Order of the Phoenix
PRSA Georgia’s highest honor, induction into the Order of the Phoenix, was created in 1986 to honor distinguished public relations professionals for their career achievements, significant contributions in the field of public relations and exemplary community service. Chapter members inducted into the Order of the Phoenix also enter the Georgia PRSA Hall of Fame, created in 1988 by the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Georgia in cooperation with PRSA Georgia.
Do you know a PRSA Georgia member who has had a remarkable public relations career of more than 20 years and has been an outstanding member of the Chapter and community? If so, nominate him or her for the Order of the Phoenix, a program honoring long-practicing public relations professionals for exemplary careers and dedication to the Chapter. Nominations usually open during the late summer and are due in early fall.
Read about the past inductees into the Order of the Phoenix.
Nominations for Order of the Phoenix
Nominations open each year in the summer(ish) and close again in the early fall(ish). Specific dates will be announced here when they are set for each year's nomination period. Nominations are submitted via an online form (that is active only during the nomination period) and should include detailed descriptions of the nominee's:
- career service in the field of public relations
- involvement in public service
- participation in PRSA Georgia, including offices held and committee work
- other activities that support their qualification and eligibility
Each nomination should include both the nominator's and nominee's name and full contact information.
Our 2025 Order of the Phoenix Inductee
Dr. Joseph V. Trahan III, APR, Fellow PRSA
President & CEO of Trahan & Associates
Dr. Joseph V. Trahan III, APR, Fellow PRSA, is a New Orleans native with 44 years of public relations/affairs experience in governmental, association, and educational and non-profit public relations. Additionally, Trahan is also a retired lieutenant colonel with the United States Army Reserve and former commander of the 314th Public Affairs Operations Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
Trahan graduated from Tulane University with a bachelor's degree in American Military History, earned a master's degree in Public Relations from Ball State University, and earned his doctorate in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Since 1998, Trahan has led media relations training for over 3,500 people yearly in 46 US states, England, Norway, France, Belgium, Paraguay, Mexico and the Netherlands.
Currently, Trahan is a lifetime board member of the PRSA Public Affairs & Government Section. He is an accredited member of Public Relations Society of America, a former National PRSA Board of Directors member and National PRSSA faculty advisor. Trahan was Inducted into the Defense Information School in September 2025. He was inducted into the Rowan University Public Relations Hall of Fame for lifetime distinguished contributions to the public relations profession in 2019 and the Southern Public Relations Federation Hall of Fame for bringing distinction to the public relations profession in 2016. He was awarded the Lloyd B. Dennis Award by PRSA in 2009 for distinguished leadership in public affairs and the U.S. Army Ancient Order of St. Gabriel in 2022.
