across a variety of industries, as part of the agency’s Social Impact Consultancy, and speaks nationally on DEI and social impact issues. He previously led the agency marketing team. Wilson, states a release, has specific expertise in community relations, grassroots marketing, issues management, and higher education.

He has held several leadership positions within the community and on the national board of directors for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). He serves on the board (executive committee) for the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. He previously served as co-chair of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame advisory committee, chair for MENTOR Virginia, president of the Richmond Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA Richmond), and president of the Richmond Public Relations Foundation, which recently named a scholarship on his behalf for Richmond Region college students of color.