April Thought Leadership: Lessons from Longstanding APRs
Posted by admincarolyn on Apr. 27, 2026 / APR, Blog / Subscribe 0
In honor of APR Month this April, we’re celebrating the dedication, expertise and continued growth that define our profession. Hear from four members of our chapter who are long-time Las Vegas PR pros who highlight the impact of earning the only nationally recognized accreditation for public relations practitioners.
Vince Alberta, APR
Vice President for Brand Integration & Chief Marketing Officer, UNLV
Vince has nearly three decades of experience in public relations, and earned his APR more than 25 years ago. Prior to working at UNLV, he was Vice President of Public Affairs for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and also worked for NV Energy, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and the Las Vegas Valley Water District.
“Achieving APR makes you think more strategically and incorporate all elements of a comprehensive strategic communications plan,” said Vince. With a robust group of UNLV APRs, he notes, “Our study group bonded and supported each other leading up to the exam.”
Clark Dumont, APR, Fellow PRSA
Founder, Dumont Communications
A former journalist, Clark switched to the comms side and earned his APR 11 years into his PR career (which was 30 years ago!). For current practitioners, especially those switching from a journalism background, he shared, “As a journalist, I knew that it wasn’t what I knew (and who) but what I didn’t know that would help me to successfully gather information to inform and educate my audiences.”
He continued, “I came to appreciate that stakeholders were essential to my success as my sources. They had to know that they could trust me to be trustworthy in the information and insights in which they were entrusting me. The ‘algorithm’ of APR fueled and affirmed this awareness and to gauge success based on outcomes versus inputs by prioritizing why, how and where to engage with stakeholders for what they needed to know for their, and thus the organization’s, success.”
Dan McFadden, APR
Director of Communications and Community Engagement, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center
Dan, also a former broadcaster, PR pro and long-time healthcare communicator who earned his APR 25 years ago notes “Accreditation in Public Relations has been a game changer for me in so many ways. APR provided the discipline and roadmap that transformed me into a disciplined, creative communications leader and trusted PR counselor to executives and peers. At the end of the day, APR has taught me how to lead, coach, and mentor others in the practice of the four-step process and pursuit/achievement of their APR.”
Dan is also responsible for introducing the Arkansas APR Ready to Roll program to Las Vegas in January 2020. “Years ago, following my service as president of the Arkansas chapter, its Past Presidents Council honored me with the chapter's Crystal Award, given to those who in their collective opinion, made significant and continuous contributions to the field of public relations over the course of his or her career."
Challenge accepted and Dan spearheaded the Arkansas chapter's APR program. “This was the genesis of the APR Ready to Roll program, now thriving in Las Vegas Valley, Nashville, and Arkansas chapters, especially thanks to leaders like Gretchen Papez, APR, who has led and taken the program to a whole new level! In a nutshell, by applying the science and principles of APR, we created a proven, aggressive program to help PR practitioners achieve their APR, the gold standard in public relations. Through APR and supporting other PR practitioners, I am (we are) paying it forward,” said Dan.
James Stover, APR
Senior Account Executive, B&P Public Relations
A former PRSA Las Vegas president and APR chair, James earned his APR in 2008 and has a keen understanding of what it takes to earn and succeed as a PR pro. “For me it was two-fold: acquiring my PR accreditation enhanced my PR planning skills, allowing me to become a more effective PR professional. Also, it was beneficial to my self-image as a PR professional, since I entered PR from ‘left field’ - instead of any kind of public relations education or training, I entered PR with a background in copywriting and broadcast television production (not TV news),” he shared.
When the time is right for you to earn your APR, please contact the Las Vegas APR Ready to Roll program at [email protected] or Gretchen Papez on LinkedIn.
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