For more than a decade, Darcie Meihoff has used her public relations expertise to amplify important causes, strengthen nonprofit organizations and bring people together around issues affecting communities across Oregon.
This year, PRSA Oregon is recognizing that commitment with the Ron Schmidt Community Involvement Award.
The award honors the outstanding use of public relations that supports community improvement and important causes. Meihoff's record of volunteer service reflects that mission, with thousands of hours devoted to raising awareness, building partnerships and helping organizations strengthen their public voice.
A 20-year member of PRSA, Meihoff served as president of the PRSA Portland Metro chapter in 2008 and held a variety of other chapter leadership roles over 11 years. She also received the chapter’s William W. Marsh Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
Her community involvement has included leadership roles with organizations focused on conservation, education and public policy.
Since joining the Oregon Wild board in 2019, Meihoff has provided steady leadership during a period of significant organizational growth and change. Her work has helped the organization build lasting partnerships, increase its budget, expand its marketing and communications efforts and refresh its brand. She currently serves as board president.
During her tenure, she also helped lead the organization through the passage of a bipartisan bill supporting funding for imperiled wildlife and their habitats across Oregon.
Meihoff's commitment to conservation extends to the Forest Park Conservancy, where she served on the board for a decade, including as board president. Her service helped support the organization’s ongoing work to preserve Forest Park as a place for recreation and as habitat for wildlife, including Roosevelt elk, great horned owls and Pacific tree frogs.
She has also put her communications expertise behind statewide education initiatives. Meihoff led communications for the 2016 Outdoor School for All campaign, helping build public awareness for an initiative that expanded outdoor school programming to reach tens of thousands of children across Oregon. The measure received 67% of the vote.
Across these efforts, Meihoff has demonstrated how public relations can extend beyond organizational communications to help build partnerships, engage the public and advance community priorities.
Her career and volunteer service offer a powerful example of the role experienced communications professionals can play in strengthening the organizations and causes they care about.
Congratulations to Darcie Meihoff on receiving PRSA Oregon’s Ron Schmidt Community Involvement Award.
Note: Story compiled from the recipient's recommendation letters.