David Hakensen (612) 872-3716
E-mail: [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PSB'S BARTIKOSKI ELECTED NATIONAL PRSA DIRECTOR AT LARGE

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 3 - Tom Bartikoski, APR, Fellow PRSA and senior vice president at Padilla Speer Beardsley Inc. (PSB), Twin Cities-based public relations consulting firm, has been elected a director at large to the Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) board of directors. He will serve two years as the representative for the Midwest District. PRSA's 17-member board manages and controls the business affairs of the world's largest organization for public relations professionals.

Since joining PSB in 1983 as director of its public affairs practice, Bartikoski has focused on counseling corporations, government agencies and non-profits on matters involving all aspects of public relations including crisis and controversial issues, public education programs, public policy advocacy, opinion research and government relations strategies.

His major areas of expertise include regulated industries and businesses or organizations with a high level of public scrutiny and political accountability. This includes public utilities, government public information programs, facility siting and land use, waste management, and other environmentally sensitive businesses.

Prior to joining the firm, Bartikoski was vice president and director of the public relations practice for a major Twin Cities advertising agency. He has 26 years of public relations counseling experience. Bartikoski graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota.

Bartikoski is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and has been active in its leadership at all levels. He served nine years on PRSA's National Accreditation Board and was its chair in 1993 and 1994. Most recently he guided development of the Accreditation program to involve other significant public relations organizations in a Universal Accreditation program on a global scale. He was the first public relations consultant from Minnesota to be inducted into the PRSA College of Fellows recognizing "superior capability as a practitioner." He is a past president of the Minnesota PRSA Chapter and served as chair of the Midwest District of PRSA in 1990.

PSB is a multi-specialty public relations firm with offices in Minneapolis, St. Paul and

New York. It is a founding partner of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world's largest consortium of public relations consulting firms, with 95 partner companies and 108 offices in 44 countries.