Belmont Public Relations & Social Media Management

Award recipients in our department's 2026 Emerging Excellence competition were announced at the recent "Connections" awards and celebrations event.

Winner in the Design Category was James Hill, for Flyer for CATHARSIS Nashville. The judges complimented the flyer’s architectural design and strategy, noting that it demonstrated a clear understanding of the audience and the organization's purpose.

Winners in the Research Category were Abigail Encalade and Grace Lappenga, for their project, PR Graduate Career Readiness. The judges noted that this was an impressively well-executed research study that clearly identified a gap in career preparation for PR graduates. The mixed-methods approach provided compelling evidence, and the study identified important implications for the structure of PR programs.

Winner in the Social Media Content Category was Ellie Wobbe, for Phi Mu Executive Committee Introductions. The judges appreciated the creativity of this post, noting that using design inspiration from Pinterest was pleasantly unexpected and would compel audiences to swipe through. They also highlighted how it tells a story through images rather than text, sharing just enough to pique interest. The impressive metrics also illustrate its quality of engagement.

Winner in the Strategic Planning Category was Kaylin Moore, for her WNBA Young Member Recruitment Campaign. The judges said that this campaign demonstrated a clear vision of the goals to be achieved and the tactics to accomplish them. The campaign stayed focused on the goals throughout and used engaging, interesting tactics to draw in a new audience.

Winner in the Writing Category was James Hill, for his Organizational Feature for Tennessee Justice Center’s Community Outreach. The judges said that this feature excelled at grabbing readers’ attention immediately. They noted that it can be hard to blend strong storytelling with facts, and said this feature did so beautifully.

The winners were announced by Christie Kleinmann, faculty member in the department.

Congratulations to our 2026 outstanding student award recipients Kaylin Moore, Abby Johnson, and Shannon O'Neil, shown with faculty members Bonnie Riechert and Kevin S. Trowbridge at the Belmont University College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Student Awards Ceremony this week. Moore received the department's Outstanding Graduate Award; after graduation she will serve as publicity coordinator at Warner Records and pursue her MBA at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Johnson received the department's Leadership Excellence Award for her leadership in Tower Creative Communications student-run firm. O'Neil received the department's Academic Excellence Award, recognizing the graduating public relations or social media management major with the highest grade point average. Moore is an honors student majoring in public relations and publishing. Johnson is majoring in public relations and minoring in corporate communications. O'Neil is majoring in social media management and Italian.

Congratulations to these outstanding students!

Miriam Blake received a Belmont University Lumos Travel Award in 2025, and she used this to fund her work with a refuge advocacy nonprofit halfway around the world. She spoke on campus recently about this life-changing opportunity. Read more in our department blog: https://blogs.belmont.edu/pr/2026/04/14/belmont-grad-shares-lessons-from-refuge-advocacy/
Kevin S. Trowbridge, Christie Kleinmann, Trenay Perry Bynum, Bonnie Riechert, Anna Grace Usery

Belmont Grad Shares Lessons from Refuge Advocacy – PR|SMM Belmont Grad Shares Lessons from Refuge Advocacy by annagrace April 14, 2026 Miriam Blake, a May 2025 Belmont University public relations and fashion studies graduate, returned to her alma mater recently to describe her experience working for five months with a nonprofit in Lesvos, Greece. She assis...

We’re celebrating our outstanding alumni like Rachel Novak (Class of 2017) and our graduating seniors at our “Connections” event April 20. Please RSVP by April 13. Kevin S. Trowbridge, Bonnie Riechert, Christie Kleinmann, Trenay Perry Bynum, Anna Grace Usery

Alumna Angelina Sinacola (Class of 2025) and graduating senior Grace Lappenga will be honored at our April 20 celebration for achieving the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations. Our alumni, graduating seniors and award recipients are invited to join us. RSVP by April 13.

We’re celebrating our alumni at our awards dinner April 20. Elizabeth Brown and Dennis Vorreyer, Class of 2014.

We're looking forward to seeing alumni and graduating seniors at our April 20 departmental celebrations and awards event. MaryKatelyn Price, Ladara Lucas, Class of 2019.

Alumni, graduating seniors, and award winners from our department are invited to join us April 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Rogers Boardroom, fourth floor of the Barbara Massey Rogers Center (formerly Massey Business Center). Dinner will be served. Tickets are free, and reservation by April 13 is required. Link for tickets: https://bit.ly/4bIM2xC . For more information contact Bonnie Riechert at [email protected]. Kevin S. Trowbridge Christie Kleinmann Trenay Perry Bynum