Barone receives Outstanding Practitioner Award from Buffalo Niagara PRSA

In an evening during which the university, faculty and alumni of SUNY Fredonia were recognized with Excalibur Awards, Director of Public Relations Michael R. Barone received the May C. Randazzo Outstanding Practitioner Award recently from the Buffalo Niagara Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Mr. Barone, director at Fredonia since January 2008, received the award honoring a public relations professional who has made significant contributions to the field, has applied public relations techniques in a professional manner throughout his or her career, and has contributed to the advancement of the Buffalo Niagara Chapter. A former Vice President of Investor Relations at Travers Collins & Co., Barone was introduced by his former colleague at Travers Collins, Senior Vice President Richard Shaner Jr., who hired him in 1995 for his first job in the profession.

As a Director within the Division of University Advancement, Barone leads the college’s efforts in public relations including external relations with local, regional and national media; internal relations, advocacy, publications, marketing, web management, photography and video. His clients are university-wide, including publicity and publications for the Fredonia College Foundation, the fundraising arm of the university, and for the university’s new Technology Incubator. He also helps to frame the university’s legislative advocacy efforts. As editor of the alumni publication, “The Statement,” he led a team which transformed it from a newsprint tabloid to a full-color magazine which won Best of Show honors at last year’s Excalibur Awards.

Barone served Buffalo Niagara Chapter as a board member and as President in 2008, and was on the planning committee for the 2008 PRSA Northeast District Conference in Buffalo. He was also Logistics Chair for the 2010 SUNY/CUAD annual conference held in Buffalo. He is the recipient of multiple Excalibur awards from the Buffalo Niagara Chapter including a Platinum Award in 2010. In November 2010 he was honored as one of “40 Under 40” by Buffalo’s “Business First.”

A native of Olean, N.Y., he is the son of Robert and Margaret Barone of Olean. He is a graduate of Cornell University and the University at Buffalo.

SUNY Fredonia staff members including Barone, Webmaster Jonathan Woolson, Communications Designer Patty Herkey and Music Composition Professor Rob Deemer were awarded a Silver Excalibur award in the External Video Programs category for “A True Blue Wish,” the university’s first ever holiday video message. Communication Associate Professor Ann Carden, a member of the prestigious PRSA College of Fellows, was also recognized with a Silver Excalibur for her ARC Communications project in the Interactive Communications category, “264Members-First.com: Letting a Website Lead the Way.”

Alumna Dr. Deborah Silverman, former director of college relations at SUNY Fredonia and a faculty member at Buffalo State College, received a Silver Excalibur in the category of Presentations/Workshops on PR for, “The Right Way: Public Relations Ethics Presentations for PR Students,” and alumnus Jeff Bucki was a member of the team at Travers Collins & Co. receiving a Bronze Excalibur for the Special Purpose Publication, “Independent Health: A Winning Plan.”

SUNY Fredonia undergraduate Zhuojun “Georgie” Fu received recognition as one of two recipients of the May C. Randazzo Memorial Scholarship presented by the chapter.

Judging the awards was the PRSA Metro Portland (Oregon) Chapter, which has a reciprocal judging agreement with the Buffalo Niagara Chapter.