Congratulations to Melissa Simontis, APR!

Kudos to Melissa Simontis, APR, for successfully passing the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations and becoming an Accredited public relations practitioner. She is the development director for PACE Center for Girls, Lee County. Melissa joins an elite group of approximately 6,000 public relations professionals worldwide who have achieved Accreditation, including 26 from our chapter of FPRA.

The exam tests the candidate’s knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of public relations, and the preparation is a time consuming challenge of reading, memorizing and studying. Achieving the APR designation is evidence of Melissa’s high degree of professional expertise and is a testament to her personal determination. Congratulations, Melissa!

For those of you who are considering making this commitment to your professional development, it may interest you to learn that the APR status is recognized not only by FPRA, but also PRSA and seven other PR associations. And, perhaps more importantly, an accredited practitioner generally earns 20 percent more than non-Accredited members. If you want to join this elite group, contact credential co-chairs Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC at mary@briggsrogers.com or Kara Winton, APR, CPRC at pkwinton@earthlink.net.