Carter Named Practitioner of the Year

Joy Carter, APR, media specialist with the Health System Media Group at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has been named Practitioner of the Year by the Birmingham Chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA). The award, the chapter's highest individual honor, is presented annually in recognition of career achievement, community service and dedication to the field of public relations.

Carter joined UAB’s Office of Public Relations and Marketing in 1999. There she is responsible for promoting the research, education and clinical activities of some of UAB's most visible and acclaimed schools and centers. She also serves as a UAB Hospital spokesperson and contributing writer to UAB publications.

Prior to joining UAB, Carter was a media specialist with ASRI, a public affairs contractor for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. In addition to leading local, national and international media relations campaigns, she edited the center’s daily internal newsletter, the Daily Planet, and served as a public affairs status reporter for three Space Shuttle missions.

As a member of PRCA since 1989, she has held numerous offices on the local and state levels of the organization, including her current post as state president. She also has served as an officer and committee chair for many community groups, including the Alabama-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, the Ronald McDonald House of Alabama and the ACTION Civitan Club.

Among her numerous honors, in 2001 she was named a Senior Practitioner by the Southern Public Relations Federation. Earlier this year, the UAB PRCA Student Chapter presented her with the George Elliott Professional Award in appreciation of her long-time leadership and support as a respected advisor.