Joy Carter, of Birmingham, Ala., recently received the Senior Practitioner Award from the Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF). The award, presented annually by the organization, recognizes veteran public relations practitioners who have exhibited high ethical standing and a commitment to the development and growth of the profession.

Carter was nominated to receive the award by the Birmingham Chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA), a member organization of SPRF. The chapter has not nominated a member for the award since 1996 and has only named nine other professionals to receive the award.

Carter is a media specialist and hospital spokesperson for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Prior to joining UAB in 1999, she served as a media specialist for A.I. Signal Research, a public affairs contactor for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

She has been a member of SPRF/PRCA since 1989 and currently serves as secretary of the state PRCA board of directors. On the local level, she is the vice president of accreditation and professional development. Previous posts include two terms as president of the Birmingham Chapter of PRCA.

An accredited public relations professional with more than 12 years experience, she has received numerous awards for her work and community service. Among them, she is a two-time recipient of the Practitioner of the Year Award, presented by the Birmingham Chapter of PRCA in 1994 and 2000.

In addition to SPRF/PRCA, Carter serves as the public information officer for the Alabama-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team and chairs the Communications Committee for the Ronald McDonald House of Alabama.

SPRF is a professional organization of public relations practitioners in Alabama, North Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. The organization exists to promote high standards of service and conduct and to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information relative to the public relations profession.

SOURCE: Public Relations Council of Alabama, Inc.