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Del Oro 2015 Honors Best & Brightest

14th Annual Del Oro Awards Honors
Local Firms and Top PR Pros

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) San Antonio chapter honored the best and brightest in the public relations industry at the 14^th annual PRSA San Antonio Del Oro Awards Banquet on May 7 at the Oak Hills Country Club. To see photos from the event, click here. 

Melissa Vela-Williamson, account supervisor for KGB Texas, was honored as the Public Relations Professional of the Year, for representing the best in public relations.

Vela-Williamson is best known for her work managing internal and external communications and for being a thought leader in the health and wellness industry. She is also known for her work at H-E-B in charitable giving and volunteer management.

The Horizon Award, which honors a rising star in the public relations profession with less than five years’ experience, went to Kimberly Sherfey Maldonado of the Atkins Group.

Maldonado’s client experience is wide, working for brands such as Whole Foods Market, Walmart, and AT&T. She has experience in writing, media relations, event planning, and integrated marketing communications.

Leo Zuniga, the former associate director of School Finance Reform for the Intercultural Development Research Association, was honored with the Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award.

This award is bestowed on a public relations professional, who has accomplished landmark professional achievements. Zuniga has also served on numerous boards including United Way, Communities in Schools, Texas Public Radio, and KLRN. He brings his devotion, dedication, and integrity to everything he does and is a fervent advocate for equal educational opportunities, a passion he has brought in his current role as Alamo Colleges' associate vice chancellor of Communications.

In addition to the individual awards, 23 awards were given in one of three categories - El Bronce Awards, honoring outstanding public relations tactics; La Plata Awards, honoring outstanding public relations campaigns; and Best of Category Awards, honoring the top winners in all categories.

Two students studying public relations were given scholarships at the event. Andrew Kupferer, a junior at UTSA and a member of UTSA’s PRSA chapter, was the recipient of the Marilyn Potts scholarship. Charles Wagner, a junior at Trinity University, was the winner of the PRSA Ellis Shapiro scholarship. Both scholarships are for $1,000 each.

The La Plata and El Bronce judging was provided by the PRSA Chapter of Wichita, Kan. The San Antonio Del Oro committee consists of Laura Hernandez Aplin, Tracy Ross-Garcia and Suzanne Westrum.

About PRSA:  Chartered in 1947, the Public Relations Society of America is the world’s largest organization of public relations professionals. PRSA provides professional development, sets standards of excellence and upholds the principles of ethics for its members.  For more information on PRSA San Antonio, visit www.prsanantonio.com.