LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Press Association named David Waymire as the recipient of this year’s Kelly Rossman-McKinney Communications Professional Award at their 2022 Convention, recognizing his 40 years of reporting and communicating on matters in Michigan.
The MPA established the award in December 2021 in memory of Rossman-McKinney to recognize practitioners who have gone above and beyond to provide accurate and essential information to the public. It was presented at the MPA’s 2022 conference in Lansing on Thursday, Oct. 13.
A graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Waymire spent 12 years reporting from southern Illinois, Flint and Lansing before moving into public relations in 1990. Throughout his career, he has won awards for investigative reporting, deadline writing and political coverage, as well as numerous state and national awards for strategizing and implementing issue management and communication plans for clients across Michigan.
“David’s long career has spanned the ever-changing communications landscape, so it’s no surprise that as he prepares for retirement the Michigan Press Association selected him as the initial recipient of the Kelly Rossman-McKinney Communications Professional Award. It’s a capstone to his very successful career as a journalist and PR practitioner,” said Andie Poole, partner at Martin Waymire. “Our team is grateful for the foundation David and his co-founder Roger Martin have built, and we’re honored to carry on the work Martin Waymire has started: to continue to make Michigan a better place.”
Waymire’s work has included clients in telecommunications, energy, health care, Native American casinos, along with several statewide ballot proposals. In 2003, he received the top national award issued by the Public Relations Society of America, the “Best of Silver Anvil,” for his work with Michigan’s universities and business organizations leading a ballot proposal to ensure state lawmakers maintained control over the state’s tobacco settlement. In 2013, the Central Michigan Public Relations Society of America named David ‘PACE Maker of the Year,’ recognizing his significant contributions to the profession. He has spent many hours working with reporters from papers small and large to ensure that they have all the information needed to keep Michigan informed on vital issues.
In October 2021, Martin Waymire announced the company’s transition to new ownership in January 2022 under Josh Hovey, APR, Angela Minicuci, APR, and Andie Poole, APR. Martin retired at the end of 2021 and Waymire will retire on December 31, 2022.
Founded in 2004, Martin Waymire principals and staff have a long track record of effectively managing public relations, advocacy and issue campaigns for small to large corporations, coalitions and associations in industries and policy areas including health care, public health, utilities and energy, high tech, insurance, casino gaming, K-12 and higher education, public transportation, telecommunications, local, county and state governments, the beverage industry and more. Martin Waymire team members have won five Silver Anvils — the Pulitzer Prize of the public relations profession.
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