25th Annual Ev Clay/PRSA Miami Endowment Fund Luncheon
Friday, October 5th 
11:30 a.m. – Registration and Silent Auction
12:15 p.m. – Luncheon and Awards Presentation
Treetop Ballroom – Jungle Island
1111 Parrot Jungle Trail
Miami

$50 for members, $30 for students, $65 for guests, $500 per table of 8 (Proceeds benefit the Ev Clay/PRSA Miami Chapter Endowment Fund)
Register and pay online at www.prsamiami.org

The Miami Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), dedicated to fostering and recognizing excellence in the field of public relations in Miami, will honor Arva Moore Parks, president of Arva Moore & Company, with the 2012 Royal Palm Award for her contribution, throughout her nearly 40-year career, to the preservation of Miami’s history.  Ray Casas, principal of Wragg & Casas Public Relations, will also be recognized with the 2012 Bill Adams PRSA Lifetime Achievement Award.   
 
The annual awards are given to recipients for their influence in and contribution to their local communities through the excellent application and execution of public relations principles.  The awards ceremony will take place during the 25th Annual Ev Clay/PRSA Miami Endowment Fund Luncheon on October 5th at Jungle Island’s Treetop Ballroom.

Parks is a Miami native who has been researching and writing about South Florida for almost 40 years. She has authored, co-authored or contributed to more than 20 books and documentaries, including Miami: The Magic City, the City of Miami’s official history.  In 1986, utilizing her research and creative skills, she formed Arva Parks & Company.  Working with architects, interior designers and marketing and public relations experts, her company fills a unique niche in the corporate world by utilizing history and historical themes to enhance a variety of projects.  She is also president of Centennial Press, which publishes non-profit and corporate histories. 
 
Sometimes referred to as “Miami’s favorite historian”, Parks is an indefatigable historic preservationist and many South Florida landmarks have been preserved because of her leadership. Widely honored for both her writing and advocacy, she was inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame and City of Miami Women’s Hall of Fame and is an Advisor Emeritus and former Chair of the Southern Region of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  President William Clinton appointed her to the Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.  She is immediate past-chair of the City of Miami Planning Advisory Board and she is currently the chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Coral Gables Museum, where she was previously the Acting Director and Chief Curator.

Ray Casas, principal of Wragg & Casas Public Relations, one of the leading independent public relations firms in Florida, has helped steer clients for 34 years through the peaks and valleys of business challenges.  A pillar in the South Florida community, he has cemented his expertise as a strategist and crisis manager, heading the public relations programs for iconic Miami happenings like the 1987 visit of Pope John Paul II and the inaugural Carnaval Miami in 1978.   Throughout his career, Casas has managed communications services for multi-national companies, large real estate developers, banks, food companies, attorneys and other professional firms and hospitals.  Prior to Wragg & Casas, he worked for 13 years at Hank Meyer Associates, Inc., the top PR firm in Miami at the time, where he ultimately became the executive vice president. Prior to his career in public relations, Casas enjoyed a career as a journalist for the United Press International, the San Diego Evening Tribune and The Chicago Reporter. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University.
 
Casas has not only made an impression in our local PR industry, but also in the community.  He serves on the board of directors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, where he served as Board President for two years; and Camillus House. He is a non-lawyer member of The Florida Bar Standing Committee on Advertising. Previously, Casas served on the board of directors of the Beacon Council and the Board of Regents of Leadership Florida, acting as Miami region chairman for two years. He was the 2001-2002 chairman of the Archbishop’s Charities and Development drive.