From PR ethics and advocacy, to issues management and the role of social media in changing times, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is at the heart of matters of interest and concern to members of the public relations profession, and others with often-strong and sometimes passionate opinions on what PR should deliver and how it should do it.

PRSA is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals, with more than 32,000 professional and student members organized into 109 chapters across the United States.

In this wide-ranging conversation with FIR’s Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz, Michael Cherenson, PRSA’s chair-elect for 2009-2010 (and who takes up his role on January 1, 2009), talks about his vision for his term, his perception of PRSA’s key issues, the role of PRSA (and other associations) in addressing PR’s PR problem, and PRSA’s advocacy role.

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About our Conversation Partner

Prior to his election as PRSA Chair, Michael Cherenson served as PRSA Secretary and was a three-year member of the organization’s Board of Directors.

Cherenson’s expertise extends to all disciplines of public relations, including corporate, marketing, internal and crisis communication, government relations, event management, and interactive public relations. At Success Communications Group, he serves as the senior public relations counsellor and strategist, and is involved with all public relations activities for the firm’s diverse clientele.

An 18-year industry veteran and the author of three studies on the impact of reputation, Cherenson is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Universal Accreditation Board and holds an Advanced Certification in Political Management from the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at George Washington University, Washington, DC.

During his tenure on the PRSA Board of Directors, Cherenson served as chair of the PRSA Advocacy Advisory Board, liaison to the Board of Professional Ethics and Standards and the Public Relations Student Society of America, and co-authored a PRSA study on MBA Programs and their communication curricula. In 2005, Cherenson represented PRSA and the US State Department and its Bureau of International Information Programs on a mission to Croatia, where he served as a keynote speaker at the 6th Annual Croatian Public Relations Association Conference.

An advisory board member to the University of Florida’s Department of Public Relations and Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Corporate and Organizational Communication Department, he is past president of the NJ Chapter of the PRSA, which honoured him with its Service Award in 2002.

He blogs at Cherenson’s Blog and is active on Twitter.

Cherenson is a graduate of Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY.

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This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music – On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel’s and my podcast blog.)