ECD August Chapter Spotlight: A Toast to PRSA Dayton
Poet Paul Laurence Dunbar gave loving praise to his hometown in “A Toast to Dayton,” calling it the “brightest gem” in “Dear Ohio’s diadem.” The August edition of the East Central District Chapter Spotlight celebrates PRSA Dayton for its 60 years of contribution to the shining history of the “Gem City,” a place members are proud to call “home.”
The PRSA Dayton Area Chapter was established Nov. 7, 1966. The original Dayton/Miami Valley Chapter was one of three PRSA chapters (including Alabama and Southern Connecticut) to be approved by the national assembly that year. In July of 1967, East Central District Chair Herbert Flint visited Dayton and reported that the chapter had 18 members and potential for up to 60 members.
In fact, the chapter rose to 70 members, though the current membership of 50 reflects a common decline seen among many chapters across the district. In a nod to its jeweled crown history, the chapter rebranded its PRism Awards to the “Gem City PR Awards” in 2023. The ECD honored PRSA Dayton with the PRominent Award in 2023 and 2024. PRSA Dayton past presidents who have served as ECD chair include Mark Weinstein (2025) and Mark Pompilio (2026).
PRSA Dayton was the first chapter profiled when ECD began Chapter Spotlight recognitions in 2019. At the time, membership was strong in agencies, healthcare, and higher education. The Biggest Project was Media Day, the Proudest Moment was PRism Awards, the origin of the annual “Smitty Award” was a Fun Fact, and the Secret to Happy Chapter was, “A close-knit community with supportive mentoring advice to help everyone grow.”
PRSA President Niki Mayakova and President-Elect Claudine Bennett were proud to bring us up to date with their replies to our 2026 Chapter Spotlight questions:
How many APRs are in the chapter? About 12% of our active members have earned their APR accreditation. Over the years, around 20 professionals in our chapter have achieved this credential.
Describe the member breakdown in PR sectors represented in the chapter: Our members work in corporate communications, marketing agencies, nonprofits, government, and higher education throughout the Miami Valley. Healthcare remains a strong sector, and this year, more local government PIOs have joined us.
What are your Biggest Projects? We hold two signature events each year, the Gem City PR Awards and Media Day. Beyond those, this year we’ve been focusing on consistent, high-quality monthly programming: real-life crisis case studies, social media and digital marketing, a behind-the-scenes agency tour, a volunteer day at Hannah’s Treasure Chest, and more. The response from members has been our best in years.
What is your Proudest Moment? We are very proud of the outstanding local entries we received for the 2026 Gem City PR Awards. The scores were so high that nearly every entry was in the running for Best of Show. This awards season showed us just how much PR, marketing, and communications talent our region has.
What is PRSA Dayton’s Biggest Achievement? Established in November of 1966, our chapter turns 60 this year. As of 2026, we serve over 1,600 Dayton Metro Area PR, marketing, and communications professionals.
Could you share a Fun Fact about your Chapter? Our top chapter honor, the Communications Professional of the Year Award, is still called “The Smitty” in memory of Rex Smith. He was a beloved Dayton PR veteran for 40 years and won the award himself in 1988. Over the years, the award has celebrated many local legends, including Baseball Hall of Fame sportswriter Si Burick, Dayton Daily News (1983), longtime news anchor Don Wayne, WHIO-TV, known as the “Walter Cronkite of Dayton” (1985), and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News, of Mother Goose & Grimm (1987).
Give us your Secret to a Happy Chapter: Replacing competition with authentic community. Our chapter is built on having a group of trusted allies—from municipal PIOs and healthcare leads to agency pros—who you can text when a crisis hits, lean on for career advice, and laugh with over coffee. When every individual win feels like a collective victory, communicators at every stage of their career feel seen and truly at home. And nothing describes Dayton better than “home.”
Final words from Paul Laurence Dunbar’s A Toast to Dayton: And our city, shall we fail her? Or desert her gracious cause? Nay – with loyalty we hail her – And revere her righteous laws. – She shall ever claim our duty, – For she shines- the brightest gem – That has ever decked with beauty – Dear Ohio’s diadem.
2026 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- President/ECD Rep – Niki Mayakova
- President Elect/Awards Chair – Claudine Regina Bennett
- Past President – Bryan Suddith
- Treasurer – Stacy Porter
- Secretary – Hannah Krafka
- APR Accreditation Chair – Kristen Bowser
- Membership Chair – Madeline Hart
- PRSSA Liaison – Julie Thompson
- Programs Co-Chair – Kathy Carrico
- Program Co-Chair – Emily Gay
- Communications Chair – Emily Taylor Gilles
- Ethics Officer – Mark Weinstein
- Member at Large – Steven Solomon
Our chapter is built on having a group of trusted allies who you can text when a crisis hits, lean on for career advice, and laugh with over coffee. When every individual win feels like a collective victory, communicators at every stage of their career feel seen and truly at home. And nothing describes Dayton better than “home.”
