Public Relations & Publications Awards Judging Committee

Chair:

C. Paschal Eze, Chief Diversity Officer/Head of DEI 
City of Westland, Westland, Michigan, United States

For three decades, C. Paschal Eze has made his mark amplifying suppressed and faint voices, building bridges of hope and help, and getting community-serving projects better known, appreciated and supported.  A widely traveled former columnist, correspondent and business magazine and daily newspaper editor-in-chief, Dr. Eze in 2001 risked his life in defense of press freedom and democracy (see Committee To Protect Journalists' March 26, 2002 report). He currently serves as Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) of Michigan's 9th largest city of Westland where he fosters respect, opportunity, and wellbeing for diverse individuals and groups, especially minorities, and people with disabilities. 

Before becoming Westland's first CDO, Eze served for nearly 8 years on the senior leadership team of the 1909-founded nonprofit Detroit Rescue Mission as Vice President and Director of Communications, with portfolios that included media, community, and donor relations. A certified trainer, and well-received conference speaker, Dr. Eze serves on boards of well-regarded nonprofits like Eye Care for Detroit that align with his values. He is the founding board chair of anti-poverty think tank, The PuLSE Institute, and chairs the global board of the international management association, IMA-GLOBAL, whose leaders and members are drawn from different universities and industries around the globe.

Previously, Dr. Eze served on the board of Thomas Taylor Towers, a 266-unit senior living facility, and as VP of Westland Housing Commission. He also served on the Recipients Rights Board of Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, Michigan’s largest health network serving over 75,000 persons with a budget in excess of $1 billion. In 2018, he received the US Congressional Record that described him as a man with "lifetime of leadership" who has been "in the forefront of addressing economic disparity in the United States.” An author and recipient of the National MLK Leadership Award, Crain’s Detroit Business 2023 Notable Leader in DEI, and Spirit of Detroit Award, Eze enjoys using his people, and media skills to tackle bias, and help disadvantaged persons become unfettered, hopeful, and gainful participants in society. He gained valuable insights working in different countries as a schoolteacher, journalist, editor-in-chief, entrepreneur, mentor, and nonprofit leader. Neither afraid to explore nor ashamed of failure, Dr. Eze began generating income at age 8 and was organizer of one of the largest Christian book fairs in America, with the maiden event in 2004 attracting authors and booksellers from 17 US states and 5 countries

Committee:  

Zainab Ansari, Founder/Chairperson 
Xenith PR (Pvt.) Ltd, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
A corporate image professional and Public Relations specialist with over forty-five years of high profile and successful career in large multinationals and reputable organizations; extensively exposed to television, radio, and literary circles; established writer, poet, and a free-lance journalist.  Zainab has been awarded Asia’s Woman Leader award 2019 in Singapore.

Melony Hudnall, Contracting Officer
The Department of the Interior, Reston, Virginia, United States
Melony Hudnall has been a federal Contracting Officer for over 5 years and a federal employee for more than 10 years. She specializes in Research and Development contracting for the federal Intelligence community. She has a master’s degree in business with a minor in Program Management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Prateek Khandelwal, Director           
Citi Bank, Schaumburg, Illinois, United States
Prateek is a Director in Risk Management at Citibank and has over 15 years of leadership experience in risk management, strategic initiatives, product management, and consumer lending. He is responsible for the comprehensive risk management of the Mass Market Cobranded Cards Portfolio, ensuring the portfolio's stability and success. 

Shobhit Mathur, Vice President
Two Sigma Investments LP, New York City, New York, United States
Shobhit is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in FinTech Industry. He is currently Vice President at the prestigious hedge fund Two Sigma. He has extensive experience developing trading infrastructure, big data products, low-latency systems, and observability solutions. He has degrees from UIUC and IIT.

Dana Mellecker, Principal     
Mellecker Communications, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Dana Mellecker is an award-winning B2B corporate communicator and brand marketer in the digital and technology sectors. For 20 years he has helped Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, and even astronauts reach their most important audiences.

Nixon Okwara, Owner
Onix Properties & Real Estate Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria
Prince Nixon's leadership extends across diverse domains, encompassing ventures in real estate like Onix Properties & Real Estate Ltd., and enterprises such as Onix Entertainment Ltd. and Ultra-Height Constructions Company Ltd. Actively engaged within both community and political spheres, Prince Nixon assumes the esteemed role of national president at the Igbo Stakeholders Forum.

Pankhuri Sharma, Strategy Leader
Humana, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Pankhuri is an accomplished leader in the healthcare space. Currently, as a Strategy and Operations Leader at Humana, she leads projects that aim to improve members' clinical outcomes, enhance their experience, and reduce the cost of care. She has helped both corporate and private equity clients navigate complex business challenges and achieve their strategic goals.

Ekambar Kumar Singirikonda, Director of DevOps Engineering   
Toyota, Irving, Texas, United States
Ekambar Kumar Singirikonda is Director of DevOps Engineering at Toyota North America. With a track record of excellence, he leads transformative change in DevOps, DataOps, and cloud engineering. Recognized for awards and published works, Ekambar Kumar shares expertise through advisory roles and charitable endeavors.

Nicole Spina, Advisor, Communications & Marketing          
CreateTO, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nicole Spina is the Advisor, Communications and Marketing at CreateTO, the City of Toronto's real estate agency. She has ten years of experience working across a variety of industries, including the public and private sectors, a PR agency, higher education, and freelance. Nicole holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Relations.

Shawn Warmstein, Vice President   
rbb Communications, Miami, Florida, United States
All about helping clients compete for attention and resonance, Shawn Warmstein is a Vice President at rbb Communications with almost 20 years of experience as a strategist, media specialist, crisis counselor, and skilled writer; conceiving award-winning integrated campaigns for B2C and B2B clients on a national and regional level.

Ana Margarida Ximenes, Partner
Lift Consulting, Lisbon, Portugal
Ana Margarida Ximenes is a partner at Lift Consulting. With a vast knowledge of the communications sector, both nationally and internationally, she is the Country Chapter Leader for Portugal of the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD). She was Co-Founder and President of ATREVIA Portugal, Vice-President of Public Relations Organization International (PROI).