Meet Your 2023 Board of Directors
Hyacinth Rucker, President
Hyacinth Rucker is currently the manager of media and public relations at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the owner of Hyacinth Innovative Solutions, LLC. She previously worked at the American Red Cross – Indiana Region as the regional communications manager, then at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art for seven and a half years. Prior to working in the non-profit field, Hyacinth worked in the TV industry for 12 years. She graduated with a Broadcast Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has been an active member of the Public Relations Society of America’s Hoosier Chapter since 2015. She currently serves as the President of the chapter. Hyacinth is the mother of three handsome boys, Jayden, Chase, and Kaleb. In her free time, she enjoys walking with the family dog, Niya, reading, spending time with her family, and blogging for Mommination. For years Hyacinth has shared her story by writing blogs about a variety of topics from travels to swim lessons and so much more in between. Read more about Hyacinth in her welcome blog as the 2023 president.
“We have the best and brightest in the Hoosier Chapter. I volunteer my time for the unique opportunity to learn and collaborate with my peers.”
Mark Back, President-Elect and Assembly Delegate
Mark Back is a strategic communications leader currently serving as the director of marketing, communications, and public affairs for Indiana Donor Network, a niche healthcare organization facilitating organ donation and transplantation. He has led award-winnin2g marketing, communications, and public relations programs in a variety of fields including healthcare, government, NGO, aviation, environmental conservation, and motorsports. He holds a Master of Public Health in policy and management from Indiana University, where he concentrated on healthcare communications, and a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University.
“I started volunteering with PRSA Hoosier as a way to network with other PR professionals when I first moved to the area. Over time, though, it has become an important way for me to give ba2ck to a community and a profession that has given me so much.”
Deeksha Kapoor, Immediate Past President
Deeksha Kapoor is a digital communications professional with more than 10 years of experience leading strategic communications for global and statewide organizations. She is passionate about helping organizations build capabilities to harness emerging technologies for brand storytelling. She currently serves as the director of communications for the Indiana Health Care Association where she leads all aspects of statewide communications including digital strategy, member communications, advocacy campaigns and media relations to advance the mission and strengthen the awareness of the association.
“I have benefited tremendously from my longstanding membership and active engagement with PRSA. Since 2012, I’ve served the PRSA Hoosier Chapter in a variety of committee and Board positions and it was an incredibly rewarding and humbling experience to serve as the Hoosier Chapter president in 2022. Each leadership opportunity that has come my way at PRSA has offered a rich experience that has helped me grow professionally and personally. I am looking forward to offering strong support to our Board in 2023 as the immediate past chapter president and enthusiastic about further elevating our Chapter’s programming and services for our members.”
Vanessa Stiles, Assembly Delegate
Vanessa Stiles, APR, is a past-president of the Public Relations Society of America Hoosier Chapter (2014) and earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2007. When asked to volunteer her time for current Hoosier Chapter candidates working toward their APR, she always says, “Yes!” With more than three decades of experience in a diverse group of disciplines from community events to national public relations campaigns, Vanessa brings a wealth of experience to her professional and volunteer roles.
Vanessa is the chief strategy officer for dgs Marketing Engineers/Magenta Marketing Communications located in Fishers. She is also an active board member and advocate for the Ransburg YMCA on Indianapolis’ east side and a resident of the historic Irvington neighborhood.
Emily Kibling, Assembly Delegate
Emily Kibling, APR, is a communications professional currently serving as the director of community development for Indiana Donor Network, a niche healthcare organization facilitating organ donation and transplantation. She has experience developing and executing strategic campaigns focused on public outreach, community engagement, public relations, internal communications and advertising in varying industries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.
“After serving as president of the Hoosier PRSA Chapter in 2019, I took some time off from chapter service to engage in other community initiatives. Now, I am eager to reengage with the chapter through board service and provide value to my PR colleagues across the state.”
Brandi Pahl, Director of Finance
I have worked for the City of Indianapolis as Chief Communications Officer for the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services for almost 5.5 years now. I oversee both internal and external communications for the department that is in charge of permitting, licensing, code enforcement inspections, and operation of the animal shelter. Prior to working for the city, I spent a little more than 16 years in television news, working in Terre Haute, Louisville KY, and Indianapolis in roles spanning from production assistant, all the way up to senior news producer. I graduated from IU East with a degree in Communications Studies and a minor in Professional and Technical Writing. My husband and I live with our four sons, dog, and cat in Lawrence Township.
“I am volunteering to serve on the PRSA Board of Directors because it’s a great opportunity not only to network with other communications and pr professionals but also to learn new skills. In my case, being Director of Finance is allowing me to get more experience creating and overseeing a budget, as well as helping obtain sponsorships for the Chapter.”
Anna Julow Roolf, Director of Research and Operations
Anna Julow Roolf is the Chief of Staff for Crenshaw Communications, a New York-based PR agency representing B2B tech brands like Yahoo and Crunchbase. A natural communicator and skilled operations professional with over a decade working in B2B tech, Anna is passionate about bridging the space between creativity and technology, and about implementing processes that help businesses and people grow.
Prior to joining Crenshaw Communications, Anna served as the SVP of Operations and People for SaaS startup Propel PRM, working alongside the CEO and co-founder to drive business processes. She also spent over a decade at BLASTmedia, where she was instrumental in helping scale the US-based B2B PR agency to over 60 employees with a robust client roster made up of brands like 6sense and MOZ.
In addition to her work with Crenshaw Communications, Anna is a Butler University CaPS Advisory Board Member and currently serves as the Director of Operations & Research for the PRSA Hoosier Chapter. Anna graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor of Science in Business, majoring in Marketing.
Kara Seward, Director of Member Services
Kara Seward serves as the Director, Corporate Communications and Community Engagement at Allied Solutions, where she leads internal communications, employer brand awareness, and corporate philanthropy and employee volunteer coordination. Her previous experience is in the nonprofit and government sectors. She holds a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University, Bloomington.
“This is my second consecutive year serving on the PRSA Hoosier Chapter’s board of directors. Not only can you build your network, but you get to learn from some of the highest caliber PR professionals in Indiana.”
Lateva Woolfork, Director of Membership
Lateva, AKA The All Purpose Woman, is a Detroit girl living in an Indianapolis world. She is a Multi-Passionate entrepreneur, Founder of Socially Coordinated (SoCo PR), specializing in brand strategy, community engagement, and search engine optimization (SEO).
She is the co-founder of Create. Connect. Collab. a community that provides creatives, leaders, and entrepreneurs the accountability, resources, and connections to amplify their brands and business achievements. She is a speaker, faith leader, wife, and mother of 6 daughters. As the owner of The All Purpose Woman blog, she shares her experiences on purposely living for the modern woman, wife, and mom.
She is always in the mood for laughter and a deep conversation about her love for doing “all the things.”
“Volunteering helps me feel connected to those helping in the “PR” community. This experience helped me to get involved with other aspects of our community, such as local learning opportunities or advocacy opportunities in the DEI space.”
Brytnie Jones, Director of Professional Development
Brytnie Jones is a marketing and communications professional. Born and raised in Gary, IN, she began her career in communications interning at the Gary Mayor’s Office. She has written for several publications including NWI Times, Indiana Minority Business Magazine and Straus News, a small local newspaper in NYC. She currently works full-time at Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) as their Senior Communications and Marketing Strategist, while simultaneously working on freelance marketing projects. She thoroughly enjoys all aspects of marketing and communications and helping brands take advantage of their full potential.
“I am serving on the PRSA Board of Directors to represent young Black women in the PR, media and communications industry. I am hoping to provide my energy, unique perspective and skills to the team in order to bring some new and exciting ideas to the chapter.”
Denise Herd, Director of Advocacy and Ethics
Utilizing decades of experience in marketing, public relations, and strategic communication, Herd launched Herd Strategies, a full-service public relations firm, in 2011. Outside of the business, Denise is a highly sought-after public speaker and workshop facilitator. She is passionate about developing businesses and is a certified facilitator of the Kauffman Foundation FastTrac New Venture program guiding startup entrepreneurs through all phases of business ownership and Walker’s Legacy targeting African American female business owners. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Clark-Atlanta University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University.
“I’m volunteering to serve on the board of directors because I have the opportunity to support the vision of the Hoosier Chapter’s first Black president. This is a historical moment for our chapter and one thought would never happen. Her appointment is a reflection of the great strides our chapter is making to become inclusive and provide leadership opportunities for all.”