Barbara Kerr, APR, Fellow PRSA
Chief Communications Officer, Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Ministries Corporation
2017 Secretary-Treasurer, PRSA College of Fellows

An award-winning communications specialist with national and global experience, Barbara Kerr, APR, Fellow PRSA, is chief communications officer for the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Ministries Corporation in Beaverton, Oregon.In that role, she leads the marketing and communications program for the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon (SSMO), Valley Catholic School (pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education), Maryville (skilled long-term care, short-term physical rehabilitation and memory care) and the SSMO Foundation.

Kerr graduated magna cum laude from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Television-Radio. Her communications career included roles as news director, anchor, and reporter at network television affiliates in Ohio and Maryland. She has served as a communications advisor for government, business, education, public and nonprofit organizations in cities including New York City,San Francisco,and Washington, D.C. as well as Bulgaria, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

PRSA Service

A member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) since 2008, Kerr earned the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation in 2009. She has been an APR instructor and coach since 2013.

In 2015, she was inducted into the PRSA College of Fellows. In 2016, she co-chaired the College of Fellows MentoringCommittee.

In 2014, Kerrwaspresident of PRSA’s Portland Metro Chapter(now part of PRSA Oregon), having previously served as vice president of member services and vice president of member communications.
As immediate past president, she was the first chapter historian.

In 2016, she received the chapter’s William W. Marsh Lifetime Achievement Award.

Honors and Recognition

Kerr has received five Spotlight Awards and two Awards of Merit from PRSA’s Portland Metro Chapter (now part of PRSA Oregon), including a 2015 Spotlight Award to the SSMO Ministries Corporation Communications and Marketing team for their work in support of Valley Catholic School. In 2016,theSSMO Ministries Corporation Communications and Marketing team washonored by the Hermes Creative Awards, which showcase“the messengers and creators of traditional and emerging media.” The team received one platinum award, two gold awards and anhonorable mention for their work in publications, graphic design and video. They received a 2016 MarCom Award (an international competition for marketing and communications professionals) for their work in publications.

Prior to joining the SSMO Ministries Corporation, Kerr served as Executive Director of Communications and Marketing for Clark College, the largest single campus community college in Washington state. In 2011,
her team’s support for the opening of Clark College at Columbia Tech Center received top honors as a “Communications Success Story” in the national competition of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations. From 2004 to 2012, while Kerr served at Clark College, members of the Communications and Marketing department were honored with 62 national and regional awards for excellence.

Kerr received the “Leading Change Award” from the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of Women in Communications and was named “Achiever of the Year” by the Dayton Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television. She earned an Emmy Award nomination for business reporting from the Cincinnati/Columbus/Dayton chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.