Washington, DC – Associate director of communications for the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and former pastor of the William Knibb Baptist Church, (Jamaica) Eron Henry, has received the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) in the United States.
Rev. Henry now joins the list of over 5,000 accredited professionals worldwide as the APR is regarded as the gold standard for the profession. Sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America, APR certification is designed for public relations professionals with five or more years of industry experience, and who possess an undergraduate university degree or higher.
Once granted, the certification is retained for life, contingent on completion of regular continuing education activities, and current membership in a Universal Accreditation Board member organization. Rev. Henry is a member of the UAB-affiliated Religion Communicators Council.
Accredited professionals need to display knowledge and competence covering key concepts in communications theory, legal issues and professional ethics. It also recognizes practitioners who have mastered the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to develop and deliver strategic communications.
In responding to the achievement Rev. Henry said, “Receiving the APR is significant. It gives one a competitive advantage. One has to show knowledge and competency in the field. One has to remain current and relevant. The advent of new technology makes it even harder. Social media is now shaking up the field. So is mobile technology. Some of what applied 10 years ago have now to be rethought.”
He further added that, “It makes things like crisis management and branding that much more difficult. Messaging is far more challenging. Yet, all these new developments make public relations more exciting. One never knows what will happen next and one has to be prepared.”
The US government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the number of public relations specialists in the United States at approximately 230,000.
The BWA communications director, who hails from Colegate in St. Ann, has held that portfolio at its headquarters in Falls Church Virginia since January 2006. An ordained Baptist minister and graduate of the United Theological College of the West Indies, he earned a master’s in journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia in the United States.
Rev. Henry pastoral duties spans 18 years and covers Rock River Circuit of Baptist Churches in Clarendon and the Falmouth Circuit of Baptist Churches in Trelawny.
He is a former Gleaner columnist, news commentator on RJR and night talk show host on the former Radio WAVES in Montego Bay (now Hot 102 FM).
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