A Change in Name Only!
At our annual retreat in July, the board of directors worked to revise and update our chapter bylaws to be sure that they reflected the current needs of the membership. While we made mostly minor word revisions, we decided on an important change that has just been approved by national. We wanted to share this news with you right away.

As we reviewed the bylaws, a comment was made that the name of our chapter – Dayton/Miami Valley PRSA – seemed to be outdated. It was noted that many of us don’t use the term Miami Valley any longer and a suggestion was made to update the chapter name to Dayton Area. As a board, we felt that Dayton Area was not only easier to remember, but also still included the outlying areas in which we have members.  We hope you agree.

Thank you for your participation in the Dayton Area PRSA chapter. As noted above, this is a change in name only. Your board will continue to strive to meet the needs of the chapter with professional development, networking, accreditation, advocacy and ethical standards that best serve you. Please feel free to review the approved bylaws.

Who We Are

The Dayton Area Chapter of PRSA consists of public relations professionals representing all facets of the industry, including corporate, non-profit, agency and independent practitioners.

The chapter offers numerous benefits to its members. Our monthly meetings feature local and national speakers addressing both strategic and tactical public relations topics. The chapter sponsors an annual professional development workshop, a Media Day event to network with local media and holds awards events honoring the area’s best communicators (Smitty Awards) and their work (PRism Awards). Also, as a service to members, the chapter provides job postings listing current public relations openings, an online membership directory, and free, locally-hosted PRSA National Teleseminars throughout the year.

Joining the chapter can provide an excellent way to develop your professional network and continue your learning.

The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest professional organization for public relations professionals, with nearly 20,000 members, organized into 117 Chapters nationwide, who represent business and industry, counseling firms, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations.

The Dayton Area Chapter is part of the East Central District, which represents 15 chapters concentrated in six states. Our chapter has relationships with two PRSSA chapters (the PRSA branch focused on students) at the University of Dayton and Wright State University.

Dayton Area Chapter History

Established Nov. 7, 1966, the Dayton/Miami Valley Chapter of PRSA was one of three chapters (Alabama, Dayton and Southern Connecticut) to be approved by the national assembly in No

The petition to nationals requesting formation of the chapter was signed by the following: Joseph Brady, Neil Collins, Rowan Crawford, Robert Girvin, Robert Good, Carl Koehler, Eric McCarty, Maxwell Nathan, David Thompson and G.W. Young. In 1967, the board was comprised of Collins (president), Girvin (vice president), Brady (secretary), Young (treasurer) and Good (assembly delegate).

The chapter focused its efforts on serving professionals in Montgomery, Greene, Clarke and Miami counties. In July of 1967, East Central District Chair Herbert Flint visited Dayton and reported that the chapter had 18 members, potential for up to 60 members. We’ve surpassed that membership and continue to grow and flourish.