The Public Relations Society of America National Capital Chapter (PRSA NCC) is honoring two powerhouse women in media and communications.
Dr. Sheila Brooks and Shonali Burke have been selected as the 2025 inductees into the National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame, and will be honored in a Dec. 19 celebration at the Hilton Arlington Rosslyn The Key.
The organization started the hall of fame in 1999, then inducting 50 leaders with significant accomplishments in public relations as part of the PRSA NCC’s 50th anniversary celebration. Combined, the inductees hold more than 1000 awards, honorary degrees, charity board seats, advisory positions and more, with Brooks and Burke adding to the illustrious list.
“Dr. Sheila Brooks and Shonali Burke exemplify the highest standards of leadership, innovation and service in our profession,” said Crystal Borde, 2025 PRSA NCC president.
A longtime media maven, Brooks is the founder, president and CEO of SRB Communications, which is celebrating 35 years, and has built communications campaigns that have helped public sector, public health and higher education organizations engage diverse and underserved communities, in order to strengthen and empower them.
The highly lauded entrepreneur, journalist, philanthropist and Emmy Award-winner, has dedicated much of her career to giving back. She is the founder of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Student Multimedia Projects, a spotlight program for aspiring journalists and public relations professionals during the NABJ convention.
The storyteller and mentor also established the Dr. Sheila Brooks Entrepreneur Scholarship for graduate-level study for communications students. Further, the Washington Association of Black Journalists established the Dr. Sheila Brooks Community Impact Award, in recognition of her contributions to uplifting the next generation of communicators. She is also an advisory board member for the Jim Vance media-education program at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C.
“For nearly five decades,” Borde said, “Dr. Sheila Brooks has used communications to expand opportunity, elevate underrepresented voices, and mentor hundreds of emerging practitioners.”
Brooks said she is “deeply honored” to have been selected for the PRSA National Capital Chapter Hall of Fame.
“I am humbled to receive this honor from the communications community that has shaped my life’s work and be recognized alongside titans in the industry,” she said in a statement posted to LinkedIn. “For decades, it has been an honor and a privilege to tell important stories, elevate underrepresented voices and mentor the next generation of communicators.”
Burke is a barrier- breaker and visionary, currently serving as managing director of People’s Light in Malvern, Pennsylvania, a cultural and civic center with theatre at its core.
Founder of the Social PR Virtuoso ® online course, Burke is widely known as one of the architects of modern social public relations, incorporating ethical, data-driven and results-oriented communications that center collaborative and community-fueled social storytelling.
An alumna of India’s prestigious National School of Drama, Burke is also the first Indian American managing director of a U.S.-based nonprofit LORT theatre association. In addition, she is the first Indian American woman named to PRWeek’s “Top 40 Under 40” list of U.S.-based public relations professionals, and a Matrix Awardee by the D.C. chapter of the Association of Women in Communications, among other honors.
Further, she is author of the soon-to-be-published book “The Non-Obvious Guide to Public Relations and Communications.”
“Since the start of her career,” Borde said, “Shonali Burke has advanced and reshaped modern public relations through her pioneering integration with social media, ethical, data-driven approach, and her generous commitment to educating, developing and supporting communicators worldwide.”
With decades of visionary leadership, mentorship and a commitment to uplifting the profession, this year’s honorees are joining an esteemed group of media professionals in the National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame.
“Together, their dedication and impact have elevated not only the National Capital communications community, but the global field of public relations,” Borde said.