Chapter Officers
Dave Racine- President
Dave Racine serves as the President of the PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin chapter. He is the co-founder and managing partner at Punch PR, a full service public relations firm in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward. He previously worked at Cramer-Krasselt and Hanson Dodge Creative, advising clients across the traditional and digital media engagement spectrums, providing outreach strategies to consumer product brands, tech companies as well as B2B and non-profit organizations.
Angela Hersil – President-Elect/Treasurer
Angela Hersil, APR, serves as Treasurer and President Elect for the PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter. She is Vice President – Communications, Sustainability and Public Affairs for Zurn Elkay Water Solutions where she is responsible for communications strategy, corporate reputation, issues management, media relations, sustainability strategy and communications, internal communications, corporate philanthropy and employee volunteerism. Angela joined Zurn Elkay Water Solutions in 2015 from SC Johnson where she served as Director, Global Public Affairs. Prior to joining SC Johnson, Angela served as Director, Investor Relations and Financial Communications for Whirlpool Corporation. Angela has also held communications positions with Omnicare, Inc. (now part of CVS) and Snap-on Incorporated. Angela holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s degree in business administration from Marquette University. She is a member of the Zurn Foundation board of directors and a member of the Hunger Task Force Executive Council.
Don Klein – Past President
Don Klein serves as past president for the PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin chapter. He is Assistant Director of Field Public Relations for Northwestern Mutual, leading a team if PR professionals in raising the profile of financial advisors across the nation. He previously worked for Generac Power Systems, Bethesda Lutheran Communities, Aurora Health Care and Associated Banc-Corp. A Marquette University graduate, Don was president of the PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin chapter in 2013.
Amy Freeze – Secretary
Amy Freeze is serving as Secretary for the PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter. Amy is a senior communications specialist at Froedtert Health. She supports communications for Froedtert Hospital, executive leadership, and clinical services. Prior to Froedtert, Amy founded FreezeFrame Media. She also worked as a writer/producer at Plum Media where she contributed to John McGivern’s Main Streets. Amy started her career in broadcast news as a TV news producer. She holds a BA in communications and media relations from St. Norbert College.
Jacquelyn Gozdowiak- Membership Chair
Jacquelyn Gozdowiak is the membership chair of the PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter. Jacquelyn is Account Director, Public Relations at BVK where she partners with clients to solve business challenges and oversees campaign execution. She is also a volunteer with Serve Marketing, the country’s only all-volunteer, nonprofit advertising agency whose mission is to give underserved charitable causes a stronger voice in the community. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Marquette University.
Brian Knox- Director-at-Large – Marketing
Brian is an Executive Vice President at Laughlin Constable Public Relations (LCPR). With more than 20 years of public relations experience, he has worked with clients around the U.S. planning public and government affairs initiatives, building coalitions, providing strategic counsel, responding to crisis situations, providing media training, developing targeted media relations campaigns and generating local and national publicity. Brian has also written and produced numerous video productions for corporate, government and nonprofit clients. His ability for knowing “what makes news” stems from an earlier career as a widely respected and award-winning TV reporter/anchor in the Midwest. He is a longtime member of the Public Relations Society of America Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter winning numerous Paragon awards with his colleagues and nationally capturing PRSA Bronze and Silver Anvils. Brian also represents LCPR as the Milwaukee/Wisconsin affiliate for the PRConsultants Group, a nationwide network of PR consultants. Brian remains a longtime member of the Milwaukee Press Club and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from Middle Tennessee State University.
McKenna Carrigan – Director-at-Large – PR Palooza
McKenna Carrigan serves as the Marketing, Communications, and Events Manager at TEMPO Milwaukee. In this role, McKenna creates engaging website and social media content and collaborates to execute events for members. Previously, McKenna worked at Dental Associates where she managed the website and improved SEO rankings, and at The University Club of Milwaukee as the Membership and Marketing Manager where she was responsible for all email communications to members including designing all marketing and event materials as well as the quarterly magazine. McKenna holds a Bachelor of Arts-Journalism and Mass Communication in public relations and graphic design from Drake University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Business Administration at Cardinal Stritch University.
Josh Anderson – Director at Large
Josh Anderson is a Director at Large for PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin. Josh is a Senior Account Executive at Punch PR, a full-service PR agency in Milwaukee, where he manages day-to-day relationships, planning, and execution for a number of clients. Josh graduated summa cum laude from Marquette University with a degree in Public Relations and Spanish, and he previously interned at Padilla’s Minneapolis office.
Charlee Hrubesky – Director-at-Large
Charlee Hrubesky serves as the Public Relations and Communications Manager at the Wisconsin Center District. Charlee is responsible for managing media relations, internal communications and public relations strategies for the WCD’s three venues: the Wisconsin Center, Miller High Life Theatre and the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, as well as the District itself. Before joining the WCD, Charlee was a broadcast news reporter in Green Bay. Charlee holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University.
Tammy Belton-Davis – Assembly Delegate
Tammy Belton-Davis is the Assembly Delegate for PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter. For 14 years, she has served as founder and president of Athena Communications, a brand management and government affairs firm specializing in strategic communications, equity and inclusion practices, and media engagement, with client partners engaged in transformational and systems change work.
Most recently, Tammy served as the first appointed chief diversity officer with Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the largest regional theater in Wisconsin while concurrently leading her firm. She is an award-winning public relations and diversity professional. In 2021 she was named a Woman of Influence by the Milwaukee Business Journal, an honoree in the inaugural class of Most Notable Alumni, a recognition for distinguished alumni recognized by the Biz Times, and the recipient of the inaugural Governor’s Tourism Award for Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion. The award recognizes demonstrated leadership in raising awareness, or facilitating change, to build a more inclusive and welcoming environment for visitors to Wisconsin.
Prior to launching Athena in 2009, Tammy excelled in senior level positions in city government and community-based organizations and served as staff assistant with the Milwaukee County Board and Milwaukee Common Council. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in professional communications from Alverno College.
Ann Peru Knabe, Ph.D., APR+M – Accreditation Co-Chair — Chair of Accreditation
Ann Peru Knabe, Ph.D, APR+M is the accreditation co-chair for PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin. She believes in the importance of research, strategy, and thoughtful evaluation. Her 30+ years in military public affairs, national security and international settings complement her civilian PR work and educational experiences. Ann currently works as an account director at BVK. She previously taught PR at University of Wisconsin – Whitewater for 20 years, and retired with the rank of “colonel” after serving 36 years in the Air Force Reserve in public affairs and emergency management. She is a past chair of the Universal Accreditation Board, the international governing body for the “APR” credential and has served in multiple roles at the local and national PRSA level.
Michael Pflughoeft, APR, Fellow PRSA – Accreditation Co-Chair
Michael Pflughoeft, APR, Fellow PRSA is the accreditation co-chair for PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin. He brings decades of experience in Public Relations, Communications and Events to every client and project – small or large. He is currently a PR Director at BVK and has worked with some of the highest profile organizations in Wisconsin and beyond, including Harley-Davidson, Steelcase, Aurora HealthCare, Pabst, Herman Miller, The Marcus Corporation and Doral Dental / DentaQuest.
Michael has served in virtually every board position for the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of PRSA, including two terms as President. He is the creator and founder of the Chapter’s annual PR Palooza fundraising event, he developed and launched the Chapter’s first formal mentorship program and served as chair of the Chapter’s 50th anniversary program / event. He has also volunteered his time and services to several associations and advocacy groups including the American Red Cross, AIDS Walk Wisconsin and MDA of Wisconsin.
Heidi Fendos – PRSSA Liaison
Heidi Fendos has been running Fendos PR a full-service PR/Marketing consulting business since 2003. She specializes in tourism/hospitality, education, small and nonprofit businesses. She currently represents Wilderness Resorts and Waterparks and Ebenezer Child Care Centers in addition to many other small businesses and special events based in southeastern Wisconsin.
Prior to going out on her own, Fendos oversaw the PR department for a Milwaukee advertising agency for 5 years and served as an account executive with the same agency for two years. She also worked briefly with the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau (now VISIT Milwaukee) as well as for the Independent Communtiy Bankers Association of Wisconsin which is based in Madison. Heidi was the 2019 recipient of the Chapter’s Dorothy Thomas Black Award which recognizes recipients for sustained, superior performance in public relations. She is a UW-Whitewater graduate and was the Midwest District Director for PRSSA when she was in college.
