SPOTLIGHT: Leaders in Communication

By Lorraine Nelson, WSU Communications

What are the odds that among the handful of communications professionals working on this campus there would be two serving as president of their professional association? Allison Benjamin and Kevin Dudley are doing just that.

On Jan. 1, Benjamin, director of communications in the College of Nursing, assumed the role of president of the Greater Spokane Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) chapter for a one-year term. The PRSA is the world’s largest professional organization for public relations practitioners and the Spokane chapter hosts seminars with national and regional communications professionals; supports university students through scholarship and internship opportunities; and has access to PRSA’s resources, awards, accreditation (APR) and publications. Benjamin has been with WSU Spokane for three-and-a-half years and has a B.S. in journalism-public relations from Eastern Washington University.

Kevin Dudley has been president of the Spokane Regional MarCom Association since July 1, 2014 and joined the WSU Spokane Communications Office in August as a public relations professional and social media specialist. Spokane MarCom is an independent professional development organization for Spokane area marketing and communications professionals from all industries.

MarCom provides relevant programs for members at each monthly meeting and sponsors up to two student internships each summer for area college students to introduce them to the industry in the region. Dudley has a B.A. degree in communications, with a minor in English, from WSU.