Alcon's Mary Dulle, APR, Elected to College of Fellows of PR Society.

NEW YORK -- Mary Dulle, APR, Director of Strategic Corporate Communications for Alcon Laboratories, has been elected to The College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), announced Del Galloway, APR, PRSA president & CEO. Dulle is among the 18 new members to be inducted during PRSA's 2004 International Conference, Saturday, Oct. 23 in New York.

"I am extraordinarily proud to be in a Society whose highest echelons reflect a lifelong commitment not only to PRSA, but to the profession through the superior practice of public relations," said Galloway of the College of Fellows, established in 1989. "As a mentor and a role model, Dulle contributes immeasurably to the growth of our profession and the respect accorded to it."

This will bring the number of members of the College of Fellows to 430 out of the nearly 20,000 members of PRSA. Election to the College, based on lifetime achievement, is a professional honor awarded to senior practitioners and educators. Fellows continue their service to the profession through the College.

"The honor of being designated a Fellow by PRSA is one of the profession's highest awards for individual achievement," said Joe S. Epley, chairman of the College of Fellows and a past president of PRSA. "It clearly identifies outstanding professionals who, throughout their career, have significantly advanced the profession with exceptional performance and leadership."

Dulle is Director of Strategic Corporate Communications at Alcon. She manages a group that handles news media relations, publishes employee newsletters, manages daily electronic communications with employees, assists with the annual report and plans special events. She also serves as Vice President of The Alcon Foundation Board of Trustees.

Before moving to Alcon in 1992, Mary spent five years in American Airline's Corporate Communications division. Prior to joining American, Mary was an Account Executive with PR/Texas. She began her career in Public Relations as a Communications Specialist for the Fort Worth Independent School District. She holds a B.A. from the University of Dallas and an M.A. from the University of North Texas, is Accredited in Public Relations and is an occasional faculty member for Public Relations classes at Texas Christian University.

She serves on the boards of the Better Business Bureau of Fort Worth and Fort Worth Sister Cities International and is past-president of the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Mary has recently completed terms on the boards of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., Jubilee Theatre, Stage West and the Berkeley Neighborhood Association. She is a member of the North Fort Worth Historical Society and a past president of the International Association of Business Communicators/Fort Worth.

According to the PRSA Bylaws, to be considered for the College of Fellows, a member of PRSA must have practiced public relations for 20 or more years, demonstrated superior capability as a practitioner, exhibited personal and professional qualities that serve as a role model for other practitioners and advanced the state of the profession. Criteria also include being Accredited, having passed rigorous oral and written examinations involving a depth of knowledge in the strategic analysis of public relations issues including program, research, ethics, legal issues, communications and other areas.

About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

The Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org), based in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. The Society has nearly 28,000 professional and student members. PRSA comprises 116 chapters nationwide, 18 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 250 chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States.