Pictured with the first-place Pyramid Awards trophies are, from left, Laura Catoe, social media and website specialist; Kathy Brown, administrative assistant; Jackie Brehm Edmondson, director; and Brandy Hyatt, public relations specialist.
Gadsden State’s Public Relations and Marketing Department earns state awards
Gadsden, Ala. — The Public Relations and Marketing Department at Gadsden State Community College earned seven awards for exemplary work at the Alabama Community College Public Relations Association Conference. It was held Sept. 8-10 in Orange Beach. Pyramid Awards, Certificates of Achievement and Certificates of Merit were award to top PR and marketing projects among the state’s community colleges.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized by professionals within our profession for the work that we do,” said Jackie Brehm Edmondson, director. “I’m always proud of the PR and marketing team for their hard work and dedication to communicating and marketing the great attributes of our College.”
A Pyramid Award (first place) was earned in Electronic Publications for the 2020 Annual Report, which was written by Edmondson and designed by Laura Catoe, website and social media specialist.
The Annual Report can be seen at www.gadsdenstate.edu/annualreport.
A Pyramid Award was also received in the Website category for gadsdenstate.edu. This is the third time the website has received top recognition since the redesign that rolled out in August 2019. The website also earned the Gold Medallion Award from District 2 of the National Council of Marketing and Public Relations as well as a gold medal at the National Education Digital Marketing Awards sponsored by the Higher Education Marketing Report. Gadsden State was one of only two community colleges in the country to earn the highest level of recognition from HEMR.
A third Pyramid Award was given in the Public Relations and Marketing Campaign for the “I’m Ready to Fly” campaign, which featured incoming freshmen encouraging others to join them at Gadsden State. The campaign’s print, digital and broadcast advertisements were created by Brandy Hyatt, PR specialist at Gadsden State.
An Award of Merit (second place) was earned in the Specialty Publication category for the Cardinal Foundation’s Case for Support, a folder of information provided to potential donors
A second Award of Merit was given to Gadsden State in the COVID Communications category, a new and temporary category for the 2021 awards ceremony. The Award of Merit was earned for the Cardinals Fight COVID Care Package, which included a number of Gadsden State promotional items like hand sanitizer, a protective mask, soap sheets and more. The package was created by Kathy Brown, administrative assistant.
Gadsden State earned two Awards of Achievement (third place) beginning with the Athletics category for the Basketball Media Guide, designed by Hyatt. A second Award of Achievement was earned in the Social Media Campaign category for the College’s drive-through graduation ceremony. The social media posts and videos were created and managed by Catoe.
Also during the conference, ACCSPRA members elected a new slate of officers. Edmondson will serve as secretary of the statewide organization through October 2022. She has been a member of the organization since 2015.
