Two MPRC Members Earn Accreditation in Public Relations
Martha Davoli, director of public information and media services at Maine Medical Center and Abby Greenfield, community relations manager at Maine Medical Center, earned Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in May. - 9/19/2006
Accreditation in Public Relations is a voluntary certification program administered by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), a partnership of nine public relations organizations from across the United States and Puerto Rico. MPRC has been a member of UAB since the board?s inception in 1998.
Candidates for APR must demonstrate broad knowledge, experience and professionalism in the field of public relations. The APR examination process includes the Readiness Review, an oral presentation of the candidate?s professional accomplishments and understanding of ethical issues to a panel of APRs, and a multiple-choice, computer-based examination.
Davoli and Greenfield, who participated in MPRC?s APR review program prior to taking the examination, pursued accreditation as a means of affirming their years of experience in the public relations profession.
?I'd been thinking for years about pursuing Accreditation in Public Relations,? said Davoli. ?Finally, I decided I wouldn't know if I could achieve this goal if I didn't make a try. I saw it as a way to test my professional knowledge and enhance the skills I already had.?
Greenfield noted, ?I was debating between getting my Masters or APR. I chose the APR first because it's a shorter process, more flexible and more directly applicable to the work I do every day.?
Davoli and Greenfield join a growing list of MPRC members who have earned APR status?a full 10 percent of MPRC?s membership are accredited. For more information on the Accreditation in Public Relations Program, visit the UAB website, www.praccreditation.org. or contact Judy Katzel, APR, MPRC?s Accreditation Chair at judy@burgessadv.com.