Plus, celebrate our Communication Contest Award winners

Take advantage of early bird pricing through April 1. Prices increase on April 2.

The Virginia Professional Communicators 2026 Spring Conference takes place on Saturday, April 18, at the University of Richmond.

We’ll kick off the event with a riveting fireside chat, featuring Ashley Huston, a former Dow Jones communications executive, in discussion with Version A CEO, Diane S. Thieke.

#IStandWithEvan: How Communications Supported Efforts to Bring a Journalist Home

You won’t want to miss this look inside the successful awareness and advocacy campaign in support of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongfully detained by Russia in March 2023.

Over the following 16 months, Ms. Huston led crisis and strategic communications for the company’s efforts advocating for Evan’s release, working closely with executives, editors and colleagues from Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, Evan’s family and friends, and myriad other organizations and supporters. In this talk, she will highlight the critical role of communications throughout the campaign and share what it took to drive sustained attention for Evan’s wrongful detention until his release on August 1, 2024.

After this conversation and over lunch, we’ll hear from our Newsmaker of the Year, celebrate our Communicator of Achievement, and announce our Virginia Communications Contest winners.

Registration includes a boxed lunch.

Program Highlights:

• VPC Presidents’ Welcome
• #IStandWithEvan Fireside Chat with Ashley Huston and Diane S. Thieke
• Newsmaker of the Year
• Boxed Lunch
• Awards and Recognitions

Important notes about lunch:

Lunch will be catered by Everyday Gourmet. We’ll have a variety of delicious, boxed lunches available on the day of the conference that will include vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. 

If you have a specific dietary need, please contact Diane Thieke at diane.thieke@VersionA.com or Sunni Brown at sbrown5@richmond.edu by April 9.

About our featured speaker

Ashley Huston is a corporate communications advisor whose work draws on previous in-house experience with global companies, including The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, News Corp, Curiosity Stream, Quartz, and ESPN. She has guided communications through myriad periods of growth and innovation as well as uncertainty and transformation.

Ashley led crisis and strategic communications for Dow Jones’ advocacy efforts supporting Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich during his 491 days of wrongful detention by Russia, helping drive a 16-month public diplomacy and awareness campaign and serving as a trusted advisor to the Gershkovich family.

A native of Georgia, Ashley graduated from the University of Georgia and was honored with the Grady College of Journalism’s Mid-Career Alumni Award in 2018.

Conference Agenda

• 10:00 a.m.: Registration and networking
• 10:30 a.m.: Fireside chat with Ashley Huston
• 11:30 a.m.: Newsmaker of the Year
• 12:00 p.m.: Lunch
• 12:30 p.m.: Communicator of Achievement 
•   1:00 p.m.: Awards ceremony
•   2:30 p.m.: Closing