Bob Dittmer to be Honored as 'Indy PR Legend', April 19

INDIANAPOLIS - April 3, 2017 - PRLog -- Bob Dittmer, who has served more than 30 years as a public relations and communications professional and educator, will be honored as the recipient of the 2017 "Indy PR Legend Award." Presented by the Indianapolis Public Relations Society, the award will be given to Dittmer, currently principal of REDCOM: Public Relations Consulting, at IPRS' monthly luncheon meeting on Wednesday, April 19, at Christ Church Cathedral on Monument Circle.

An alumnus of John Carroll University, where he majored in communication, Dittmer was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army following graduation, serving as platoon leader, armored cavalry troop commander, and tank battalion executive officer over a 20-year period.  He also served as media relations manager for both the Army's European headquarters and, later, for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium. Dittmer was also deputy director of the public affairs department of the Defense Information School of Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis.

Dittmer's lengthy résumé includes being president of Command Communications Group, vice president and owner of Dittmer Wildey Communications, vice president of Rosetta Advertising and Public Relations (all based in Indianapolis), and director of public relations and deputy commissioner of tax administration for the Indiana Department of Revenue.

The recipient of a master's degree in communication from Marshall University, Dittmer impacted countless students at Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) as director of public relations graduate studies and public relations sequence coordinator from 2004-11.  He continues to teach as an adjunct faculty member at Ball State University.

"Bob Dittmer's name is synonymous with good, honest and timely communication, traits that he has shared with many younger practitioners," says IPRS President Julia Saltsgaver.  "He is a legend among those of us who have seen his work, as well as the many students he has guided.  It's only fitting that the title be made official."

Ken Owen, executive director of media relations at DePauw University and former Indianapolis television news anchor/reporter (WISH, WRTV, WXIN), will emcee the luncheon.

The Indy PR Legend Award was first presented in 2008 to James R. Hetherington, long-time Indianapolis journalist and public relations executive. Subsequent honorees have been Robert L. Gildea, Myra Borshoff, Carl Henn, Ann Rein, Gretchen Wolfram and Donna Mikels Shea.

The Indianapolis Public Relations Society, formed in 1949, is a limited membership organization comprised of senior level public relations personnel.