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NY/IABC NAMES MIKE BARWELL 2004 COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR

Barwell Led Communications Effort During Controversial Election &
Confirmation of Gene Robinson as Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

NEW YORK, July 12 — The New York Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (NY/IABC) today announced that its first annual Communicator of the Year Award (COY) will go to Mike Barwell, former communications director of St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., for his deft handling of communications and media relations during the controversial election and confirmation of Gene Robinson as Episcopal Bishop for New Hampshire in June 2003. Barwell served as a volunteer media relations consultant to Robinson and the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson's nomination generated headlines and heated debate around the world because he was the first openly gay person with a partner to be chosen as a bishop within any Christian community.

Designed to recognize outstanding leadership in communications, NY/IABC's COY award strives to honor individual communicators who have distinguished themselves by setting an example for their peers. "The NY/IABC nominating committee believes that Mike Barwell's exceptional performance under pressure exemplifies the high standard of integrity and professionalism critical to the communications profession -- and to the success of all organizations," said Robert Noltenmeier, president of NY/IABC. "In these challenging times, organizations like NY/IABC must be standard bearers for excellence in the field."

The nominating committee found that despite an intensely controversial topic, limited resources, and a highly challenging set of circumstances -- including a scenario that threatened his client's life -- Barwell retained his composure, counseled his client, and led a media relations effort that resulted in millions of media impressions around the world, earning him the respect of the media, his colleagues, and his client in the process.

NY/ IABC Names Mike Barwell 2004 Communicator of the Year

A seasoned communicator and media relations consultant who recently founded his own firm, Barwell Communications LLC, Barwell was selected from a competitive field of nominees consisting of corporate and community leaders and professional communicators, as well as businesses, not-for-profit groups, and government institutions that spanned the northeastern corridor from Washington, D.C. to Boston. He was nominated by Isobel Parke, APR, president of Jackson Jackson & Wagner in Exeter, N.H., who served as communications consultant to the Bishop in prior elections.

The COY nominating committee was chaired by George McGrath, founding partner of McGrath Matter Associates, and comprised of a panel of communication experts including Dr. Charles Fombrun, executive director of the Reputation Institute at New York University's Stern School of Business, and Christopher Foss also of the Reputation Institute; Catherine Mathis, vice president of corporate communications at The New York Times Company; Virgil Scudder, principal of Virgil Scudder & Associates; Colburn Aker, managing partner of The Aker Partners; Lee Hornick, president of Business Communications Worldwide; and Brenda Siler, director of public relations for the Speech Language Hearing Association.

The COY prize, the highest honor NY/IABC can bestow, will be presented officially at a ceremony and reception honoring NY/IABC's annual Awards for Communications Excellence (ACE) recipients, scheduled for September 22 in New York City. For more information on the COY award, contact Suzanne Gannon at 917.902.5352 or visit the NY/IABC Web site at www.nyiabc.com.

With almost 400 members, NY/IABC is the flagship U.S. chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), a San Francisco-based global association of more than 13,000 communications professionals representing Fortune 500 firms, small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and government institutions.

Note to editors/reporters: Mike Barwell and Robert Noltenmeier, president of NY/IABC, are available for interviews. Contact Suzanne Gannon at 917.902.5352 or sgannon@sfgcommunications.com.

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