Elena del Valle Receives PRSA D. Parke Gibson Pioneer 2004 Award.

The Hispanic Marketing & Communication Association, HMCA, announced that HMCA President Elena del Valle, M.B.A., J.D. is the recipient of the 2004 D. Parke Gibson Pioneer Award of the Multicultural Communications Section of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Established in 1990 by the PRSA Multicultural Affairs Committee, the D. Parke Gibson Pioneer Award is PRSA’s highest individual award presented to a public relations professional that has contributed to the increased awareness of public relations within multicultural communities and participated in the promotion of issues that meet the special informational and educational needs of these diverse communities. The Award is named for D. Parke Gibson, APR, a pioneer in multicultural public relations.

This year’s winner Elena del Valle is being recognized for her Hispanic market and multicultural understanding and expertise, and professional involvement in U.S. Hispanic public relations. Her 20-year career has spanned the public and private sectors, including in-house and agency employment and the establishment of LNA World Communications. The founding president and leading force behind the Hispanic Marketing & Communication Association, del Valle was also cofounder of the first Hispanic Market Section of a PRSA chapter (Miami). A past chairwoman of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Business Group, she has served on a number of community boards, including the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the Health Council of South Florida, the Alliance Francaise de Miami , the SEFLIN Free-Net Miami Advisory Board, STARS/H.O.P.E., the National Association of Women Business Owners, and Carrfour Corporation. She is also the project director and editor of the multiple author book on U.S. Hispanics entitled Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations:Understanding and Targeting America’s Largest Minority scheduled for publication in 2005.

Multilingual and a published author, she is a graduate of Leadership Miami, the Center for Creative Leadership, the National Hispana Leadership Institute, the Embassy of Spain Young Hispanic Americans, the Cuban American National Council, and the Harvard John. F. Kennedy School of Government leadership programs.