SCM PR Coordinator Larry Weiner to Be Inducted into PRSA College of Fellows

The School of Communication and Media CM Public Relations Coordinator Larry Weiner will be joining 14 other public relations professionals from around the country as part of the 2016 class of Public Relations Society of America College of Fellows (PRSA).  The total number of Fellows nationwide is only 300.

The College of Fellows is an honorary organization within PRSA comprised of senior practitioners and educators, each of whom has left a significant footprint on the public relations profession. Created in 1989 as part of a PRSA initiative focused on the future of public relations, election to the College is considered the pinnacle of a professional’s career.  The requirements for membership in the College includes a minimum of 20 years’ public relations experience, APR certification, demonstrated superior professional capability in the practice/teaching of public relations, performed work that advanced the profession, contributed to the profession or the community through service and leadership, and served as a role model in the profession and the community.

Weiner began his public relations career in 1981.  His first client was United Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey.  His latest PR client was McGraw Hill Federal Credit Union.  In between, he worked for dozens of companies that include Pepsi-Cola, Allied Signal Corporation, Sharp Electronics, Sony Mobile Electronics, Johnson and Johnson, FujiFilm, BMW North America, and AAA New Jersey.  His most notable public relations achievements were the introduction of concrete paving stones to the United States market in the late 1980s and promoting the first ever GPS based consumer product developed to help parents locate missing children.

Burnishing his storytelling skills, Weiner has also written, directed and produced a series of original audio dramas, which have been broadcast on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.  He has directed such stars as Tony winners Kelli O’Hara and Barbara Harris, Academy Award winner, Shirley Jones, and multiple Emmy winner, Ed Asner.

During his time at Montclair, Weiner developed a number of projects and partnerships, including performing public relations for Hall of Fame LPGA golfer Lorena Ochoa, publicizing two Andy Kaufman Comedy Awards, and ongoing projects for the Metropolitan Opera Guild, New Jersey Advertising Club, and Hackensack University Medical Center’s John Theurer Cancer Center.  As the faculty adviser to the school’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Weiner has established a highly successful and visible annual fundraising benefit for Autism New Jersey, in which he has brought in such stars as Moira Kelly, Laura Benanti, Stephanie J. Block, and the Four Seasons’ Don Ciccone.

He is also a four-time Jersey Award winner, a three-time award winner for his audio work, and a Helen Hayes Award for set design work.

Weiner will be formally inducted into the College of Fellows at a dinner during the PRSA national convention in Indianapolis on Saturday, October 28.