Amelia Taurel Folkes, APR is an award-winning communications professional based in Austin, Texas. She is the director of public relations for Raise Your Hand Texas where she oversees communication campaigns that support the organizations statewide regional advocacy team and the mission to advance the reputation of strategic priorities across policy, advocacy, and legislative engagement.
Prior to joining Raise Your Hand she worked for large multinational firms supporting the C-suite with thought leadership communications, focusing on cybersecurity, ESG (environmental, social, and governance), and brand reputation issues. She also worked at State Farm for 11 years in community relations, catastrophe response and brand strategy. She managed Texas-based grant programs that positively impacted students, schools, and education-based nonprofits across Texas.
Folkes worked with clients such as the Department of Homeland Security, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Office of National Drug Control Policy, AT&T, and others at the internationally recognized PR firm Fleishman-Hillard. Her work has won several awards, including a PRSA Silver Anvil, PRSA Award of Excellence, and a PR Daily Non-Profit Communications finalist award.
Folkes is fluent in Spanish and has extensive experience researching issues dealing with access to education for underserved communities and working with multicultural audiences. Throughout her professional career, she has supported diversity initiatives, including starting or leading employee resource groups, mentoring Latinas, supporting research on Latinas in PR, and more. She has also helped mentor many PR students in their careers.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from Texas A&M University and a Master of Professional Studies in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University. She received her professional Accreditation in Public Relations in 2016 and continues to stay active in PRSA.
LinkedIn: Amelia Folkes