Hughes earns accreditation in public relations

Megan Hughes, Senior Manager for Marketing & Communications in AUM’s College of Business, has successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations, entitling her to use the APR professional designation. The Universal Accreditation Board, a consortium of nine professional communication organizations that directs this competency certification program, made the announcement.

The accreditation program aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessingcompetence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the profession. The examination is designed for public relations professionals with five to seven years of job experience and/or a bachelor’s degree in a communication field. Candidates who successfully complete the rigorous process, including presenting a portfolio to a Readiness Review panel of three peers and sitting for a computer-based Examination, are granted the APR designation.

“Earning my APR was very important to me,” said Hughes. “It certainly wasn’t an easy task, but then again, if it were easy, everyone would have this designation!” She added, “I couldn’t have done it without the support of Dr. Rhea Ingram or Dr. Katherine Jackson. They both supported me along this journey and that’s not something every PR professional can say. For that I feel very fortunate.”