On October 18, Olivia Walter and Edna Adams with Macon-Bibb County’s Office of Communications were recognized during PR News’ Class of 2023 People of the Year Awards. They were two of four people selected to join the Class in the Nonprofit PR Innovators category.

“Communication with our community is a foundation of our government, and Edna and Olivia have been at the center of elevating that effort,” says Mayor Lester Miller. “Through their work, more people are learning about what we’re doing and why.”

The annual awards program recognizes “the innovative and inspiring professionals making a quantifiable impact on their organization and the communications industry at large.” Their selection to the Class had them joining the ranks of some the biggest brands and public relations agencies in the country.

“It was truly awe-inspiring to be in a stunning venue in New York City with so many talented people from huge corporations being honored as some of the best in the country,” says Olivia. “It felt so fulfilling to represent Macon-Bibb County and continue to share what makes our community a star on the map.”

“Sitting next to people who do what we do at a national level for big names made me so proud to represent Macon-Bibb County,” says Edna. “I am so honored to have received this national recognition for doing what I love for a community I love.”

“Each and every day, Olivia and Edna prove their value to our government and to our community, and it makes me so proud to have them be recognized on the national stage for that work,” says Chief Communications Officer Chris Floore. “They are on the cutting edge of government communications, and other agencies are now looking to them for how to improve their own efforts.”

Olivia is responsible for all video features, coordination of photography services, graphic design, and social media. Olivia was asked by Visit Macon to create a marketing video to be part of a bid for a national half marathon and marathon race series. Thinking outside the box, she created a video that highlighted the city’s musical history, celebrated current local music, promoted its diverse running community, poked fun at typical race marketing videos, and included a cameo by Chuck Leavell of The Rolling Stones.

She has started a series called MBC Cribs – based on the TV show MTV Cribs – that takes a normally straight forward news piece and convey the excitement of the people involved. So far, it has been used to highlight the purchase of a new fire truck and the building of a new Fire Training Academy.

Edna leads event planning for Macon-Bibb County, and she sees events as an interactive way to tell the government’s and community’s story to the public. For every event, she uses every aspect to tell a coordinated story, and there’s usually a “surprise” included to make it especially buzzworthy. She also writes and produces a weekly e-newsletter, called The Hub, which features, on average, between 10-14 stories and 10 event flyers.

Each week, there is typically at least one event or press conference element that she coordinates, from runs of show to message development to logistics to distributing the media release and more. She is also the host of the organization’s regular program “What’s Happening,” which takes a quick look at projects and initiatives; supports the team’s social media efforts with regular posts; and handles some photography.

About the Office of Communications 

The Office of Communications includes Edna Adams, Olivia Walter, and Chris Floore. Their charge is to find the best ways to let people know what the government and its partners are doing to improve the community through strategic communications, media relations, video & photography services, a weekly e-newsletter, event planning, message development, social media, online content, crisis communications, and more.

These recognitions follow several others earned by the Office of Communications in the past several years, including:

• Being named a 2022 PR Team of the Year (1-9 people) in Ragan & PR Daily’s annual Communicators of the Year Awards Program;
• Earning an Honorable Mention as PR News’ Nonprofit Team of the Year in 2022, making them one of the top five in the country;
• The Brookdale Resource Center Communications Plan earning second place in the National Association of Government Communicators’ (NAGC) Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards, an Honorable Mention from PR Daily in two categories (Cause-Related Marketing Campaign & Crisis Communication Campaign), and the winner in the Crisis Campaign category and Honorable Mention in the Advocacy Campaign & Lobbying Efforts in PR News’ Nonprofit Awards;
• The Trash Talk video series earning an Award of Excellence in the (NAGC) Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards;
• Chris being named Government Communicator of the Year by PRNews in 2022 and 2019, PR Daily in 2019 and 2018, and the City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) in 2015, and being named part of PRSA Georgia’s inaugural 40 Under 40 Inductees in 2019;
• Chris being a finalist for the top communication award by PRNews in 2018 and by the National Association of Government Communicators two years in a row;
• Four awards from the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) for the Solid Waste Services Change Infographic, the Public Affairs Annual Report, Tropical Storm Irma Debris Collection Infographic, and for departmental logos;
• Two from PR Daily for the Women of Macon-Bibb Instagram Campaign and Public Affairs Annual Report;
• A national award from 3CMA for Macon-Bibb County’s Forward Together Strategic Plan.