The Public Relations Society of America National Capital Chapter (PRSA NCC) Announces 2023 Leadership
WASHINGTON (November 30, 2022) – PRSA NCC, the nation’s largest and most active Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), today announced its incoming leaders for 2023.
PRSA NCC supports communication professionals in the Washington area by fostering collaboration, enhancing knowledge and skills and creating connections through robust, innovative and inclusive educational, networking and professional growth opportunities.
Elected by the members, the 2023 Board of Directors is responsible for setting the Chapter’s strategic direction, overseeing Chapter programming, and cultivating the next generation of communications public relations professionals, as well as the governance and financial oversight of the organization.
The 2023 board will be led by Leah Dergachev, MBA, Head of External Communications at Olive.
“PRSA NCC has historically brought together communications professionals from the D.C. Metro area, providing a forum for collaboration, leadership, education and networking,” said Leah Dergachev. “We have an amazing board headed into 2023 and I look forward to our intended focus on membership growth and engagement, professional development and developing a strong leadership pipeline for the chapter.”
During her tenure as a Chapter leader, Dergachev served as Vice President, Chapter Delegate, DEI Chair, Membership Chair and Chair of the National Capital Excellence in Communication Awards (formerly the Thoth Awards). She was responsible for developing the mission statement for the DEI committee, leading the development of the strategic plan and organizing the Chapter’s Leadership Rally. In addition to PRSA NCC, she is also a member of American Marketing Association, the Junior League of Northern Virginia and Chief.
The 2023 PRSA NCC Board of Directors members are:
President
- Leah Dergachev, MBA, Head of External Communications, Olive
President-Elect
- Karin Drinkhall, APR and PMP, Deputy Director for Integrated Communications, Barbaricum
Treasurer
- Lisa Kiefer, Vice President, Morning Consult
Secretary
- Amanda Ponzar, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, CHC: Creating Healthier Communities
Vice-President, Two-Year Term
- Jaya Koilpillai Bohlmann, APR, Founder and Chief Consultant, Designing Communication
- Larry Parnell, Associate Professor and Program Director, The George Washington University
Vice-President, One-Year Term
- Patricia A. Hernandez, Ph.D., Assistant Director of the MA in Communication Program, Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs
Two-Year Directors
- Crystal Borde, Vice President and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practice Lead, Vanguard Communications
- Adiya Mobley, Senior Vice President and Partner, FleishmanHillard
- Mike Smith, CEO, GreenSmith PR and MSBD, Inc.
- Carol Wilkerson, Press Director, U.S. Small Business Administration
- John Yaglenski, Director of Communications and IT, IEEE-USA
- Southerlyn Marino Reisig, Founding Partner, Newport Partners Public Affairs
One-Year Directors
- Jennifer Boone Bemisderfer, Security Communications Lead, Amazon
- Allie Erenbaum, Senior Account Supervisor, Edelman
- Henry Kenney III, MPS, External Relations Analyst, Consumer and Entertainment, AARP
Immediate Past President
- Robert Krueger, Executive Communications Manager, Gensler and Executive Director, The Communications Board
About PRSA 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, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Join in the conversation by using the hashtag, #PRSANCC