On Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, the PRSA Volunteer Chapter paid tribute to Drue Hamlet, Cole Pawlaczyk, and Chancellor Donde Plowman as they were honored with the 2024 Communicator of the Year awards for their outstanding accomplishments. The ceremony took place at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville.
Drue Hamlet, a New Jersey native, is a junior public relations major at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she serves as vice president of the Sammie Lynn Puett chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Hamlet interns in the UT Office of Communications & Marketing. Hamlet previously served as an anchor and scriptwriter for The Volunteer Channel at UT. Hamlet received the Student Communicator of the Year award.
Cole Pawlaczyk is an intelligence strategist at Designsensory, a full-service agency in Knoxville. Pawlaczyk earned a Bachelor of Science degree in public relations from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December of 2022, and transitioned to Designsensory the following month. His strong foundation in strategic research and a data-driven approach has been instrumental in solving complex marketing and public relations challenges. Pawlaczyk received the Ellen Liston Rising Young Professional Award.
Chancellor Donde Plowman of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has served since 2019 at the state's flagship land-grant research university. In that time, she has overseen a 19% alumni giving, state support, and research expenditures. Plowman oversees a campus budget of $1.9 billion as well as more than 36,000 students, nearly 7,000 staff, and more than 1,800 full-time faculty. Plowman was recognized as Communicator of the Year.
Bringing the event to a close, Chancellor Plowman shared her insights about leadership and communication. She emphasized that a significant aspect of leadership involves connecting and navigating through effective communication. Plowman expressed her gratitude to PRSA for providing an organization that not only recognizes outstanding communicators but also creates an environment where ideas, knowledge, and experiences are exchanged.
Pictured: Drue Hamlet (Left), Donde Plowman (Middle), and Cole Pawlaczyk (Right) Stand proudly together after receiving Communicator of the Year awards.