Jackie Clark Receives PRSA Midwest District Platinum Award
Jacqueline Clark Receives PRSA Midwest District Platinum Award,
PR Team of the Year Award
Greater Kansas City PRSA presents Clark with awards at annual awards program
Kansas City, Mo. (December 2, 2024) — The Greater Kansas City chapter of PRSA presented Jacqueline “Jackie” Clark, APR, Fellow PRSA with the Midwest District’s Platinum Award at its 2024 PRISM Awards Gala recently. 
The PRSA Midwest District Platinum Award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the organization, celebrating individuals whose work has had a lasting and meaningful impact on the public relations profession.
“Jackie leaves her own distinctive, indelible mark on everything she does,” said Erin Van Zee, APR, PRSA Midwest District 2024 Chair. “Jackie’s spirited, kind approach to leadership and mentorship has positively impacted both clients and colleagues, and her honesty and transparency have proven instrumental in PRSA’s success at the chapter, district and national levels.”
Greater Kansas City PRSA chapter President Bridget Koan, APR, presented the award and noted, “As a volunteer in PRSA or throughout her career, she maintains the highest ethical standards, and she sets the bar high for effective stakeholder engagement to achieve the objectives for the businesses and organizations she has represented. We know that she will continue to shine and we look forward to seeing how she continues to deliver excellence in the work she does.”
Clark was nominated by the leadership of the Greater Kansas City chapter of PRSA. Clark
Clark is the proud first and only professional advisor to the Mizzou Public Relations Student Society of America chapter. She has led the boards of directors for public relations, business, civic, arts, education, health and human services organizations. She served as president of the Greater Kansas City chapter of PRSA and served two terms as the Midwest Director on the PRSA board. In 2010, she was named PR Professional of the Year by the chapter and was inducted into the PRSA College of Fellows. She was honored as the Colorado PRSA PR Professional of the Year in 2022. She has earned numerous awards for effective government relations, public affairs and communications programs.
In addition to the award, the district contributed $250 to a charitable organization of the
“I had the good fortune to know Inez when she worked with us at the Missouri Lottery,” Clark said. “Her legacy continues to inspire me, and I hope to be as inspirational to others as Inez was for PR professionals throughout Kansas City, Missouri and the US.”
Previous Platinum Award honorees from the Greater Kansas City PRSA chapter include Debra Peterson, APR, Fellow (2022). Clark is the only Missourian to have received this award since its inception. Peterson resides in Kansas.
Clark also accepted the prestigious PR Team of the Year on behalf of the Holcim US Government Relations team at the PRISM Awards.
“It is an amazing achievement and recognition for our team,” Clark said. “We are thrilled to be honored with the award. We all went above and beyond the usual government relations and public affairs responsibilities in 2024. Our portfolios expanded significantly to include extensive stakeholder engagement supporting carbon pollution reduction and low carbon materials grants as well as initiating engagement with Native American stakeholders. The team has been integral in securing state incentives for the future headquarters for the Holcim North American spin off company.”
About PRSA Midwest District
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) empowers its members to succeed at every stage of their careers through a wide breadth of professional development, networking and leadership opportunities. PRSA’s Midwest District is one of 10 PRSA Districts and includes 12 Chapters: Central Illinois, Chicago, Greater Kansas City, Iowa, Madison, Mid-Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northeastern Wisconsin, Southeastern Wisconsin, Southwest Missouri and St. Louis. The Midwest District’s goal is to support Chapters and their members by offering professional and leadership development at a regional level that complements national and local programs. For more information, visit www.prsamdc.org.
About Greater Kansas City PRSA
The Greater Kansas City PRSA chapter is a chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. PRSA is the nation’s largest professional organization serving the communications community. The organization’s mission is to make communications professionals smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career. PRSA achieves this by offering its members thought leadership, innovative lifelong learning opportunities to help them develop new skills, enhance their credibility and connect with a strong network of professionals. The organization sets the standards of professional excellence and ethical conduct for the public relations industry. PRSA collectively represents more than 30,000 members consisting of communications professionals spanning every industry sector nationwide and college and university students who encompass the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Learn more about PRSA at www.prsa.org.
Kansas City, Missouri student receives 2024 Inez Kaiser Scholarship
The Greater Kansas City Public Relations Society of America chapter announces the winner of the 2024 Inez Y. Kaiser GKC-PRSA Memorial Scholarship Fund Award is Robert Hill, 20, from Kansas City, Missouri.
Hill graduated from Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in Kansas City, Missouri. He attends Howard University in Washington, DC and will be a junior this fall. Hill is majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in sports administration.
In his scholarship application, Hill said one of his biggest goals in life has always been to communicate a positive message on television. When researching ways he could do that, he said broadcast journalism seemed like the best major for him.
“I am also a good writer as well when it comes to telling stories, especially my own,” Hill said in his application. “I realized that I could communicate a positive message and inspire through the process of storytelling. Crafting narratives, whether through writing, speaking or visual mediums is something that I found interesting. The ability to communicate stories effectively, to captivate an audience and to evoke emotion through words is such a powerful thing to me.”
Hill said his career goal is to work in the news industry, which may eventually lead him to public relations. He said he wants to contribute to seeing more Black journalists in newsrooms.
When asked about being a recipient of the Kaiser Scholarship, Hill said the funds will be a great help.
“I feel grateful and happy to receive this scholarship,” Hill said. “I also get to be part of a community that continues the legacy of Inez Kaiser.”
The GKC-PRSA chapter, in memory of Inez Y. Kaiser, established the Inez Y. Kaiser Memorial Scholarship Fund in 2021. Kaiser was a Kansas City public relations pioneer who was the first Black woman in the nation to own a public relations firm with national clients. Hill is the 10th Kaiser Scholar. Contributions to the scholarship fund can also be made, which helps future public relations professionals.
Additional Background on Inez Kaiser
Inez Kaiser was born in Kansas City, Kansas in 1918. She graduated from Pittsburgh State University, was an educator first but became a businesswoman and public relations professional of many other firsts. In 1957, she founded Inez Kaiser & Associates. In 1963, she was the first Black woman to establish a national public relations firm with national clients in a Commerce bank building in downtown Kansas City – unheard of at the time. She was the first Black woman to join the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. She soon had an impressive roster of local (e.g., Commerce Bank, J.E Dunn Construction, Hallmark) and national (e.g., Lever Brothers, Burger King, Sears) clients.
It was her passionate commitment to volunteerism that defined her. She established the Jackson County Chapter of the LINKS of which Vice President Kamala Harris is a prominent national member. Kaiser was the first Black woman to join the Public Relations Society of America in 1966. She won many local and national awards. She was an advisor to Presidents Nixon and Ford to help Black businesswomen but crossed the political aisle when as her son says, “she voted for Obama.”
Additional Background on GKC-PRSA
The Greater Kansas City PRSA chapter is a community of public relations and communications professionals across the Kansas City area, from recent college graduates to leaders of some of the largest firms, agencies, and non-profits. Our members represent nearly every practice area and professional and academic setting within the public relations field. In addition, we support students from across the Midwest who are members of their campus Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapters. We hold virtual and in-person events to enhance our professional growth. Our chapter also boasts signature events, such as our annual PRISM Awards gala honoring the year’s best in communications excellence. At GKC-PRSA our mission is to be the professional resource and advocate for Kansas City’s Communications community.
