Honors, Accolades + Professional Development
Awards speaking engagements, and other noted achievements.
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Public Relations Society of America (2020–Current)
Emerging thought leader in public relations strategy, power of consulting partnerships in advancing strategic messaging, and applying impact of national scenarios to local audiences.
Maine Public Relations Council (2019–Current)
Leader within Maine’s premier association of professionals committed to advancing the field of public relations. Responsible for professional training opportunities, event planning/execution, social media, and annual conference coordination and programming.
Board Secretary (2026–)
Chair, Professional Development Committee (Board position, 2025)
Committee Member, Professional Development (2021 – 2025)
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2026: PRSA Counselors to Higher Education Senior Summit: From Policy to PR: Expanding National Thought Leadership to Uplift Medical Education in a Politically Charged Climate (with TVP Communications). Atlanta. March 2026.
2025: PRSA ICON Health Academy: From Policy to PR: Elevating UNE’s Medical Programs in a Politically Charged Climate (with TVP Communications). Washington, D.C. October 2025.
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Maine Public Relations Council Golden Arrow Awards
Judged by a panel of external communications professionals, the Golden Arrow Awards annually recognize the best public relations projects across Maine and highlight the local creativity, strategy and results that define the field.
2024–2025
Integrated Communications: UNE President’s Forum: The Ultimate Marketplace of Ideas (Gold, UNE)
Media Relations Campaign: Cracking the Genetic Code Behind Rare Lobster Coloration (Gold, UNE)
Media Relations Campaign: Total Eclipse of the Arts ... and Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Education Campaign (Gold, UNE)
Press Releases: Empowering Access to Education: UNE's Tuition-Free Program Announcement (Silver, UNE with Northeast Media Associates)
Targeted Media Pitch: More than a Cleaning: No-Cost Clinic Provides Dental Care to Kids in Need (Gold, UNE)
Big Win: National Nursing Shortage: The Maine Solution (Gold, UNE)
2023–2024
Publications: UNE Magazine, “Faces of Our Future: Empowering Students to Build a Better Tomorrow (Gold, UNE)
Big Win: Peaches: The One-Clawed, Orange Wonder (Gold, UNE)
Targeted Media Pitch: Nurturing Maine’s Mental Health: New Psychiatric Nursing Program at UNE (Bronze, UNE)
Targeted Media Pitch: Nursing’s New Frontier: Virtual Reality Nursing at the University of New England (Silver, UNE)
2022–2023
Media Relations Campaign: Biomedical Research to Better Our World (Gold, UNE)
Podcast: UNE Researchers on the “Academic Minute” (Silver, UNE with TVP Communications)
2021–2022
Media Relations Campaign: Healthy Aging (Silver, UNE)
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2024: Maine Rising Star in Public Relations (Maine Public Relations Council)
I have been honored to showcase my expertise on many occasions — and been recognized for this work —through my professional affiliations, speaking engagements, public relations projects, award submissions, and academic and scholarly endeavors while advancing both my own personal mission and the strategic goals of organizations.
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2025: Best of CASE District I: Storytelling — Northeast: Cracking the Genetic Code, Council for Advancement and Support of Education (UNE)
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Panel Presentation:Making Big Plans: Building a Sustainable Food Systems Collaborative Through Courses, Research and Community Engagement. National Collegiate Honors Council. Chicago. November 2015.
University of Maine Honors College Undergraduate Thesis:Bennett, Alan D. Extra! Extra! This Just Thin: Identifying and Evaluating Framing of Obesity-Related News Coverage in Maine(2016). Honors College. 369.
Recipient of High Honors, second-highest Honors designation. Read Thesis.
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Grady Awards for Excellence in Journalism, Department of Communication and Journalism (2016)
Senior Recognition Award, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2016)
Awarded for earning highest GPA (3.989) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the graduating Class of 2016
Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society, Mu Epsilon Chapter (Inducted Spring 2016; President, Aug. 2015–May 2016)
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society (Inducted March 2014)
Culture Editor (paid), The Maine Campus, student newspaper (Sept. 2015–May 2016)
Student Media Assistant (paid), University Division of Marketing and Communications (Aug. 2014–Aug. 2015)
Sustainability Representative (paid), University of Maine Green Team (Summer 2014)
Peer Educator (paid), The Honors College (Aug. 2014-May 2016)
2025 MPRC Golden Arrow Ceremony with Angie Helton, principal, Northeast Media Associates.
View More Work
PR Portfolio
Communications campaigns with measurable impact in media placements and heightened brand awareness through local and national visibility.
Selected Works
Sample feature stories spanning 10 years of professional writing experience, viewable online or in PDF format.
Photography
Photography from in and around Maine, showcasing the beauty of our state’s wilderness, cities, and its people through portraits and performance.