Accreditation

Week 1 (9/10): Introduction, PR as a Management Function and Eras of PR History

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Katie Garfinkle, APR

Bio coming soon.

Week 2 (9/17): Understanding Models and Theories

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Edith Parten, APR

Edith is an accredited communications professional with diverse experience in public relations, marketing and broadcast news. She has experience in PR and marketing in the healthcare, higher education, k-12 education and tourism industry. Her broadcasting experience includes positions at KIRO TV in Seattle; WAAY and WAFF in Huntsville; WSFA in Montgomery, WTTG in D.C. and WSB in Atlanta.

She earned her Master of Science in Communications from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2019 where she received the “Outstanding Achievement in Public Relations” award. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and is a Crimson Tide fan.

Edith earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2012 and has been a member of the Public Relations Society of America and a member of the Alabama Chapter since 2009. She has presented on PR Models & Theories, led APR Bootcamp workshops and she has served as an instructor for the APR prep course. She has also served on boards as the VP of Education and Accreditation with the Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA) for the West Alabama and Montgomery Chapters.

Parten is the recipient of Gold and Silver PROMAX awards (global association for the entertainment and marketing industry), PRCA Awards of Excellence, numerous ADDY Awards from the Montgomery and Huntsville Advertising Federations, and she has two regional NATAS nominations for Emmy Awards.

Brandon Wilson, APR, Fellow PRSA

Brandon Wilson, APR, serves as Chairman, President and CEO of Wilbron Inc., a communications agency that helps some of the world’s largest companies have a positive impact in our world. Wilbron Inc. specializes in advancing business imperatives, while making our world more just and equitable for all.

Wilbron Inc. currently serves the communications needs of one of the world’s largest private equity companies in Apollo Global Management; the world’s largest nonprofit that’s dedicated to talent development for the underrepresented in INROADS; and the world’s largest interviewing company for the tech industry in Karat.

Their work also includes collaborations with Apple to introduce the world to a new college campus dedicated to spurring innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and with Serena Williams to double the number of Black engineers in the tech industry.

Brandon serves as a national board member for the PR Council, an organization that provides support to high performing PR agencies in the U.S. Brandon is also a board member for Global Impact Relations Institute, an organization that’s committed to advancing impact relations in the communications industry. And, Brandon serves on the board of directors for the Universal Accreditation Board, the national agency that administered the professional accreditation for the public relations industry. Brandon is an executive mentor to emerging leaders in corporate America. In this role he specializes in helping leaders unlock new areas of effectiveness along their leadership journeys.

Brandon is married to Shani Wilson. They have one daughter, Kenny Wilson (4 years old).

Week 3 (9/24): Leading the PR Function

Guest Instructor: Coming Soon

Bio coming soon.

Week 4 (10/1): Writing a PR Plan

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Helen Hays, APR

Helen Hays, APR, MEng, serves as the Director of Public Information for Jefferson County. She has more than 30 years-experience in public relations, media relations, crisis communication, radio and television news. Prior to joining the County Helen worked as the Chief Communication Officer for the YWCA of Central Alabama, and owned her own consulting firm for seven years. During her career she has managed crisis communications through one of the largest corporate accounting scandals in history at HealthSouth, two bank mergers at Regions Financial Corporation and proactively promoted fabulous events at Southern Living magazine. She also worked in economic development assisting in locating Mercedes Benz to the state and in the ad agency setting. Helen earned her bachelor’s in communication from the University of Alabama in 1989, and a master’s in Information Engineering Management from UAB in May 2013. She achieved her APR (Accreditation in Public Relations in 2000, was designated as a senior practitioner in 2005 from SPRF, and named PRCA Practitioner of the Year in 2007. She has also served as a past president of PRCA Birmingham, in numerous board positions for PRSA of Alabama. Helen is an avid whitewater enthusiast and scuba diver! She holds the following ACA (American Canoe Association) certifications: Level 4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor and Level 3 River Kayak Instructor Trainer. She is also an SSI certified Master Diver. She is married to Andy Shirey, a willing adventure partner!

Week 5 (10/8): Research

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Missy Burchart, APR, Fellow PRSA

Missy Burchart, APR, Fellow PRSA, is a public relations professional with more than 25 years of experience in corporate and agency communications. Her work spans multiple disciplines and includes elevating notable clients such as the Atlanta Ballet, Match.com, GE Plastics, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors—where she was part of the team that launched the Chevy Volt in 2010.

Prior to joining Wilbron, she served as Vice President of Communications and Development for a nonprofit in Birmingham, Ala., with a mission to improve literacy among adults in Central Alabama. During her tenure, she helped raise more than $1.4 million to support programs that reached over 35,000 adults annually to improve their literacy skills.

Missy joined Wilbron in July 2022 as Vice President of Public Relations and was later promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Her vision for the company and her commitment to developing emerging leaders quickly led to her elevation to the role of President and CEO. In 2023, Missy—along with Wilbron’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Brandon Wilson, and their team—was recognized for outstanding work, earning the prestigious Silver Anvil Award, the Public Relations Society of America’s gold standard. Wilbron won in the Most Effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Campaign category. This year, the Wilbron team earned a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence, once again being honored for their work in the Effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category.

Missy is a graduate of Auburn University and lives in Birmingham with her husband, Matt Burchart. She is an avid sports fan, enjoying everything from SEC football to hockey, though baseball holds a special place in her heart as her favorite sport. Her love of the game stems from various reasons, one of which includes how she met her husband.

Week 6 (10/15): Managing Relationships

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Sara Franklin, APR

A native of Hoover, Ala., Sara Franklin has nearly 15 years of public and community relations experience. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in public relations and communication studies at the University of Alabama in 2010 and she has a passion for communicating messages effectively.

Sara is currently serving as a Neurology Associate with UCB, a global pharmaceutical leader that focuses on creating valuable solutions that make improvements to the lives of people living with seizures. Prior to her role with UCB, Sara served as an Executive Director and Regional Director with the Epilepsy Foundation of America. In this role, she worked on communication initiatives surrounding social determinants of health and also worked with the Alabama Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey’s office on enacting Seizure Safe Schools legislation. Sara’s professional experience also includes several years as PR Director at a local public relations agency and experience working on numerous political campaigns.

Sara is an active nonprofit volunteer and board member across the state of Alabama. She has served on the Alabama Public Relations Society of America Board for the past 14 years and she is currently serving as the University of Alabama PRSA / PRSSA Liaison. She has been named a “Strong Her Shero” awardee by Birmingham’s Mayor Randall Woodfin; a Yellowhammer News Woman of Impact; and the PRSSA Outstanding National Professional Adviser of the Year. She is a member of Leadership Alabama's "Alabama Leadership Institute," the Junior League of Birmingham, the Hoover City Schools Foundation Board, the Bob O. Finley Committee for Character Education in Hoover City Schools and the Shades Mountain Baptist Church Women’s Leadership Team. She is also a graduate of the Leadership UAB Program and the Junior League's Leadership Institute Program.

Sara is an accredited public relations practitioner. Accreditation (APR) is a mark of distinction for public relations professionals who demonstrate their commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice, and who are selected based on broad knowledge, strategic perspective, and sound professional judgment.

Sara and her husband, Drew, have been married since 2012 and have three young boys who enjoy playing sports and being WILD! #RollTide

Week 7 (10/22): Applying Ethics and Law

Guest Instructor: Coming Soon

Bio coming soon.

Week 8 (10/29): Managing Issues and Crisis Communication

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Toni Herrera-Bast, APR

Toni Herrera-Bast serves as a Public Affairs Specialist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Birmingham Division. Previously served as the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. Only the second woman to lead the organization, she is the first minority woman to serve in this position. Tapped to lead the organization through a pivotal moment for chamber as they established their first strategic plan. Herrera-Bast previously served as the Vice President of Public Relations and Mission Impact for YWCA Central Alabama. She directs all public relations strategies, overseeing internal and external communications, social media activities, issues management, marketing, and crisis communications. In the two years at the YW, Herrera-Bast has elevated the brand by amplifying its storytelling through the media, growing its social media communities, and quickly pivoting to hold the organization’s first-ever virtual fundraiser. Prior to joining YWCA Central Alabama, Herrera-Bast was responsible for media Relations and crisis communications at Raleigh-Durham Airport. While there, she wrote and trained staff on the airport’s crisis communications plan, cultivated media relationships, and managed public and media relations during multiple issues, such as peaceful travel ban protest, severe weather conditions, and the government shutdown.

During her twenty years of public relations experience, Bast managed crisis communications for two major incidents at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, a fatality in the terminal and the UPS1354 aircraft crash. Herrera-Bast currently serves on the Addiction Prevention Coalition Advisory Board and is a graduate of the inaugural class of Leadership Hoover. She has previously served on the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Business Council, Hispanic Interest Coalition Board, Fiesta Board, and Public Relations of Alabama Board. She earned her Accreditation in Public Relations in 2015.

She holds a Bachelor of Art from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Master of Science from Troy University. She is the mother of 2. Jaxon, 20, graduate of Spain Park High School and currently attending Bluefield University in Virginia and Audrey, 8, currently a student at Brock’s Gap Intermediate.

Week 9 (11/5): Mock Panel Presentation and Test Prep Tips

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Ally Dorrough, APR, TMP

Born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, Ally Mills Dorrough, APR, TMP, received her bachelor's in public relations at Auburn University in 2011. Dorrough joined Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism in 2013 as its public relations coordinator and became the communications and marketing specialist in 2018. In 2023, she was promoted to communications and marketing manager for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism and Gulf Shores | Orange Beach Sports & Events, where she oversees PR, communications and marketing efforts for the sports/events, meetings and international markets.

Additionally, Dorrough is an elected member of the national PRSA Travel & Tourism Section Executive Committee (2024 national chair), Alabama PRSA Board of Directors (2024 president-elect), Auburn University Public Relations Advisory Council (2023-2025 secretary) and serves on the South Baldwin Chamber Foundation Board of Directors. She is Accredited in Public Relations (2019) and received the inaugural Alabama PRSA PR Professional of the Year Award in 2023.

Dorrough and her husband, Dan, have been married since 2012 and have two young children. Outside of work, Dorrough enjoys serving with the youth at her church, cooking, baking, preserving and all things Auburn (WAR EAGLE!).

Ashley Foster, APR

Bios coming soon.

Ashley Foster, APR

Sara Franklin, APR

Katie Garfinkle, APR

Beth Garfrerick, Ph.D., APR

Jonathan Gray, APR

Helen Hays, APR

Kristina Hendrix, APR

Teri Henley, APR

JaQuisha Hudson, APR

Jennifer Jenkins, APR

Mary Wilson, APR

Robby Johnson, APR

Adam Kelley, APR

Eliza Keasler, APR

Savannah Koplon, APR

Buffy Lockette, APR

Holly Lollar, APR

Robyn Mack, APR+M

David Majors, APR

John Matson, APR

Clark Maxwell, APR

Julie Clark McKinney, APR

Laura McPhail, APR

William Moak, APR, Fellow PRSA

Barbara Nash, APR

Deana Nunley, APR

Rachel Olis, APR

Louise C. Oliver, APR

Edith Parten, APR

Christian Patterson, APR+M, Fellow PRSA

Wes Phillips, APR

Philip Poole, APR, Fellow PRSA

Susan Poole, APR

Adam Pope, APR

Lori Quiller, APR

Bryan Rachal, II, APR

Amy Reagan, APR

David Rickey, APR

Denise Rowell, APR

Jody Glaeser Seal, APR

Julie Ross Senter, APR

Tracy Sims, MA, APR

Stacy Smith, APR, Fellow PRSA

LaShana Sorrell, MBA, APR

Garland Stansell, APR

Kevin Storr, APR

Michael Sznajderman, MA, APR

Bill Todd, APR

Chris Vessell, APR

Erin Vogt, APR

Hanlon Walsh, APR

Cindy Warner, APR

Erin Wendel-Ritter, APR

Carla Jean Whitley, APR

Tyrenda Williams-Reed, APR

Brandon Wilson, APR

Madeline Winkler, APR

Elaine Witt, APR

Megan Zamora, APR