We are happy to celebrate achievements in the EUPRERA community! Dr. Juan Meng, the Head of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia (USA), was honoured with the prestigious 2023 IPR Pathfinder Award. This award is presented annually by the Institute for Public Relations to an individual whose published work serves as a bridge between the public relations profession and the research community. The IPR Pathfinder Award Committee, comprised of the IPR Board of Trustees, past winners, and academic leaders in the field, recognized Dr. Meng’s remarkable achievements and outstanding contributions to the field of public relations through research, education, and leadership.

Juan Meng’s dedication to public relations is marked by significant and sustained contributions, resulting in a significant corpus of articles, chapters, books, and other research endeavours that have advanced the profession, earning international attention. Her teaching areas include public relations campaigns, research, management, and global PR, while her research focuses on leadership in public relations, measurement, trust, employee engagement, and reputation management.

She has been substantially involved in the EUPRERA community: editing special issues, contributing to research projects, taking part in webinars, and delivering interviews showcase her commitment to fostering knowledge-sharing and collaboration within the EUPRERA public relations community. Here are a few examples:

As an IPR Pathfinder Award recipient, she joins the ranks of other EUPRERA members who received this distinction: Ansgar Zerfass (2014), Anne Gregory (2015), Dejan Verčič (2016), and Juan-Carlos Molleda (2022).

Acceptance speech │Complete list of IPR Pathfinder Award recipients