PRSA Appoints Jeff Wilson, APR, as Senior Counsel

Jeff Wilson, APR, senior vice president of Social Impact at Padilla, has been appointed as a Senior Counsel member of the 2026 PRSA Board of Directors. He was appointed by Heide Harrell, M.A., APR, 2026 PRSA Chair, alongside Patricia “Reace” Alvarenga Smith, APR.

Senior Counsel is a nonvoting position on PRSA’s 19-member Board of Directors and serves a one-year term.

"Reace and Jeff are respected, trusted leaders in our profession, and their perspectives will be a tremendous asset to both the Board and PRSA as a whole," said Harrell. "They bring decades of experience, a deep commitment to ethical, strategic communications, and a strong understanding of what our members need today and in the future. Their counsel will help strengthen our decision-making and support PRSA’s continued growth and relevance."

With more than 25 years of experience in communications, Jeff Wilson, APR, serves as a senior member of the Corporate Strategic Advisory Group at Padilla, leading the agency’s Social Impact Consultancy. He also leads Padilla’s internal inclusion and belonging initiatives and corporate social responsibility program.

Throughout his career, Jeff has earned some of the profession’s highest honors, including a PRSA Silver Anvil, PRSA Bronze Anvil, and other industry-related awards.

He has been actively involved in PRSA for more than 20 years, serving as President of PRSA Richmond (2012), President of the Richmond Public Relations Foundation (2014-2015), and on the PRSA National Board for two years (2020-2021).

A strong advocate for mentoring and education, he has served as an adjunct communications professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Union University, and the University of South Carolina.

In 2024, the Diversity Action Alliance (DAA), a coalition of public relations and communications leaders, announced the 2024 G.E.M.S. (Growth in Equity as a Measure of Sustainability) honorees and Jeff was featured among the Top Five.

His community leadership includes current service as Board chair of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and prior roles as co-chair of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame Advisory Committee and chair of the Virginia Mentoring Partnership (now MENTOR Virginia).

Read the full news release on PRSA.