Canadian Public Relations Society Celebrates the Life and Career of Heather Pullen, MCM, APR, FCPRS with a New Major Award

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2020 /CNW/ - The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) was honoured to announce a new Major Award to recognize outstanding commitment to ethical public relations during its recent Annual General Meeting. The Award, named posthumously after its first honoree, the Heather Pullen Memorial Award for Ethical Public Relations, celebrates an accredited Canadian public relations professional who has demonstrated a commitment to upholding and advancing the values outlined in the CPRS Code of Professional Standards, and has practised public relations to the highest professional standards of honesty, accuracy, integrity and truth, and in alignment with the public interest and dignity of the individual.

"The establishment of this new Major Award recognizes the importance and value the CPRS places on creating a better understanding and awareness of ethical public relations practice among fellow practitioners," says Victor Vrsnik, MCM, APR, FCPRS, past National President. 

"The CPRS National Taskforce on Ethical PR nominated Heather Pullen for this award based on her professional and academic body both of which demonstrated leadership and continues to inspire integrity and ethical practice – not only in communications and public relations but in all facets of professional work," says Kim Blanchette, APR, Chart.PR, FCPRS, Chair, National Task Force on Ethical PR.

"Throughout her career, Heather showed great leadership in ethical public relations," added Vrsnik. "She demonstrated a commitment to the betterment of the organizations she served, the public interest and the profession by seeking mutually-beneficial outcomes. Heather authentically 'walked the talk', and personified the highest standards of transparency, ethics and integrity."

"As one of the authors of the CPRS definition for public relations, I believe Heather and her work not only exemplifies the core tenets and values of our professional work, but most importantly, that she lived that commitment by doing public relations in the public interest — the highest standard of our work," says Terence (Terry) Flynn, PhD, APR, FCPRS, Associate Professor & Academic Director, McMaster-Syracuse MCM Program.  

Pullen was an accredited public relations professional whose career spanned journalism, corporate communications and academia. She most recently worked as an educator and communications consultant based in Hamilton. She was manager of Public Relations at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) for 13 years, which she joined in 2002 after working for 10 years as a public relations consultant specializing in healthcare communications. Prior to that she was a member of the public relations department at The Toronto Hospital (Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals), and before that, a producer at CBC Radio. 

About CPRS
Founded in 1948, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) is a not-for-profit association of professionals dedicated to the practice, management and teaching of public relations and communications. Comprising 14 local societies, CPRS' mission is to build a national public relations and communications management community through professional development and accreditation, collaboration with thought leaders, a commitment to ethics and a code of professional standards, advocacy for the profession, and support to members at every stage of their careers.

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SOURCE Canadian Public Relations Society