Sweetser honored by San Diego Press Club

Dr. Kaye Sweester, a School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) professor, has received the Andy Mace Award for Outstanding Contribution in Public Relations from the San Diego Press Club. Presented at the 51st Annual Excellence in Journalism and Scholarship Award Ceremony on Oct. 22, this lifetime achievement award is given each year to PR professionals who have exemplified fairness, integrity and a dedication to the truth throughout the course of their career. 

Sweester has been part of the JMS faculty since 2014 and has more than three decades of PR experience. She typically teaches the PR capstone course where she gives students the opportunity to carry out a PR campaign for an actual client. She also is the director of the Glen M. Broom Center for Professional Development in Public Relations.

“I'm so honored to be recognized by my colleagues from the other side of the public communication industry here in San Diego - journalists,” said Sweester during her acceptance speech. “I'm especially proud to be among the amazing cadre of past recipients, including my mentor SDSU's own Dr. Glen Broom.” 

Sweester, an Afghanistan War veteran, served in the U.S. Navy for 28 years where she worked as an enlisted journalist and a commissioned public affairs officer. She has two Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvils and a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence. She also held a position on the national board for the Public Relations Society of America and was named the PRNews Outstanding Educator in 2021. 

JMS alumna and previous Andy Mace Award recipient Gayle Lynn Falkenthal nominated Sweetser for the award. 

“I've had the pleasure of observing Dr. Sweetser's many positive contributions to our profession, both as a practitioner and then as an academic,” Falkenthal said. “The Press Club's Andy Mace Award for Excellence in Public Relations honors the individuals who embody what all journalists hope to see in public relations practitioners. But in my experience, the contribution of educators and academics is often overlooked. This is why I nominated Dr. Sweetser.” 

The San Diego Press Club has been recognizing PR professionals with the Andy Mace Award since 1985, and it serves as an organization for the cultivation of professional advancement, fostering of ethical standards, and uplifting of journalists and PR practitioners alike. 

“PR professionals and journalists have different roles, but not opposing ones,” said Sweester during the award ceremony. “We each have a role in making sure the public receives timely, accurate information. The people we serve depend upon our professional integrity."

For more information about the awards ceremony and the San Diego Press Club, visit their website at https://sdpressclub.org/.