The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) has selected TSPRA president Tim Carroll, APR (Allen ISD) as the 2011 Barry Gaskins Mentor Legacy Award recipient. Since entering the school public relations profession in 1981, Tim has not only dedicated himself to elevating the practice of public relations in education but also to helping his colleagues hone their skills and abilities in order to better serve our schools.
"Tim truly cares about the future of public schools, kids and those with whom he works each day," said colleague Cody Cunningham, chief communications officer at McKinney ISD. "He is both a great mentor and friend to hundreds of individuals in school PR, and both the profession and many individuals, including myself, owe him a debt of gratitude."
From the start of his school PR career, Tim has been actively engaged at both the state chapter and national level. He was instrumental in chartering the Indiana School Public Relations Association (INSPRA) in 1982, freely sharing his time and expertise as a volunteer, presenter and writer. He also served as INSPRA’s executive director for four years when it was struggling to stay active. In addition to his school PR position, Tim taught a graduate level course for six years in School and Community Relations at Indiana University-South Bend Campus. Today he is an adjunct faculty member in the public relations department at Texas A&M University-Commerce where he has introduced many young professionals to school public relations and helped to open doors for them to positions in school districts.
Over the years Tim has mentored many NSPRA members, not only in Texas and Indiana, but across the country. He helped to develop and provide training for Missouri and Oklahoma public relations practitioners in the vocational education field and is a popular presenter at the NSPRA Seminar and chapter conferences in his region.
He regularly serves as a Counselor on Call at the NSPRA Seminar and is known as someone who is only a phone call away in a crisis or when a challenging communication issue presents itself. He is a long-time advocate of Accreditation in Public Relations, chairing TSPRA’s Accreditation Committee for three years and helping to coordinate the chapter’s APR academy. In 2006 he received the TSPRA Professional Achievement Award for service to the chapter and its members.
The Barry Gaskins Mentor Legacy Award recognizes a practicing school public relations professional for outstanding efforts in mentoring colleagues new to the profession, providing counsel and advice on job success and creating programs to assist peers in improving their PR skills and knowledge.
