The Institute for Public Relations (IPR) has announced the recipients of six awards who will be honored at the upcoming 64th Annual IPR Gala on December 3 in New York City. Among these award recipients are two women with faculty appointments at universities in the United States.
Marlene Neill, professor and graduate program director in journalism, public relations, and new media at Baylor University in Texas, is the 2026 recipient of the IPR Pathfinder Award. The annual award honors a research pioneer who has made significant and sustained contributions to the body of knowledge and practice of public relations through published research.
Dr. Neill has conducted extensive research on public relations leadership, internal communication, and ethics. She is the author of numerous journal articles and three books: Leadership Development in Public Relations (Routledge, 2024), PR Women With Influence: Breaking Through the Ethical and Leadership Challenges (Peter Lang, 2020), and Public Relations Ethics: Senior PR Pros Tell Us How to Speak Up and Keep Your Job (Business Expert Press, 2017).
A Baylor faculty member since 2006, Dr. Neill teaches courses on law and ethics in journalism, global advertising and public relations, advertising and public relations leadership, mass communications theory, and research methods. She also serves as faculty advisor for Baylor’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Dr. Neill holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and broadcast news from the University of Kansas. She earned a master’s degree in journalism and strategic communication from the University of Missouri and a Ph.D. in advertising from the University of Texas at Austin.
Heather LaMarre, associate professor of communication at Temple University in Philadelphia, is the 2026 recipient of the IPR Breakthrough Insights Award for her new book, Raising Social Capital: Corporate Advocacy and Impact in a Time of Social Change (Routledge, 2025). The annual award recognizes breakthrough research conducted in the past year that has made a significant impact on the field by addressing a critical and important issue. Dr. LaMarre shares the award with her co-author, Gregg Feistman, professor of practice for public relations at Temple.
Raising Social Capital draws on interviews with senior executives, secondary research, and case studies to explore how organizations can build and leverage social capital in a rapidly changing business environment. The book introduces three key pillars and original theoretical methods that give leaders practical tools for navigating change.
Dr. LaMarre has over three decades of combined experience in public affairs, communication, and leadership. Her research examines how media and communication affect attitudes, policy, and social change, as well as how to apply solution-based strategies to urgent social problems. From 2015 to 2019, she served as chair of the faculty council for the Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication.
Dr. LaMarre earned her Ph.D. in mass communication, political communication, and public opinion from Ohio State University.