Fourteen Public Relations Professionals Attain Industry Accreditation

TORONTO - The Canadian Public Relations Society Inc. (CPRS) is pleased to introduce Canada's newest accredited in public relations (APR) professionals. Fourteen CPRS members from across Canada successfully completed the requirements to become accredited members of the Society in 2014. The newly accredited professionals will be recognized in front of industry peers on the first day of the annual Canadian Public Relations Conference in Montreal, Quebec May 31- June 2, 2015.

To become accredited and earn the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation, a candidate must engage in specialized studies, pass rigorous written and oral examinations, and submit a detailed work sample. To qualify for the accreditation process, a candidate must have earned a solid reputation of integrity and high ethical standards while completing a minimum of five years of full-time employment in public relations and communications management.

"Fourteen members of CPRS achieved an important professional milestone in the public relations field by becoming the newest accredited professionals in Canada," said Nancy Hutton, APR, Presiding Officer of the CPRS National Council on Accreditation. "On behalf of CPRS and all members of the Society, I applaud our newest APRs for making such a significant commitment to themselves and to the profession! Earning the Accreditation designation proves that these 14 practitioners have met the highest standards within the public relations profession. I look forward to recognizing them on stage at the National Conference in Montreal."

The APR, the highest global professional standard of excellence in public relations, has been recognized around the world for more than 50 years. Employers and clients hiring public relations practitioners with an APR can be confident they are getting leaders in public relations who are recognized in and outside of the profession for their knowledge, experience, expertise and ethics.

CPRS Members who received their APR designation in 2014 are:

Daryl Barnhart, APR 
Niagara Region 
(Thorold, ON) 
Member of CPRS Hamilton    

Deborah Bowers, APR
Folklorama
(Winnipeg, MB)
Member of CPRS Manitoba     

Ashley Brown, APR
ABCD - Ashley Brown Communications + Design 
(Toronto, ON)
Member of CPRS Toronto


Pereina Choudhury, APR
Faye Clack Communications Inc.
(Toronto, ON)
Member of CPRS Toronto    

Katia Collette, APR
Education Quality and Accountability Office
(Toronto, ON)
Member of CPRS Toronto
(formerly of SQPRP)     

Heather Follis, APR
City of Victoria
(Victoria, BC)
Member of CPRS Vancouver Island 

Mark Ingram, APR
Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs
(Toronto, ON)
Member of CPRS Toronto     

Janine Ivings, APR
Town of Oakville
(Oakville, ON)
Member of CPRS Hamilton     

Miriam Lauzon, APR
Capital Image, Inc.
(Montréal, QC)
Member of SQPRP / Québec 

Mike Lupien, APR
Unrestricted Public Relations
(Edmonton, AB)
Member of CPRS Edmonton     

Petronilla Ndebele, APR
Waterloo Wellington Local 
Health Integration Network
(Kitchener, ON)
Member of CPRS National     

Marc Poisson, APR
Le Cabinet de relations publiques 
NATIONAL inc. 
(Montréal, QC)
Member of SQPRP / Québec 

Jaclyn Spurrell, APR
Alberta Blue Cross
(Edmonton, AB)
Member of CPRS Edmonton     

Kari Veno, APR
Milton Public Library
(Milton, ON)
Member of CPRS National 

About CPRS Founded in 1948, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) is a not-for-profit organization whose members are engaged in the practice, management or teaching of public relations. Members work to maintain the highest standards and to share a uniquely Canadian experience in public relations. CPRS is a federation of over 1,800 members across 14 Member Societies based in major cities or organized province-wide.