Department Inaugurates Professional Achievement Awards
The Communication Department honored five of its alumni and another Buffalo State alumnus with its inaugural Professional Achievement Awards on Friday, Nov. 14, 2008
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Held in conjunction with the department’s Rho Psi chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta national communication honor society induction, the awards ceremony honors graduates for professional achievement in the various disciplines communication encompasses.
The inaugural award winners are:
Ann Carden, for achievement in public relations
An associate professor at SUNY Fredonia where she teaches public relations, Carden is the co-author of Public Relations Worktext: A Writing and Planning Resource. Her research interest focuses on the use of public relations in the travel and tourism industry, with a particular focus on the role of public relations in heritage tourism. Her work has appeared in scholarly journals and professional publications.
Carden is the recipient of 16 Excalibur Awards for excellence in public relations programming presented by the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. She was named the chapter’s Public Relations Practitioner of the Year on 2001 and is one of 27 public relations practitioners in Western New York to be accredited in public relations by PRSA. She was recently inducted into PRSA’s College of Fellows, the highest distinction granted by PRSA, given to only 445 public relations practitioners in the country.
Carden holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in multidisciplinary studies with a concentration in public relations management from Buffalo State.
Mark Gaughan, for achievement in sports journalism
Gaughan served as editor-in-chief of The Record before he graduated from Buffalo State in 1983. He has worked at the Buffalo News since 1984 as a sports reporter and columnist, covering the Buffalo Bills for the past 17 years. Gaughan is an official voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and serves as vice president for the Pro Football Writers of America. He is also on the board of the Bengal Club.
Mylous Hairston, for achievement in broadcast news
A 1986 journalism graduate, Hairston anchors WIVB-TV’s number-one rated News 4 Buffalo newscasts at 6, 10 and 11 on Saturday and Sunday nights. He joined the station in 1990 after serving as a reporter for WIXT in Syracuse and WETM in Elmira. Hairston has won numerous awards and honors for his work, including Emmys in 2003, 2006 and 2007, three Golden Eagle awards, several New York State Broadcasters awards, state Associated Press awards and national Telly awards. Active in community affairs, Hairston is a frequent participant in alumni activities at Buffalo State.
Martha Meegan, for achievement in broadcast news
As managing assignment editor for WIVB-TV, Meegan is responsible for the daily story generation, development, execution and overall news gathering operations of the number one-rated News 4 Buffalo. Directing a staff of photographers, editors, producers and technicians to produce the daily newscasts, Meegan manages the station’s news gathering operations meet daily deadlines for both local newscasts and network feeds. A 1992 graduate of the journalism program at Buffalo State, Martha recently returned to her alma mater to earn her master’s degree in multidisciplinary studies with a concentration in public relations management. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the New York State Broadcasters Association’s First Place Award for best interview and best continuing news coverage.
• Rich Wall, for achievement in media production
A former program director for the first commercial alternative radio station in Buffalo, Wall has served as a concert promoter for the Tralf, marketing director for Eureka Records and marketing and promotions manager for the Buffalo Sabres. As founder of his own Marketing and Media Consultancy, Wall specializes in nonprofit fundraising presentations and events, as well as video and audio production for clients such as Crisis Services, The Family Justice Center and the First Niagara Bank Foundation. The Sabres are now his client as well, and his voice can be heard on spots for their current broadcast campaign, which he has also written and produced. He is a 1994 JBS graduate.
• John Davis, for achievement in newspaper design
As editorial design director for The Buffalo News, Davis guides a team of 20 designers, illustrators and photographers in the design and presentation of news and features. Starting his career of 29 as an illustrator/designer after he graduated with a design degree from Buffalo State College, he led a complete redesign of The News as it converted from letterpress to offset. Most recently, he began a redesign of the News’ Web site. Davis taught visual communication at the undergraduate level for seven years and has designed publications for local and national organizations including Gibraltar Industries, Rich Products, The Buffalo Sabres, the University at Buffalo and Niagara University. Davis has won many design awards, including an Award of Excellence from the International Society of Newspaper Design for the overall redesign of The Buffalo News and a first-place award from the New York State Associated Press for the paper’s front page on the day Gov. Eliot Spitzer stepped down.