PHOENIX (BP)–Members of the Baptist Communicators Association voted to name one of its grand prize awards in honor of Diane Reasoner, a longtime communications specialist for the Georgia Baptist Convention who was killed in an Atlanta car accident in April 2007.
The award named in Reasoner’s honor is for exceptional achievement in interactive communications, one of seven grand prizes awarded annually in the Wilmer C. Fields Awards Competition, according to a BCA news release.
“Diane embodied the BCA spirit,” Trennis Henderson, vice president for communications at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, said as he made the recommendation to name the award in Reasoner’s honor during the BCA annual meeting in Phoenix in April.
In her position with the Georgia Baptist Convention, Reasoner oversaw the work of the Georgia Religion News weekly radio program, electronic media, the convention website, public relations and print materials. She also served as editor of VantagePoint magazine and was developing Georgia Baptists’ Internet radio ministry at the time of her death. During her career, she won numerous BCA awards, including two awards posthumously.
In other business at the annual BCA gathering, Margaret Dempsey of Atlanta was selected as the association’s administrative coordinator. Dempsey served in editorial positions with the Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) for about 12 years, and for the past 15 years she has been sole proprietor of her communications firm. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master of divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Dempsey succeeds Keith Beene, who had served as the organization’s administrative coordinator since 1994 before his sudden death in November.
The Baptist Communicators Association is a 300-member group of writers, photographers, electronic media workers and public relations and marketing specialists employed by Baptist entities, churches and other organizations.
–30–
Adapted from a news release provided by the Baptist Communicators Association.
