Contact: Chelsea Porché
Public Engagement Manager
504-508-0366
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orleans Parish Communication District’s
COVID-19 Education & Awareness Campaign Selected for
Ragan’s 2020 Crisis Communications Award
NEW ORLEANS, LA (June 24, 2021) – The Orleans Parish Communication District (OPCD) is proud to announce that its Public Engagement team has been selected to win the Ragan’s 2020 Crisis Communications (Non-Profit Organization) Award for its OPCD COVID-19 Education & Awareness Campaign.
On Thursday afternoon, Ragan Communications, Inc, announced the winners of its Ragan’s 2020 Crisis Communications Awards honoring the best public relations companies, organizations and teams that created effective campaigns, and were influential in delivering important messaging and powerful communications during the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the first year that Ragan has included a Crisis Communications award to their list of globally competitive public relations awards.
“I am deeply proud of the OPCD public engagement team, and proud to congratulate them on this well-deserved award on behalf of the Board, and of the City,” said Beau Tidwell, Chairman of the OPCD Board of Commissioners. “Throughout the pandemic, they worked tirelessly to keep the public informed and to make our City safer. Their talent and their dedication are second to none, and we are grateful. Congratulations to Marcus, Chelsea and to the entire team.”
The OPCD public engagement team, comprising of Director of Communications & Government Affairs, Marcus Creel, and Public Engagement Manager, Chelsea Porché, worked diligently – alongside multiple City of New Orleans public safety agencies and public information officers – throughout the pandemic to provide New Orleans residents with public safety and city services information relating to New Orleans 9-1-1 and NOLA-311.
“This is an exciting day, not only for our public engagement team, but for all of us at OPCD,” stated OPCD Executive Director, Tyrell Morris. “I am ecstatic to see the efforts of such a hardworking team being recognized by such a well-known and respected organization like Ragan Communications.”
“Marcus and Chelsea have always demonstrated a steadfast commitment to ensuring New Orleans residents and visitors are as informed as possible when it comes public safety and city services, while also promoting the tireless work being done by our Heroes Under the Headset,” continued Morris. “Their communications efforts do not go unnoticed at OPCD, and I’m so proud to see them being acknowledged globally, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the largest organizations in the country.”
The award-winning OPCD COVID-19 Education & Awareness Campaign utilized multiple communications strategies and tactics to reach target audiences, such as videos, digital and print graphics, the development of a virtual newsroom and the inclusion of local celebrities to help boost messaging.
“Orleans Parish Communication District set themselves apart from an impressive field of entrants,” said Brendan Gannon, Marketing Manager for Awards Programs at Ragan Communications and PR Daily. “Their work was exceptional and displayed their innovative strategies for achieving success. Congratulations, Orleans Parish Communication District. We look forward to your continued success.
Other award winners for the Ragan’s Crisis Communications Awards include the United Nations Foundation, IBM, Entergy Corporation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Kroger and the American Association of Critical Nurses.
About Orleans Parish Communications District (www.opcdla.gov)
Formed in 1982, the Orleans Parish Communication District is the public safety answering point (PSAP) for all emergency communications via 9-1-1 within Orleans Parish. The agency employs over 140 individuals and provides emergency medical dispatch, emergency fire dispatch, and emergency police dispatch for the millions of annual visitors and residents of the City of New Orleans. OPCD is a member of the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). The Mission of OPCD is to Get the Right People to the Right Place at the Right Time, Better than Anybody Else in the World.
About Ragan Communications (https://www.ragan.com)
For more than five decades, Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc., has been a leader in training for professionals in corporate communications, public relations, social media and management. Ever since the launch of “The Ragan Report” in 1970, Ragan has provided communicators and executives with timely, practical and relevant information that few others can match. Ragan is rooted in helping the communications professional advance in their careers while also improving the voice of the organizations they serve. The Ragan brand includes highly curated live and virtual events, three leadership Councils, multiple websites, an awards division, a consulting arm and targeted newsletters. Ragan live events draw more than 3,000 professionals annually and provide attendees with access to leading communicators, best practices and rich networking opportunities.
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