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CHARLES JONES NAMED UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA ALUMNI OF THE YEAR
MIAMI - February 5, 2004 - Charles Jones, Manager of Client Services at Wragg & Casas Public Relations, Inc., has received prestigious Alumni of the Year award from the University of South Carolina, the 2003-2004 Outstanding Black Alumnus of the Year. The USC College of Journalism and Mass Communications and the USC Black Alumni Council nominated Jones for his professional and civic achievements in South Florida.
Jones regularly advises clients in media relations, public affairs, crisis and issues management as well as publicity for professional services firms. Clients often rely on Charles' skills as a media trainer to prepare for interviews, press conferences as well as public speaking and networking engagements. Jones is an annually invited guest speaker and media trainer for the National Conference of Black Mayors Leadership Institute.
A graduate of the Leadership Miami Class of 2003, Jones currently serves a group facilitator. Last year, he initiated and served as chairman of “Steer Clear,” Leadership Miami’s campaign to promote safe driving practices for teenagers in Miami-Dade County.
Jones is the Marketing & Publicity Chairman of the 2003 Miami-Dade Black Health Summit and the Northwest Dade Relay of Life. He is on the Board of Directors for Help, Inc., a not-for-profit law firm that provides free legal services to indigent individuals and families coping with AIDS and HIV.
In addition, Jones is a member of the “Off the Wall & Onto the Stage” Task Force. It is a community-based project to promote the 2005 stage production based on the paintings of famed Gullah culture artist Jonathan Green.
Jones has been recognized as a positive role model for young people by the Osceola County School District and is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Before joining Wragg & Casas, Jones was an award-winning news reporter for WFTV-TV in Orlando. He established the station's Osceola County bureau and was a member of the news team that earned an Edward R. Murrow Award for continuous coverage of the Central Florida Wildfires in 1998. He has worked as a reporter/anchor in cities throughout the southeast and has covered national stories for CNN, HBO, The Geraldo Rivera Show and The Florida News Network.
Jones, a Coral Gables resident, earned a bachelor of arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina in 1991.
With offices in Miami, Orlando and Southwest Florida, Wragg & Casas is a full-service public relations firm that counsels clients in media relations, issues management, business-to-business marketing communications, crisis communications, corporate and financial relations. The firm is also an equity partner of Pinnacle Worldwide, a global coalition of independent public relations companies in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia.