Elizabeth Blue
Special to the Fort Worth Business Press
The Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) held the second annual Worthy Awards at the Fort Worth Club April 25. Nominations for Fort Worth’s Best in Public Relations Tactics and Strategic Communications were taken from local business, government and education sectors. The Fort Worth Business Press sponsored the award for the 2013 Communicator of the Year, which went to Mayor Betsy Price. This award recognizes “a community member outside the public relations profession who demonstrates leadership and effective communication when involved in a major event or issue affecting the greater Fort Worth region.” She was honored for her “open, constant communication” and her “push to make city processes and procedures more transparent.” Best of Show, the most anticipated award of the evening, was presented to Gigi Westerman, president of Strategic IMAGE Inc., who also took home the award last year, and Shannon Wingo and Ann Salyer-Caldwell, of Tarrant County Public Health, for their Strategic Communications Program, “Breastfeeding WORKS.” This internal campaign is designed to “train supervisors, educate expectant parents and families and garner support for a new Tarrant County Public Health worksite lactation policy.” Westerman was quick to credit her clients for the program’s success, “This campaign is a great example of the role that public relations can play in helping an organization achieve its goals, with objectives that can be measured and messages that can be understood. I am truly honored to have had this opportunity to work with Tarrant County Public Health as they work to improve the health of citizens in our community.”