by Bailey White
Staff Writer
A Jacksonville native has been elected to preside over the Public Relations Society of America, an almost 20,000-member national organization based in New York City. Del Galloway, senior vice president at Husk Jennings Advertising, will serve as PRSA’s 2004 president.
As president-elect for 2003, Galloway plans to focus on three areas: professional development, advocacy and diversity.
“I think of it as a three-legged stool,” he said. “Any professional society needs to create training and development opportunities for its members. I want to determine how to improve and make stronger our members, to make them more effective in their jobs.”
To strengthen ties between the industry and the community, Galloway thinks the organization needs to do a better job of communicating what exactly public relations is.
“We need to do a more effective job in helping business leaders explain the value of what we do to the general public,” he said, adding recent corporate scandals are affecting the way p.r. companies are being run.
“I think this affirms what public relations people have preached all along,” he said. “Sharing information is important for a sucessful business. It’s really reinforced the need for transparency.”
Galloway hopes to do this while increasing the multi-cultural element of the industry.
“The industry needs to reflect the market that we serve,” he said. “We need to enrich our society with professionals from all walks of life.”
The position with PRSA isn’t simply a title. To govern an organization of its size, the board meets quarterly and Galloway will also participate in bimonthly telephone conferences. That’s a lot of hours, but for Galloway, it’s worth it.
“It’s an opportunity to learn from an organization with so many members who are all over the country,” he said. “It’s good to be exposed to different ways of thinking.”
Galloway has worked with Husk Jennings for about eight years.
“It’s an organization of really talented people and we’re blessed to work with gifted clients,” he said.
Recent work includes creating a new identity for PRSA and helping a Czech Republic beer brewery called CzechVar launch its product in the United States and Canada.
“We’ve worked in a number of different industries,” he said. “We have a depth and breadth of experiences of 35-40 years among us.”
With Husk Jennings, Galloway worked with Downtown Vision, Inc., helping in its start-up work, and he and the company continue to support efforts to revitalize downtown. The 23-year-old company occupies the sixth floor of the Dyal-Upchurch Building on Bay Street, the first building Henry John Klutho designed in Jacksonville.
“We’re dedicated to the renaissance of downtown Jacksonville,” said Galloway. “I’m trilled to see the residential growth. It’s such an exciting time to be in the heart of downtown.”
To stay inspired in such a creative industry, Galloway said he “reads a great deal, and I stay connected to bright and vibrant people. Fortunately, we’re filled with that here.”
In his down time, Galloway takes in a film or play and he spends time in his yard.
“I think the reason I enjoy gardening is the cause and effect of it all,” he said. “You can plant a seed and watch it grow; it’s the immediate gratification of it all. There is something soulful about seeing the results of your work.”