Board of Directors

President

Stella Prather, APR, is a public relations leader with more than 30 years of communications and public relations experience including strategic planning, research, media relations, communications planning and budgeting processes, event planning, managing volunteers, extensive writing and editing, website content management, graphic design and internal public relations. Currently, Prather is the communications director for Empower Healthcare Solutions. A native of Panama City, Fla., she earned a bachelor of science degree in public relations from The University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

President-Elect

Madeline Roberts, APR, is a public relations manager at The Peacock Group with a background in media relations, crisis communications and executive communication. She was previously the director of communications for Pulaski County Government, where she served as the county’s spokesperson. Before that, she was the Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communication at her alma mater, Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. A Little Rock native, she holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a journalism concentration from Lyon and master’s degree in applied communication from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Immediate Past President

Mary Claire Imbro, APR, is the public relations director with mph.si. This is her fifth year serving on the Arkansas Chapter of the PRSA Board. Imbro also serves as president of the Rotaract Club of Little Rock, is a member of the American Cancer Society Cattle Baron’s Arkansas young professionals group, the Centers for Youth and Families Emerging Leaders young professionals group as well as the Centers’ Foundation Board. She is a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXIX. Imbro graduated from Baylor University with a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications.

Vice President

Dave serves as the Head of Communications for Kinetic, a Windstream subsidiary. He most recently served as the Head of Global Media Relations for PwC, supporting 356,000 employees across 156 countries. As a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, Dave served as the Chief Communications Officer of the the U.S. nuclear enterprise and its 156 communicators. He’s led imagery gathering operations on all continents for the Pentagon and White House, and also served as the Counter-Disinformation Team Lead for the United States, while serving as the European Director of Communication Strategy. He’s also represented Fortune 100 brands while at Porter Novelli Public Relations.

Secretary

Treasurer

Jessica Hughes Ford is the Chief Communications Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. A native of Redfield, Arkansas, Ford holds a B.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Wyoming and has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2003. Prior to joining the Community Foundation staff, Ford spent over 12 years at Heifer International. She piloted Heifer’s first “Women & Global Leadership Development Program” with a one-year assignment with Heifer Peru. Ford is also an alumni of the Thunderbird School of Global Management’s “Emerging Leaders in the Social Sector” program. She is a member of Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXVI, Renew America Together Civil Leadership Cohort Four and the Arkansas Chapter of PRSA. Ford is a certified yoga teacher, empty nester and proud dog mom. 

Director-At-Large

In her role as director of external relations for the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI), Sandra McGrew, APR, oversees strategic communication efforts on behalf of the health policy center.

Before joining ACHI, she spent several years working in the agency world, most recently in a leadership role at Ghidotti, where her work centered on public relations and content marketing. Sandra has 20 years of communications experience and began her career as a journalist. She holds a broadcast journalism degree from Harding University.

​Director-At-Large, Membership

Libby Doss Lloyd has nearly 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, and public relations primarily in the economic development and tourism sectors. She is currently the director of communications for the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) where she has served for more than a decade. She directs public relations strategy and leads media outreach and communications frequently working with local, state, regional, national, and international media.

She has built relationships with more than 300 travel journalists and influencers on behalf of Arkansas’ capital city to best tell Little Rock’s stories. Libby holds her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) and is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University. She is a McGehee native.

Director-At-Large, Prisms/ARCom Awards

Shira Kelley is the Assistant Director of Public Affairs/County Operations at the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands Office. A former newspaper reporter and editor, she moved into the public affairs arena in 2005.

Director-At-Large, PRSSA Chapter Liaison

Casey Pearce, APR, is the director of external relations and marketing for New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University. Previously, he spent 13 years in the National Football League, which included positions on the communications staffs of the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams. Additionally, he worked eight Super Bowls with the NFL PR staff. A Russellville native, Pearce earned his undergraduate degree from Arkansas State in 2003 and his APR in 2020.

Ethics Officer

Allison Bermudez, a public relations leader with more than 20 years of professional experience, is a strategic communications manager at the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). She is responsible for internal, executive and crisis communications. Bermudez earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from the University of Mobile. She is a graduate of Leadership Arkansas Class XV.