Dr. Elspeth Tilley was responsible for imagining and initiating PRaxis as an online public relations resource.  Elspeth co-ordinates content, features, contributors, and site design.  She also initiated the site's key feature, PRism refereed journal, and remains its general editor, responsible for the overall management of refereeing, editing, and publishing with assistance from regular guest editors and the journal's team of editors and referees.   

Elspeth is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication, Journalism and Marketing at Massey University, Wellington.  Before emigrating to New Zealand to join Massey’s team in 2004, Elspeth directed the undergraduate and postgraduate public relations studies programmes at Bond University, Australia.  She has published refereed academic work in a wide range of communication-related areas including public relations ethics, political communication, citizen journalism, cross-cultural communication, media relations, internal communication, online communication, and frame analysis (see http://www.massey.ac.nz/?s86442856h for more detail). She has also published in the areas of adult literacy and postcolonial studies, and her PhD study was in colonial discourse analysis.  Elspeth has professional experience in journalism and public relations including as a trade journalist for specialist publications in the retailing, food and insurance industries, a freelance sports journalist, and a public relations consultant specialising in newsletter production, media relations, sponsorship management, and sports marketing.

Creative innovators Lena Andersson and Petter Gustavsen developed the initial truly funky site design. Their original vision continues to guide the site's design today.  Features have also been tweaked at different times by the ever patient and hardworking Kim Braid (Miky MicroSolutions), and the enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and enormously helpful David Wallace.  Graphic design whizzes Sandra Donohue and Mark A. Smith generously donated their skills for the PRism logo.

The PRism journal could not function without its editorial assistants, whose proofing skills and attention to detail are legendary. Thanks to: Emma Petherick, in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Bond University, for volume one; Astral Sligo for volume two; Chloe Barnes, for volume three; and Monica Brooks for volume four.  A special thank you to Lyn Tan for administrative support from volume 3 onwards.

Enormous thanks must also go to Dr. Susan Fountaine for taking on the role of Associate Editor in 2005 (and ongoing). Susan was a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Massey University, Palmerston North, where she taught news media processes to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as introductory media skills. Susan’s research interests include gender politics and communication ethics,and she is also a member of the New Zealand Centre for Women and Leadership. Her doctoral research examined media coverage of women politicians during New Zealand’s 1999 General Election. We have been extremely fortunate to have Susan's academic and editorial expertise onboard for PRism from volume 3 onwards.

PRism's Book Reviews Editor, Dr. Richard J Varey, likewise deserves many thanks for his generous ongoing support. Richard is Professor of Marketing, Department of Marketing,The Waikato Management School, University of Waikato.

Formerly Reader in Communication & Management, and Director of the Centre for Communication & Knowledge in Management, at the University of Salford, Richard is also a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Communication Management, the Journal of Marketing Communications, Corporate Reputation Review, the Journal of Management Development, the International Journal of Applied Marketing and PRism; Online journal of refereed public relations and communication research. He is a member of the Advisory Committee and Visiting Professor of the Corporate Communication Institute at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Richard has co-edited (with Prof. Barbara Lewis) Internal Marketing:Directions for Management (Routledge, 2000), and authored Marketing Communication: Principles and Practice (Routledge, 2001) and Relationship Marketing: Dialogue and Networks in the E-Commerce Era (Wiley, 2002). His papers have been published widely, including in the European Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Information Technology, the Journal of Communication Management, THEXIS, and the International Journal of Service Industry Management.

Please click here to email Richard with any suggested book reviews, queries about book review procedure, etc.

The journal also could not exist without support from its dedicated editorial board, whose members are unfailingly supportive and rigorous.

Issue 1:Editor Jillian Kjekstad was born and raised in Victoria, Canada. Sheundertook her Bachelor of Arts in Health Studies at Queen’s University,and examined the sociological and psychological impact of health and healthcare in society. Jillian graduated from Bond University in June2003 with a Masters of Communication. She is interested in pursuing a career in healthcare communication, primarily in the public relationsfield.

Issue 2:Editors Christine Emerson, Patricia Hogan, Mathilde Jorgensen, Jennifer Paschke, and Jo Ann Sutojo were all undergraduate students at Bond University in 2003. This issue is largely the result of their outstanding assignment work in the subject PR Writing.

Issue 3:Contributor Jo Barnsdale is a Massey University journalism student. She has health communications experience at New Zealand Milk, where she coordinated the dairy health marketing programme for six years. Before that she worked as a teacher in Wellington secondary schools for ten years. Jo has a Diploma in Home Science (Otago University) and is a registered teacher with a Teachers’ Certificate (Christchurch Teachers’ College).