CONTACT:
Mary Graybill, APR – 2006 Chair, Universal Accreditation Board
310-441-2899 / mary@graybillcom.com

Universal Accreditation Board Announces New Leadership,

Connects with Human Resource Profession

NEW YORK, March 20, 2006 – The Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), the leading certification body for the public relations profession, announced that it has rotated two members into key leadership positions; reappointed a prominent human resource executive as a public member; and appointed or reappointed several other professionals to the board.

Mary Graybill, APR has been appointed 2006 UAB chair. She is principal of Graybill Communications, Los Angeles, and represents PRSA on the UAB. Marisa Vallbona, APR has been appointed vice chair. She is president of CIM Incorporated, La Jolla, CA, and also represents PRSA.

Gerry Crispin, SPHR, has been reappointed to a second one-year term as public member. He serves ex officio as a representative of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Crispin is “chief navigator” of international consulting firm CareerXroads. He speaks frequently on best recruiting practices and is often quoted on human resource issues by top-tier business publications. Crispin has served on SHRM’s board of directors and as chair of its national employment committee. He is currently on the board of the Employment Management Association.

“Gerry’s presence on the UAB is strengthening our ties to recruiters and other human resource professionals as we make strides to build value for the APR designation outside our own profession,” said Graybill. “His experience also gives us insight into the highly regarded certification process of another industry.”

“The hallmark of a true profession is its ability to define and agree upon a unique body of knowledge. Certification confirms that a person has mastered that knowledge,” Crispin said. “I’ve had the privilege as a volunteer with SHRM to see how the organization’s consistent support for certification has advanced the human resource profession and fostered a new generation of practitioners that are better aligned with their firms’ business goals. The UAB,in partnership with the public relations associations that support it, is clearly on a similar path with the APR designation.”

These professionals have been appointed by their respective organizations to new terms on the UAB, joining the 25 other professionals currently serving:

• Edward M. Bury, APR – CCIM Institute, Chicago, IL
• Merrie Meyers-Kershaw, APR, Fellow PRSA – Broward County Public Schools, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Representing Public Relations Society of America

These professionals have been reappointed to a second term on the UAB:

• David R. Grossman, APR – David Grossman and Associates, Chicago, IL
• Chad L. Perry, APR – University of New Mexico – Valencia Campus, Los Lunas, NM
• Natalie R. Smith, APR – CRT/tanaka, Richmond, VA

Representing Public Relations Society of America

• Jay D. Rayburn, APR, Fellow PRSA – Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Representing Florida Public Relations Association

Anthony W. D’Angelo, APR continues to serve on the UAB as liaison to the PRSA board of directors.

The Universal Accreditation Board administers the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations and coordinates all activities related to the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation. The UAB was established in 1998 by a coalition of public relations professional organizations including the Agricultural Relations Council, Asociación de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico, Florida Public Relations Association, Maine Public Relations Council, National School Public Relations Association, Public Relations Society of America, Religion Communicators Council, Southern Public Relations Federation and Texas Public Relations Association. Each organization contributes resources and senior-level volunteer members representing all segments of the public relations profession.