Ad PR Alums Lead Top Industry Associations to Drive Diversity and Inclusion

Beyond building successful careers as PR professionals, Ad PR alums Kellie Jelencovich ’11 and Erika Sanchez ‘06 have distinguished themselves as industry leaders of two dynamic New York professional associations.

Kellie Jelencovich ’11

Kellie, Public Relations Manager on the in-house PR team for Internova Travel Group, was elected to be 2020 president of PRSA-NY, after serving on the chapter’s Board of Directors for 7+ years. Kellie oversees the entirety of the organization and has helped the chapter evolve its extensive programs, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, to better accommodate members who need to connect digitally, while also focusing on social media, partnerships, marketing and membership to provide valuable networking opportunities for members.

Erika Sanchez ‘06

Erika, who founded her own agency, Braid Communications, was elected president of the Hispanic Public Relations Association New York Chapter in 2017 following seven years of service on HPRA NY’s board. She leads all aspects of the chapter – programming, partnerships, social media, membership - and works closely with the chapter and national boards to expand HPRA’s presence and provide members valuable prospects and opportunities.

As CCNY Ad PR alums at the helm of these two high visibility organizations, Kellie and Erika, along with Troy Blackwell ’16 (PRSA-NY & BPRS-NY) are working together to advocate for greater diversity and inclusion in the PR industry, and to further showcase CCNY’s Media & Communications program. With Ad PR alums leading the way, all three organizations continue to mentor and support CCNY students through various events including Building Bridges.