—Stuart was Recognized at PRSA Pittsburgh’s Annual Renaissance Awards Ceremony—

Pittsburgh, Feb. 19, 2015 – Susan Stuart, president and CEO of the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) was recently named Communicator of the Year (Not-for-Profit) by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She received the award at PRSA Pittsburgh’s annual Renaissance Awards ceremony held on Jan.  29, 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh that recognized the accomplishments of communications professionals across the region.  The award recognized Stuart’s outstanding communications skills, with special attention to her achievements between Oct. 1, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2014, which include:

• As CORE’s lead spokesperson, Stuart serves as the carrier of many inspiring stories about donation and its ability to save and enhance lives.
• Her communication efforts are instrumental in building partnerships with key stakeholders and governing organizations.  This strengthens CORE’s voice as an advocate for advanced legislation for organ donation awareness and education.
• Under Stuart’s direction, CORE’s initiative to improve organizational efficiency culminated with a Keystone Alliance for Performance Excellence (or KAPE) award, acknowledged by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.
• From 2013-2014, Stuart served as president of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), which represents the more than 50 federally-designated organ procurement organizations across the country.
• She was recently appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of Donate Life America, the national champion in promoting organ donation.

“I am honored to be recognized by PRSA Pittsburgh with this award,” said Stuart.  “I believe strongly that there is no greater gift than to communicate that registering to be an organ donor saves and heals lives. With more than 123,000 individuals awaiting an organ transplant nationally, more than 8,500 of those people are here in Pennsylvania.  However, only 45 percent of registered drivers in Pennsylvania are organ donors, so the need is great.”

The PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Awards recognize local public relations agencies and teams in the corporate and non-profit sectors for their creativity, tactics, campaigns and results.  The Individual Awards winners were selected by the PRSA Pittsburgh Board of Directors.  The Philadelphia chapter of PRSA served as this year’s judging panel for the campaign and tactic entries, evaluating award categories including special events, media relations, creative tactics and social media campaigns. 

About CORE
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 58 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States. CORE works closely with donor families and designated health care professionals to deliver the gift of hope by coordinating the surgical recovery of organs, tissues and corneas for transplantation. CORE also facilitates the computerized matching of donated organs, tissues and corneas. With headquarters in Pittsburgh and an office in Charleston, West Virginia, CORE oversees a region that encompasses 155 hospitals and almost six million people throughout western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, NY. For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.