UA’s Plank Center Adds Adviser, Re-Elects Leaders

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The board of advisers for The University of Alabama’s Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations has re-elected five members and added one new adviser, bringing the group to 23.

Advisers re-elected to three-year terms are:

• Mark Harris, vice president, communications, IBM Global Business Services, New York.
• Rick Looser, chief operating officer, The Cirlot Agency Inc., Mississippi.
• Diana Martinelli, associate dean of the P.I. Reed School of Journalism, West Virginia University.
• Bryan Reber, assistant department head, Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Georgia.
• Maria Russell, department chair and professor, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University.

“That all of these outstanding public relations experts and leaders agreed to continue their service to the Center and to its mission of developing leadership values and skills among public relations practitioners is a testament to the kind of leaders they are,” said Dr. Karla Gower, director of the Plank Center and Behringer Distinguished Professor in the department of advertising and public relations at UA.

The newly elected adviser is:

• Ron DeFeo, vice president, media relations & external communications, Darden Restaurants, Florida.

“We are delighted that Ron has agreed to join the board,” Gower said. “He has impressive leadership abilities that complement those of the leading academics and professionals in public relations serving on the board.”

About the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations

In 2005, the University of Alabama Board of Trustees established The Plank Center, named for public relations leader and UA alumna, the late Betsy Plank, to develop and recognize outstanding performance in the profession and classroom. Through a variety of programs, and in concert with groups and associations, the Center works to nurture and help develop outstanding leaders.

In addition to national leaders in the practice and education, the Center Board includes an ex officio position for the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America that represents more than 11,000 members in 300-plus colleges and universities.

The Center is housed in UA’s College of Communication and Information Sciences. UA’s public relations program, with nearly 600 students, is the largest undergraduate degree program within the College. The program is certified by the Public Relations Society of America and for five consecutive years has been ranked among the top five public relations programs in the country by PRWeek magazine.

More information about the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations can be found at www.plankcenter.ua.edu.