Virginia Professional Communicator’s 2017 Communicator of Achievement is Deborah Padgett.

This award is the highest honor presented by our organization and recognizes an outstanding member who has distinguished themselves within and beyond their profession.

Debby has been a member of Virginia Press Women and Virginia Professional Communicators for more than 25 years, serving a variety of roles on its Board and committees, including second vice president, secretary and treasurer.

Debby spent 34 years at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation overseeing media relations.

Padgett, who just retired , was the go-to person for domestic and international media stories about colonial Jamestown and revolutionary Yorktown. During Padgett’s tenure, in 2007, Queen Elizabeth II repeated her historic 1957 trip to Jamestown to help America celebrate the 400th anniversary year of the colony’s founding.

Padgett thanked the conference attendees for the recognition and said “My membership in VPC has been a highlight of my career and I value the friendships I’ve made here.”