Event Overview

The PRSA Foundation has launched a first-of-its-kind diversity initiative designed to empower minorities in all stages of their careers, while also educating employers on ways to support their growth. Three of the diverse leaders featured in the book: Helen C Shelton Senior Partner Finn Partners, Judith Harrison Senior VP Diversity & Inclusion Weber Shandwick and Drew McCaskill Senior Vice President Global Communications & Multicultural Marketing Nielsen spoke to Doug Simon, CEO at D S Simon Media during this Social Media LIVE™ broadcast. They took a deep dive on issues related to the panelists success, overcoming prejudice in the workplace, handling micro aggressions and provided guidance for advancing your career in PR as a multicultural employee and attracting and retaining top multicultural talent in an organization.

Guests

Andrew McCaskill, SVP, Global Communications & Multicultural Marketing, Nielsen 

Andrew McCaskill is an accredited marketing, communications and crisis management executive with 20 years of experience delivering award-winning communications and brand campaigns at Fortune 500 companies and highly successful technology startups. He's currently SVP global communications and leads US consumer and multicultural marketing at Nielsen. He holds a BA from Morehouse College and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He completed his most recent global assignment for Nielsen in Shanghai, China, has been named PR Week's Top 40 Under 40 global PR executives, and is co-author of Nielsen's 2017 Diverse Intelligence Series on the cultural and economic impact of US multicultural women.      

Judith Harrison, Senior VP Diversity & Inclusion, Weber Shandwick

 Judith drives programs designed to build a multicultural workforce that leverages diverse backgrounds and perspectives to create innovative solutions for clients and an inspiring, high-performance workplace. She develops strategic plans, drives the sharing of best practices globally, partners with diversity & inclusion leadership development and professional organizations to increase awareness of Weber Shandwick’s commitment to diversity, and leads innovative talent outreach initiatives to build a strong pipeline of potential staff.

In addition to human resources and recruiting experience, Judith’s background includes public relations and marketing communications positions and projects at Burson-Marsteller, Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young), CBS, Media General, Random House and the Italian Trade CommissionSince joining Weber Shandwick in 2006, Judith has guided the firm to recognition as a champion of diversity and inclusion, with honors including the PRWeek/PR Council Diversity Distinction in PR Awards in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, and the 2016 PR News Diversity Heroes Award as an Organization of the Year. She brought the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) together with the PR industry to form the PRIME (Public Relations Internship, Mentoring and Education) Program, launched in 2015 with sponsorship from Fortune 500 companies as well as leading PR agencies.Judith served the PR Council as chair of its HR Roundtable for three years.  She has been listed in Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. She was awarded the 2011 STAR Award by New York Women’s Agenda and was named as one of Savoy’s Top Influential Women in Corporate America in 2012 and 2014. She was honored with the 2016 PR News Diversity Heroes Award as an Individual of the Year. Judith serves as president of the PRSA Foundation as well as  on the board of ColorComm, the advisory board of the Ron Brown Scholar Program and the 4A’s Diversity Steering Committee. 

Helen C. Shelton, Senior Partner, Finn Partners

Helen Shelton is a communications strategist with particular expertise in creating impactful platforms and programs that address the needs and interests of diverse audiences.  At Finn Partners, Helen oversees the agency’s Diversity and Inclusion program, Actions Speak Louder: Partners for Diversity, while also developing volume-driving, consumer-engaging campaigns in the health and wellness, lifestyle, entertainment, retail and media sectors.Helen has worked tirelessly in the industry not only to responsibly promote products but also to advance important causes, ranging from adult education and housing, arts and culture, voter registration, disparate unemployment and disease awareness initiatives.A native New Yorker, Helen holds a dual B.A. degree in art history and government from Dartmouth College and an M.S. degree in journalism and communication from Boston University.  Named one of the 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business by The Network Journal magazine, Helen is a Board Member of the Public Relations Society of America’s New York Chapter, where she has served as VP of Marketing for two consecutive years.She is a recipient of a PR Week Award for Multicultural Marketing Campaign of the Year for her work in conceiving and managing Believe in Healthy BP, a national hypertension awareness program featuring Grammy®-winning recording Gospel artist Yolanda Adams. Helen is also the recipient of the Circle Award for Excellence in Communications from ColorComm. Helen received the BCA Global Vision Award for her work in the spirits and wine industry and has served as an adjunct professor of communications at New York University’s School of Continuing Professional Studies. In her spare time, Helen enjoys Italian cinema and literature.

Moderated by Douglas Simon, CEO,  D S Simon Media

Doug Simon is the CEO of award-winning video influencer marketing firm D S Simon Media. His firm advises and executes broadcast and social media video communications campaigns on topical issues for senior leadership of brands and non-profits. His firm has completed more than 100 projects for DC based industry groups and non-profits and has been involved with political campaigns on the local and national level since 1992. His firm pioneered Social Media LIVE™–multi-camera video production featuring an organization’s leadership with influencers distributed live to up to 30 social media sites simultaneously. Its unique approach to guiding clients, PRketing®, which connects communications to marketing results, was awarded a trademark by the US patent office. Doug is frequently quoted in top media across platforms. Television appearances include Reuters, Dateline NBC, PBS, CNN, Fox News Live and WNBC. He’s appeared on NPR and been quoted in USA Today and on The Huffington Post in addition to numerous trade publications. Doug’s video commentary on the 2012 political conventions was picked up by the humor site Funny or Die. Doug is the President-Elect of the PRSA-NY Chapter and he was a three-time president of the Publicity Club of New York. Additionally, he is the Founder of SPOKEies® the first ever awards program to recognize in-house spokespeople for representing their brands with authenticity and building trust. Doug began his broadcast career at NBC Sports, where he served as Talent Assistant to Bob Costas. His hobbies include performing stand-up comedy at New York’s top clubs and rooting for terrible sports teams including the Jets and Knicks while still remaining optimistic.