Brian Wilkerson, director of communications for the Kentucky House Speaker’s Office, has been chosen as the 2016 recipient of the Jennifer Schaaf Memorial Award for excellence in government communications.
The award is given to a state government communicator who shows dedication to the public interest in numerous ways, such as reliably providing thorough and accurate information to citizens and journalists about government matters.
Nominees for the award are selected by journalists.
The award is presented by the Society of Professional Journalists, Bluegrass Pro Chapter, in cooperation with the Kentucky Association of Government Communicators.
Wilkerson was a reporter for the Bowling Green Daily News before joining state government in 1997. He has served as the spokesman for former House Speaker Jody Richards and House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who closes out his term at the end of this month.
Wilkerson was selected for the award in recognition of his dedication to serving the public interest, said Dr. Liz Hansen, president of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Bluegrass Pro Chapter.
Hansen said the journalist who nominated Wilkerson for the award described him as a spokesman who:
“kept the media accurately informed of major legislator activities of the speaker. He has been readily available to take reporters’ questions and punctual in providing information they seek. He is a level-headed, reasonable, considerate and dedicated worker. He has done his job in a partisan world in a bipartisan manner. He makes no disparaging remarks about any legislator of any party. He respects state lawmakers and the media.”
Wilkerson said he was honored to receive the award.
“This does mean a lot,” Wilkerson told the presenters of the award before reflecting on his nearly 20 years of work as a government communicator. “It’s been a great time. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoy working with the media and doing what we all do every day. It’s a challenge sometimes to take difficult information, distill it down in a way that can be understood and told at the time.”
House Speaker Greg Stumbo said Wilkerson was worthy of the recognition.
“He’s a wonderful person and he’s been a wonderful employee. He’s dedicated to serving the public,” Stumbo said. “We couldn’t have gotten through the tough times without him.”
The award is named in honor of Jennifer Schaaf, a highly respected professional in government communications who served as president of KAGC. After she died in 1999, the Jennifer Schaaf Award was established to recognize government communicators who achieve the high standards Schaaf set and followed.
KAGC