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April is PRSA’s APR Month

PRSA Hoosier > APR > April is PRSA’s APR Month

April is PRSA’s APR Month

April is PRSA’s APR Month, and the Hoosier Chapter has a reason to celebrate – 88 of our members, or more than 23 percent of our chapter’s total membership, have earned their Accreditation in Public Relations.

Getting your APR is neither quick nor easy. The process takes much time and effort to write and compile information for the application and questionnaire – including a strategic plan and evaluation for a project your recently complete – which you will present during a peer review. It also requires studying for a comprehensive computerized exam.

So why would so many of our members choose to undertake the process?

  • Professional development – Taking a look at your own work and the work of others from a strategic lens polishes your skill set.
  • Career advancement – Earning accreditation underscores your ambition and commitment to continuing education.
  • Personal fulfillment – Nothing feels better than setting your mind to a goal and accomplishing it.

If you’re thinking of starting the accreditation process, know you’re in good company – almost a quarter of PRSA Hoosier Chapter members can’t be wrong. The Hoosier Chapter offers a free eight-week prep course for members, which will begin in late summer/early fall. The course walks you through the process and highlights key theories and subject matter areas to keep in mind as you prepare your submission. Plus, you get to meet and network with other APR-seekers and learn from guest presenters.

Andrea-Farmer-headshotQuestions about the APR designation, the accreditation process or the review course? Email accreditation@prsahoosier.org. We’d love to welcome more members to the club!

As associate director of strategic initiatives for the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Andrea Farmer, APR, provides communications counsel that builds support for the NCAA’s mission to provide opportunities for all student-athletes. In her role, Farmer works with internal stakeholders and agency partners to develop communications plans, strategies and tactics that educate and build relationships with the Association’s target audiences.

Prior to joining the NCAA, Farmer was a senior account director at Borshoff, one of Indiana’s largest communications and marketing agencies. At Borshoff, Farmer led large integrated accounts and oversaw client projects for the Indiana Department of Transportation, the City of Indianapolis, J.D. Byrider, Starbucks and GTECH/Lottomatica, among others. Farmer also managed crisis communications and served as the primary media contact for Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, when the hospital encountered the first U.S case of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2014.

A winner of multiple local, regional and national industry awards, Farmer is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America and is president of the Hoosier Chapter of PRSA. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis. She graduated magna cum laude from Ball State University, where she majored in public relations.