Watch the video above and click here.
Speaker: Troy Blackwell, Jr.
Candidate for NYC Council, Obama White House Alum, and Fmr. Board member of PRSA-NY + PRSA Tri-state


When: Thursday, June 24, 2021, at 12 p.m. EST via Zoom

Sponsored by: Butler University Strategic Communication Graduate Programs 

Second Leadership Forum Focuses on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
PRSA ECD’s quarterly Leadership Forum is June 24 from 12 p.m.-12:30 p.m. and will focus on diversity, equity and inclusion with an emphasis on a question from the district’s recent online survey. A question from the survey was, “Is your chapter leadership able to have difficult or uncomfortable discussions about increasing diversity and inclusion in your leadership and membership?” 92 percent of respondents expressed confidence in having difficult conversations about increasing diversity in leadership and membership. Our speaker is Troy Blackwell, Jr. of New York. ECD issued an online survey in April focusing on DE&I. ECD chapter leaders and DE&I chairs of 13 chapters completed it. To view ECD’s DE&I leadership development proposal, click here.

Forums are open to PRSA and PRSSA chapter leaders and members of the district. ECD 2021 Leadership Forums are sponsored by Butler University Strategic Communication Graduate programs. ECD board secretary Kaylin Staten, APR (PRSA West Virginia Chapter) and director-at-large member Jennifer Kramer, APR (PRSA Akron Chapter) are co-chairs of the Leadership Forums.

About Troy:
A champion for diversity, Troy is a seasoned communications strategist who is currently running for New York City Council. Before running for office, Troy served as Traveling Trips Director for the Biden-Harris campaign where he produced over 150 events all while navigating the COVID pandemic. Troy was the co-executive producer of the televised 2020 election eve concert with John Legend and Lady Gaga. Previous experience includes serving as Head of Press Logistics for Philanthropist Tom Steyer, National Press Advance Lead for Kamala Harris, publicist for Color of Change, and fellow in the Obama White House. In 2019, Troy was the Senior Director for PRSA-NY’s Big Apple Awards where he drove partnerships with over 50 public relations agencies on diversity pipeline initiatives and awarded Beyonce’s longtime publicist Yvette Noel-Schure. Troy is the youngest member on the Board of Advisors for the Museum of Public Relations and was one of the top leaders to participate at the public relations industry’s first-ever event to celebrate the field’s thriving LGBTQ community. Troy is on the education committee for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade where they award over 100 scholarships, the Board of Directors for the Black Public Relations Society-NY, and NY Urban League Young Professionals committee. Troy was the keynote speaker for the Broom Center Distinguished lecture in Public Relations and has been recognized as PRWeek’s 2020 Most Purposeful person under 30, Crain’s New York Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives 2020, and PRSA-NY’s 15 under 35 award for top communicators.
 
Social Media Links:
https://twitter.com/troyblackwelljr
https://www.linkedin.com/in/troyblackwelljr/
https://www.instagram.com/troyblackwelljr/
 
Website:
https://troyforthebronx.com/

Learn more about Butler University’s Strategic Communication Graduate Programs here.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Resources
PRSA ECD’s DE&I Leadership Development Proposal
PRSA’s Diversity and Inclusion Section
PRSA’s DE&I Toolkit
Akron Chapter Presentation: Uncovering Unconscious Bias in Communications
Central Ohio Chapter Podcast Episode 6: How to Create Action and Stand Against Systemic Racism and Implicit Bias
Cincinnati Chapter DE&I Resources
Detroit Chapter Diversity Committee
Greater Cleveland Chapter Article: Becoming A More Inclusive Communicator
Hoosier Chapter Blog Post: What DE&I Will Mean For Us As A Chapter This Year
Pittsburgh Chapter DE&I Resources
West Michigan Chapter Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Resources
West Virginia Chapter Webinar: LGBTQ Communication Awareness and Effectiveness

Download more resources here.
This event is sponsored by Butler University Strategic Communication Graduate Programs.