Advertising Women in New York and Women Executives in Public Relations Join Forces.

NEW YORK -- Moving to combine the disciplines of advertising and public relations in one professional association, Advertising Women in New York (AWNY) and Women Executives in Public Relations (WEPR) announced that, effective today, WEPR is becoming a special sector of AWNY.

At the installation luncheon for new officers and Board members yesterday, incoming AWNY president Arlene Manos, told members, "AWNY recognizes that the definition of advertising today includes a wide range of channels by which messages reach a consumer. The purpose of the delivered message is to enhance interest, and hopefully lead to a sale, or change in perception. Within that full range of disciplines, public relations plays a vital part. Therefore, we are very pleased to welcome Women Executives in Public Relations to the AWNY membership."

As part of this agreement, WEPR becomes "Women Executives in Public Relations--A Special Sector of AWNY". Christina Pagano, WEPR's president, joins the AWNY Board and will act as Chair of the Sector. In addition to Pagano, Rachel Honig and Karen Reina, members of the current WEPR Board, will act as Sector co-chairs. The WEPR Sector will organize events related to the public relations profession, and will promote AWNY's events. PR professionals joining AWNY can elect to be active in the WEPR Sector as well as other AWNY committees.

The Foundation of WEPR will become The Foundation of WEPR, a Special Sector of AWNY, and will continue to award scholarships to graduate and undergraduate students pursuing careers in public relations. Patricia Davis will continue as its president.

"For WEPR, which just turned 60, this is a 'passage' that Gail Sheehy might call the 'Sensational Sixties'," said Pagano. "We were established at a time when there were no havens for professional female public relations executives, and WEPR filled that gap. Now, with women making up better than half the PR professionals in the United States, our networking and professional development needs have changed. Joining forces with a dynamic, growing organization like AWNY offers New York's PR community a new source for educational and networking opportunities."

AWNY, founded in 1912 as the first women's association in the communications industry, today boasts a membership of 1,250 dynamic, influential women and men representing the advertising, marketing , media, and promotion fields. Its mission is to provide a forum for personal and professional growth, to serve as a catalyst for the advancement of women in the communications field and to promote and support philanthropic endeavors through the AWNY Foundation. To learn more about AWNY, go to www.awny.org.

WEPR was established in 1946 by public relations pioneer Denny Griswold, as the premier public relations organization for accomplished women in the field. Since then, WEPR, whose membership was limited to 100 executives, has provided a forum for the exchange of business solutions, and information on career and practitioner issues among peers. In addition to supporting public relations education, its Foundation, created in 1984, established the first awards program celebrating industry accomplishments in the area of social responsibility. For more information, go to www.wepr.org.