DC’s PR Luminaries Explain Why “I’m Not A Flack”

Susan Hager and Wes Pedersen Join National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame

Washington, February 28, 2005 – The Public Relations Society of America National Capital Chapter will induct two new members into its prestigious Hall of Fame following a panel discussion on the image of public relations professionals titled “I’m Not a Flack.” The program and luncheon will be from 10 am to 1:30 pm March 10 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Susan Hager, CEO of Hager Sharp, and Wes Pedersen, director of communications and public relations for the Public Affairs Council, join the ranks of this elite group of public relations professionals from the Washington area. The National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame honorees have contributed significantly to local public relations and must bring more than 20 years in the profession, with at least 10 of those being in the Washington area, to be considered for this honor.

“We congratulate our newest Hall of Fame inductees,” said Tracy Schario, PRSA-NCC president-elect and director of media relations at The George Washington University.  “Susan and Wes and our panelists will share their wisdom gleaned from decades of experience in the field and offer insight into dealing with PR challenges inspired by ethics scandals, new media such as blogs, and information saturation.”

The Hall of Fame induction is scheduled during the luncheon from noon to 1:30 pm. The program, “I’m Not a Flack,” begins at 10 am and features panelists: Hager; Pederson; Barbara Hines, Ph. D., journalism professor and director of the mass communication and media studies graduate program at Howard University, 2000 Hall of Fame Inductee; Lou Priebe, professional PR consultant, PRiebe PR, 2002 Hall of Fame Inductee; and Moderator Lisa Brackenbury, APR, federal executive fellow, U.S. Navy, Brookings Institution. For pricing and registration information, please visit www.prsa-ncc.org or call 703-691-9212.

About the 2004-2005 National Capital Hall of Fame Inductees

Hall of Fame Inductee Susan Hager founded Hager Sharp Inc. in 1973, when there were few women venturing to start their own business, and built the DC-based communications firm into a national leader in public awareness campaigns. Susan is responsible for the vision, direction and overall leadership of the firm and brings three decades of strategic communications, public relations and marketing experience to the projects she oversees.

As a national volunteer leader and advocate for women and small business, Susan has served as a delegate at three White House Conferences on Small Business; chairman of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Small Business Advisory Council; and a member of the Small Business Administration National Advisory Council under five U.S. Presidents. She has testified on business and economic policy before Congress.

Within the Greater Washington business community, Susan serves as a trustee of the Federal City Council, served on the Board of Directors of The Greater Washington Board of Trade, and is member of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. Susan is the co-founder and the first president of the National Association of Women Business Owners and long-time national advocate for small businesses.  Susan has been an adviser, fundraiser, and board member and chair of The Lab School of Washington for more than a dozen years. Susan also participates on numerous other boards.

In addition to award-winning campaigns, Susan has also been heralded for personal achievement.  In 2004, she was named Washingtonian magazine’s “Washingtonian of the Year 2004,” Washington Women in Public Relations’ “Woman of the Year,” and The Washington Business Journal’s "Women Who Mean Business."

Hall of Fame Inductee Wes Pedersen is the Public Affairs Council's director of communications and public relations. Before joining the Council in 1980, he served as vice president of a Washington public relations firm. Earlier incarnations saw him in the roles of reporter editor of a Midwest daily newspaper, then as a Foreign Service Officer for the Department of State and the U.S. Information Agency, “the world’s largest PR agency,” as PR News described it.

Wes produced publications for the White House and USIA and for 10 years was the author of the USIA column The World Today, published by newspapers around the world. He later wrote the column White House Report. For 10 more years, he was chief of USIA’s Office of Special Projects, working with corporate CEOs and public relations directors and other luminaries from the private sector to produce a wide range of services at no cost to the government.

Wes is a summa cum laude graduate of Upper Iowa University and has been a graduate student at The George Washington University, the Foreign Service Institute and CIA's language school. He is a founder and former president of the National Association of Government Communicators and the founding chairman of the Institute for Government Information Research at The American University.

His widely varied career is reflected in his profiles that have appeared in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Government, Who's Who in Advertising and Who's Who in Public Relations. He has been named "The Great Association Communicator" by Association Trends magazine.

About PRSA-NCC
The National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is the largest PRSA chapter in the country with more than 1,100 members.  The NCC represents public relations professionals from the Washington metropolitan area, including associations, agencies, corporations, universities, non-profits, government and independent practitioners.  The chapter provides high-quality and timely professional development programs, accreditation instruction, workshops and networking opportunities, as well as a mentorship program for its members and a career academy for inner city DC high school students.  For more information on the National Capital Chapter of PRSA and a complete list of the Board of Directors and National Assembly Delegates, please visit http://www.prsa-ncc.org.

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