April 4, 2008

CHANTILLY, Va.—Communicators from nine faith groups are leading the nation's oldest public relations association for the coming year.

Members of the Religion Communicators Council, founded in 1929, elected 2008-09 officers today during their 79th annual convention. The slate included members of seven Christian denominations, a Muslim and a Hare Krishna.

New officers are:

• President: Douglas F. Cannon, APR, communications and public witness director, Southwest Texas Conference, United Methodist Church, San Antonio, Texas.

• Vice president: Anuttama Dasa, director of communications, International Society of Krishna Consciousness, Washington, D.C.

• Treasurer: Deb Christian, director of customer relations, UMR Communications, Dallas.

• Secretary: Brian R. Gray, APR, National Catholic Education Association, Washington, D.C.

• Past president: Philip Poole, APR, executive director of university communications, Samford University, Birmingham, Ala.

Newly elected members of the board of governors are:

• Paul Black, director of communication ministries, Illinois Great Rivers Conference, United Methodist Church, Springfield, Ill.

• Sandra Brands, director of communications, Troy Conference, United Methodist Church, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

• Janice Rizzo, editor, Seeds of the Parish, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Chicago.

• Donn J. Tilson, APR, associate professor of public relations, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.

Continuing members of the board of governors are:

• Mohamed ElSanousi, director of communications and community outreach, Islamic Society of North America, Washington, D.C.

• Cindy Feldman, Des Moines, Iowa.

• Danette Griffith, senior writer, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa.

• Polly House, corporate communications, Lifeway Christian Resources, Nashville, Tenn.

• Shirley Paulson, Christian Science lecturer, Evanston, Ill.

• Susan E. Jackson-Dowd, communications coordinator, Presbyterian Women, Louisville, Ky.

• John R. Spangler, executive assistant to the president for communication and planning, Lutheran Seminary, Gettysburg, Pa.

• Amelia Tucker-Shaw, resource consultant, United Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn.

The council is an interfaith association of nearly 600 communicators working for faith-related organizations in print and electronic communication, marketing, and public relations. For more information about the council, visit http://www.religioncommunicators.org/.

Religion Communicators Council