Do You Want To Be APR? - Virtual Event

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Accreditation in Public Relations is a two-part credentialing program designed to demonstrate knowledge of the critical advanced PR and communications skills. Join PRSA Nashville to learn about the process to earn accreditation. This virtual informational session will include an opportunity to ask questions about the process from those who have successfully navigated it. And, there will be an opportunity to network and share with others considering pursuing accreditation. Among the topics the panel will discuss include:

• how to navigate the APR process 
• the value of accreditation
• do’s and don’ts of preparing for the panel presentation
• study tips & resources

Moderated by Nashville Chapter Accreditation Chair Claire Hill, APR

Claire Hill, APR has experience working in marketing and communications with community banks, as well as electric and farmers cooperatives. She is the assistant editor of The Cooperator, a publication that connects the Co-op community, and works closely with senior staff at Tennessee Farmers Cooperative on a variety of corporate communications efforts. Tennessee Farmers Co-op is recognized as one of the strongest federated farm supply cooperative systems in the nation.  Claire teaches mass communications classes as an adjunct professor at Columbia State Community College, serves on the Arts Council for the City of Columbia, is an ambassador for Maury Alliance, and is a member of the Cooperative Communicators Association.

Panelists are:

Ivy Johnson, APR joined MP&F in 2021 after nine years with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development communications division, where she managed the department’s internal and external communications. Ivy’s specialties include social media, marketing material development, branding, research and digital communications. She is a PRSA Nashville director-at-large and is the past board secretary and Diversity and Inclusion chair. She is also a member of Together Digital and is the past vice president of the Nashville chapter and past Diversity and Inclusion chair. Ivy earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations from Middle Tennessee State University and her master’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in journalism and sociology from the University of Memphis.

Meredith Libbey, APR works in communications for Ford Motor Credit, a Ford Motor Company subsidiary. She previously worked for Metro Nashville Public Schools with responsibility for communications and customer service as well as in banking in marketing research, advertising, and training and professional development. Meredith has an MBA in marketing and organization management from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and economics from Mount Holyoke College. She was PRSA Nashville chapter president in 2020 and a PRSA Southeast District director in 2021. She serves on the national PRSA Board of Ethics and Professional Standards and on the Accreditation Marketing Committee.

Noelle Mashburn, M.A., APR, is an experienced communications leader with a diverse professional background: utilities, hospital & healthcare, higher education, public education, and broadcast news. She is skilled in strategic communications planning, public relations, crisis communications, media relations, public speaking, content development and management, social media management, and videography and print design. A lifelong learner, Noelle earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 2007. She serves as the director of communications for White House Utility District, Tennessee’s largest geographic utility, the part-time communications director for Hendersonville First United Methodist Church, and teaches media relations at Belmont University.