Over the decades, the letters APR have crossed my desk thousands of times, always after a name. As in Amy Oliver Barnes, APR. Or Bob Sells, APR. Ron Robinson, APR. Brenda Scisson, APR.
But what do the initials stand for, beyond some vague notion of achievement in public relations? Several Little Rock communications pros explained, and their answers were surprisingly fervent and personal.
Dan McFadden was so worried he’d blown his PR accreditation test that his hands shook as he struggled to open the results envelope. “If I had just looked at the front I’d have seen that it was addressed to ‘Dan McFadden, APR,’ ” he said with a laugh.
Recalling that moment 17 years later, the director of marketing engagement for Arkansas Children’s Hospital called it “the pinnacle for me in my practice” and the culmination of a yearlong process.
“You apply and have to be accepted by national [the Public Relations Society of America], then you present a case study to a panel of local APRs,” said Kristen Vandaveer Nicholson, president of the PRSA’s Little Rock chapter, which has a high ratio of accredited members. Eventually there’s a computerized test, then continuing education and service.
“From what I can tell, there are 43 APRs in the state, and 33 of them are members of the Little Rock chapter,” Nicholson said. Only about 5,000 professionals worldwide have earned the title.
The letters stand for Accredited in Public Relations, but they also signal professional acumen, significant skills, knowledge and a commitment to ethics in PR, Nicholson said. She and a handful of other APRs explained the program a few weeks ago at Mangan Holcomb Partners, the Little Rock marketing agency where Nicholson is director of PR.
Nicholson’s bottom line: If you need an accountant “you go to someone that is a CPA, not just someone with a bachelor’s in accounting. When you’re an executive needing someone to provide high-level PR counsel, why wouldn’t you want someone who’s accredited?”
McFadden said the designation was important as he sought advancement to management. “It helped me accomplish that,” he said, “and as APRs we can have the tools to communicate effectively as lifelong learners, and offer good advice to the C-suite.”
Brandon D. Morris, director of public affairs for Union Pacific Railroad in North Little Rock, said the credential lifted his confidence. “I’m one of the few APRs who don’t mind telling you I failed the first time I went for accreditation. Now, when company leaders come to the PR guy for strategic counsel, I know I can give them valuable insight.”
Morris is the state’s only APR+M, an accreditation in both public relations and military communications. He sought the distinction after working at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, a U.S. Army installation.
The APR process is rigorous, but the Little Rock PRSA group provides coaching, study help and often scholarship assistance with the fee, which runs about $400. PR pros with several years of experience apply, sit for a presentation to a local panel of three APRs, then study for the computer-based exam. After passing, they commit to continuing education, professional development and service.
“It’s important to note that you can lose your APR,” said Denver Peacock of The Peacock Group, who is the Little Rock chapter’s APR program chair, responsible for helping lead a training “boot camp” and ushering members through. “It’s made clear that if you violate the code of ethics, you can be stripped of your credential.” This year’s boot camp is set for late summer.
The director of communications for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Brandi Hinkle, hates to hear the word “spin.” “As ethical communications professionals, our obligation is to tell the truth,” she said. “It’s something I’m very proud of. At one time I thought APR was just a little course you take. Once I got into it I realized how robust it was, and I felt, dang, I’ve really done something.”
Noting many cases where accreditation led to promotions and more lucrative positions, Hinkle put it bluntly: “Being an APR does make you more money.” (Hinkle’s salary at the AEDC is $77,000 a year, according to state records.)
APRs are elite, but not exclusive, Peacock said. “It’s achievable. We don’t want to scare colleagues off. It’s something you can do with the right amount of coaching, mentoring and personal skin in the game. So we don’t want people to be intimidated. They can get there, too.”
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