NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The members of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Counselors Academyhave elected Dana Phelps Hughens, CEO of Clairemont Communications in Raleigh, N.C., as its 2018 chair.

Counselors Academy is the national professional interest section of PRSA focused on the business of agency PR. Its entrepreneurial members are owners or senior managers of leading independent firms in the U.S. and Canada. Counselors Academy fosters networking, mentoring and learning, and the executive committee consists of 15 senior-level public relations professionals from across the country. Hughens has been a member of the executive committee since 2012.

“PRSA’s Counselors Academy is an essential resource in building and managing a PR firm,” said Hughens. “As this year’s chair, I’m passionate about growing and engaging our membership while continuing to make our annual conference the premier professional development event for public relations agency owners.”

PRSA Counselors Academy 2018 Spring Conference will be held May 6-8, 2018, in Toronto. Known for its robust networking and learning opportunities, the conference enables collaborative peer relationships.

As CEO of Clairemont Communications, Hughens leads the agency to devise PR and marketing strategies that have been recognized with 175 industry awards since opening in 2010. She is a Silver Anvil award winner and has been honored by the Triangle Business Journal with Women in Business and Forty Under Forty awards. Previously, she was senior vice president and global consumer practice group co-chair of Fleishman-Hillard.

About the Public Relations Society of America

PRSA is the nation’s largest professional organization serving the communications community. The organization’s mission is to make communications professionals smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career. PRSA achieves this by offering its members thought leadership, innovative lifelong learning opportunities to help them develop new skills, enhance their credibility and connect with a strong network of professionals. The organization sets the standards of professional excellence and ethical conduct for the public relations industry. PRSA collectively represents more than 30,000 members consisting of communications professionals spanning every industry sector nationwide and college and university students who encompass the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Learn more about PRSA at https://www.prsa.org.