PR Industry Leaders Brenda K. Foster and Anne Woodbury to Be Inducted Into the National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame

WASHINGTON, (November 26, 2024) — The Public Relations Society of America – National Capital Chapter (PRSA NCC) announces the induction of Brenda K. Foster, MPA, and Anne Woodbury into the National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame. Foster and Woodbury will be honored at the PRSA NCC Hall of Fame and Holiday Party Reception on Tuesday, December 17 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Early bird pricing for tickets is available until Friday, November 29, 2024 and final pricing until Friday, December 13, 2024, midnight EST.

PRSA NCC started the National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame in 1999 by inducting 50 leaders with significant accomplishments in the public relations field as part of the chapter’s 50th anniversary celebration. The Hall of Fame honorees combined hold more than a thousand awards, distinctions, honorary degrees, advisory positions, charity board seats, and who’s who citations among them. This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony is generously sponsored by AARP.

“The PRSA NCC Board of Directors joins me in congratulating Brenda K. Foster and Anne Woodbury for this important distinction of lifelong achievements and their transformative work,” said PRSA NCC President Karin Drinkhall, APR, PMP. “Both inductees have used the power of communications and their exemplary leadership as a force for good, to advocate for a healthier world and underserved communities. Both inductees have also demonstrated an unwavering dedication to service through community engagement and mentorship of countless colleagues and communicators over the course of their careers.”

Inductee Brenda K. Foster, MPA has practiced public relations in the greater Washington area for more than 30 years shaping public policy and driving social change. She is currently the Senior Vice President and Chief of Innovation at Vanguard Communications, a Hispanic woman-owned public relations and social marketing firm specializing in advancing social issues. Throughout her career, Foster has led successful campaigns to establish a national monument in the wildlands of Southern Utah, reshape America’s food system to deepen the connection between consumers and family farmers, and decrease discrimination and stigma related to mental health issues.

Foster is currently an Adjunct Professional Lecturer at the School of Communications at American University and has mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students and up-and-coming PR professionals for close to a decade. Foster also has served as a mentor for Vanguard’s Comunicadores for the Future program where she provided career guidance and support to young communicators from diverse backgrounds.

A dedicated advocate to the impact of PR, Foster was one of the co-founders of the now 19-year-old Progressive Communicators of D.C. (PCDC), which is a vital platform for people working in traditional communications and new media who are committed to social causes and organizations. The organization now boasts more than 1,640 members.

A prized speaker and media trainer, Foster is co-author of Evaluating Social Change, a paper on communications measurement. She is also a sought-after contributor to numerous media outlets, trade publications and organizations including, Georgetown University, National Association of Government Communicators, NBC News Think, Prevention Medicine Reports, Social Marketing Quarterly, Washington Women in Public Relations, and Whitman-Walker Health. Foster currently serves as a Wish Granter for Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. She previously served as the Chair of the Manassas Park City School Board, as a Girl Scout troop leader, and as a board member for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC DC Metro).

Foster’s project teams have been honored with multiple awards including, Bronze and Silver Telly Awards, a Clarion Award, IABC’s Silver Inkwell Award, and the National Association of Government Professionals’ Blue Pencil Award. She was also named a Top Woman in PR by PR News as well as a finalist for the Washington Women in Public Relations’ PR Woman of the Year Award.

“I’m deeply honored to be recognized among such revered public relations pioneers,” said Brenda K. Foster, MPA. “It has been a privilege to dedicate my career to uplifting social causes, and I’m profoundly grateful to the mentors who have guided me, the colleagues who have challenged and supported me, and my family, whose encouragement has been the foundation of this extraordinary professional journey.”

Inductee Anne Woodbury is an entrepreneur, healthcare strategist, and author with more than 30 years working in government, integrated communications and public affairs to develop and execute breakthrough campaigns that drive improvements in pressing healthcare issues. She is currently the CEO and founder of CURA Strategies – Latin for care, concern and attention to others – a bipartisan strategic communications and public affairs agency. Her and her team’s powerful communications campaigns have helped shape national policies and made a positive impact on countless people’s lives and wellness. She has worked with major clients and the federal government on campaigns to fight COVID-19, destigmatize mental health and addiction, elevate diabetes and obesity on the national agenda, and promote health equity. In the process, her wisdom and mentoring have helped shape the careers of the next generation of PR professionals.

Some of Woodbury’s professional achievements include launching more than a dozen coalitions in her career such as serving as the Chief Health Advocate for the Center of Health Transformation and the top leader for Advocates for Opioid Recovery and Mental Health for U.S., both bi-partisan initiatives elevating mental health and addiction during the presidential election. Woodbury created the Advocacy Accelerator resource hub, a free library of tools and frameworks that help advocacy professionals achieve their policy goals. She also developed the Advocacy Academy, an online platform which offers Masterclass-like educational content so that nonprofessional advocates can learn how to be effective on the Hill and in State Capitols for themselves and their organizations.

Woodbury’s ethos of caring for others is demonstrated by her intense generosity with her team. She takes a hands-on approach to professional development and created ForwardU, which offers both in-house education and outside training reimbursement, which encourages the team to pursue trainings that help their professional growth.

Woodbury also gives back through philanthropic work. She developed CURA Cares to encourage her team to volunteer and care for community members in the D.C. region. The team volunteers throughout the year supporting such nonprofits as DC Central Kitchen, Youthcast Media Group, and the Salvation Army. She spent nearly a decade as a Cub Scout leader, currently serves on the board of Eastern Fairfax Young Life and is the founding treasurer of Justice High School’s Publication Booters. She also serves on the board of Gingrich 360.

Under Woodbury’s leadership, she and her team have received multiple awards including, the PRovoke Award for Boutique Agency of the Year, the SABRE Award for GlobalNews Agency of the Year, the Stevie Award for Start-Up of the Year in Business Services, the American Business Awards for North American News Agency of the Year, the Bulldog Reporter Award for Best Use of Social Media, and the Ragan Communications/PR Daily Award for Health Care Campaign of the Year. She is also the recipient of PR News’ Top Women in PR Awards.

“Receiving this distinguished award is a testament to the magnificent teams I’ve had the privilege to work with and the generous mentorship throughout my career,” said Anne Woodbury. “To be added to the list of distinguished D.C. PR giants like Martha Boudreau and Bill Novelli, two individuals who have had a significant impact on my life, is overwhelming.”

Criteria for induction in the PRSA NCC Public Relations Hall of Fame includes 30 or more years of distinguished accomplishments, visionary leadership, mentoring, commitment to the profession, positive and significant impacts on the industry, and contributions to the local public relations community. Inductees must have worked in the Washington, D.C., area for at least 10 years. To view the list of Hall of Fame members, visit www.prsancc.org/about-us/leadership/hall-fame-members.

Tickets for the National Capital Hall of Fame and Holiday Party Reception on December 17 are available at https://www.prsancc.org.

About PRSA’s National Capital Chapter
The PRSA National Capital Chapter (PRSA NCC) is an association of communications professionals in the Metropolitan Washington region. As the largest PRSA chapter in the country, NCC advances the local communications profession by fostering collaboration, enhancing knowledge and skills and creating connections through robust, up-to-date, and inclusive educational, networking, and professional growth opportunities. For more information, please visit prsancc.org, or connect with us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook. Join in the conversation by using the hashtag, #PRSANCC and the event hashtag, #HallofFame24

CONTACT:
Lauren Lawson-Zilai, PRSA NCC Past President and Hall of Fame Chair
info@prsancc.org