Angie Prather is a gifted communicator who can “relate to a room full of Rotarians, connect with 20- somethings on social media or craft a pointed message for a legislative agenda.” With more than 30 years in her marketing and communications career, she has served and strengthened her Kansas communities. Prather was recognized for her career accomplishments March 23 in Emporia when she was announced as the 2019 Communicator of Achievement (COA) by the Kansas Professional Communicators.
Prather is vice president of marketing and communications for the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce in Wichita. She brags on her WPC colleagues who have proved to be excellent resources for providing insight and guidance on best practices in employee communication and rebranding throughout her career.
“I am honored to accept this award,” said Prather who will now compete in June at the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The NFPW COA award is the highest honor given to an individual winner recognized for achievement in the communications field, service to KPC, NFPW and in the community.
During the awards presentation at the conference, KPC’s COA director Wilma Moore-Black introduced Prather as a communicator and leader who is a dedicated professional, widely known and respected on the job and in the community. Her work with well-known, effective and creative grass-roots campaign for the Wichita flag (shown in photo with Prather) tops the list at the Chamber.
“It’s exhilarating to see an idea championed or a new solution embraced as a result of a well-crafted message,” Prather explained. “I’m thrilled every time I witness the spark from a connection that eventually results in a flame of activity and progress. It confirms my belief in the power of human connection and communication.”
Prather became acquainted with the WPC, KPC and the NFPW during her tenure at Botanica. The WPC held their monthly meetings there and one of the members invited Prather to attend; she joined the organization and began to participate in the state contests. Joining the WPC board in 2004 was a natural extension of her interest in the organization, and she eventually served as the group’s vice president of programs. Prather scheduled relevant speakers for the monthly WPC meetings and attended the annual KPC conference. It was during this time period that she won several NFPW awards including a first place in advertising photography in 2005 as well as awards for news releases and a photo essay. In 2017, she was KPC’s sweepstakes contest winner.
With a marketing degree from Wichita State University, Prather has been on a mission to make a difference in the communications field, media organizations and her presence in each community project. She is energized by connecting people with ideas, stories, solutions and each other.
“Angie exhibits all the traits of a leading PR professional. She operates with the highest integrity, builds relationships, follows through on commitments, thinks creatively, writes clearly, plans strategically and advances organizational goals. All with a smile on her face,” stated Deanna Harms, executive vice president, GretemanGroup Marketing Communications and one of many endorsers of Prather for the NFPW COA award.