Emporia State University’s 2011 Distinguished Alumni award winners represent a variety of professions and experiences. But the four individuals being recognized this fall have each contributed to improving the lives of those around them.
The 2011 ESU Distinguished Alumni include Don Reichardt, Roswell, Georgia. Reichardt is a native of Emporia, Kansas.
The Distinguished Alumni award is the highest honor that can be granted to an Emporia State University graduate. The ESU Alumni Association awards the recognition each fall during Homecoming, recognizing the outstanding professional accomplishments of ESU’s finest graduates. Since the inception of the award program in 1960, more than 200 alumni have received the award.
“ESU is certainly blessed with outstanding alumni,” said Tyler Curtis, ESU alumni relations director. “This year’s class of Distinguished Alumni represents excellence to a variety of professions. Our students, faculty, staff, and alumni can all be proud of our Distinguished Alumni’s accomplishments, pride that is fostered by a shared connection to the university,” Curtis said.
The four honorees will be recognized during ESU’s 2011 Homecoming festivities, set for the weekend of Oct. 14 – 15, 2011.
Don Reichardt retired in 1996 after a 32-year career in telecommunications. He was the executive director of advertising and brand management for BellSouth Corp., Atlanta, Georgia. In that capacity, Reichardt was responsible for BellSouth’s 1996 Olympic Games sponsorship in Atlanta.
After retirement, as principal of ProComm Strategic Communications, he provided strategic planning and marketing counsel for clients in several cities. Included in his client list were The Advertising Council, New York City, for which he performed media contact work in the major Southeastern markets; Randstad North America in Atlanta, and current client Fenner Dunlop Americas. He has written dozens of by-lined articles for business publications including the Atlanta Business Chronicle and its American City Business Journal sister publications. He also developed strategic plans for the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra and the Georgia Staffing Association. He is currently pursuing another career in novel and screenplay writing.
Active in the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Reichardt was named to the organization’s College of Fellows. He has received the highest honor of PRSA’s Georgia Chapter, the Order of the Phoenix, and is in the Georgia PR Hall of Fame housed at the University of Georgia. He has served on many boards, including the American Advertising Federation Foundation, the Atlanta International Museum, and currently the Auxiliary Board of Northside Hospital-Atlanta.
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