An Evening with Joe Epley, APR, Fellow PRSA

The Blue Ridge Chapter PRSA’s Past Presidents Council is pleased to present the first in a distinguished speakers series featuring legendary figures in public relations. Titled, “An Evening With…,” this special programming supplements our luncheon meetings and provides an opportunity to learn and interact with senior colleagues in a more relaxed setting.

Our first “Evening With…” features Joe Epley, retired head of Epley Associates of Charlotte, N.C., who earned international recognition for his leadership in the field. He is a former national PRSA president and head of our prestigious College of Fellows, Counselors Academy and PRSA Foundation. In addition, he was co-founder and global chair of Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s largest consortium of independent public relations firms. For his achievements, he was awarded the Gold Anvil, our profession’s highest honor given to an individual.

This special evening will take place at the Shenandoah Club in Roanoke, beginning with cocktails at 5:30, followed by dinner. The cost per person is $75.

-------------------- MORE ABOUT JOE --------------------------

Joe Epley is a guy who has worn many hats over his life -- Green Beret, television journalist, public relations executive, change agent and now, novelist. He has canoed Arctic wilderness rivers, hiked the Australian outback and helped restore homes destroyed by hurricanes.

For nearly 40 years, Joe led Epley Associates, a successful public relations firm in Charlotte, N.C., and achieved international recognition for his leadership in the field. He was president of the Public Relations Society of America, and at various times, head of its prestigious College of Fellows, Counselors Academy, and the PRSA Foundation.

He was a co-founder and global chair of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s largest consortium of independent public relations firms. In addition to lecturing at universities and before professional groups throughout the world, he helped introduce the PR profession to Russia in the waning days of the Soviet Union. During his career, Joe held leadership roles in many organizations. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of The Marketing Alliance, a publicly traded life insurance brokerage firm that serves independent agents nationwide, and the Military Writers Society of America.

Among Joe’s honors is the Public Relations Society of America's Gold Anvil, the highest award in the public relations profession for lifetime achievement. In addition to his election to the University of North Carolina’s Journalism School Public Relations Hall of Fame and the alumni hall of fame for the Defense Information School, he has been awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest award for noteworthy citizens.

After selling his business in Charlotte in 2005, Joe retired with his wife to the wooded hills near Tryon, N.C. where he continues public service work in addition to researching and writing about the American Revolutionary War. He remains active as a public relations consultant and as an advisor for international public relations studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.