The 2018 Gala of the Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publiques (SQPRP) provided an opportunity to honour Deanna Drendel, who was appointed as the first Executive Director of Public Relations Without Borders upon its founding, in 2007. The public relations specialists of Québec wanted to recognize the boundless energy, talent and professionalism that Deanna Drendel invested in the launching of PRWB.
Deanna’s faith in the mission of PRWB allowed her to set up the organization’s first international cooperation projects, in 2009 and 2010 in Niger, with Oxfam-Québec. Those projects gave PRWB the solid base it needed to offer services to other organizations in Africa, Latin America and Asia (India).
There have been so many important projects confirming the relevance of public relations and advocacy as levers for progress in developing countries. Without Deanna’s pioneering spirit and dedication, PRWB would not have achieved such resounding success.