CHICAGO, IL – September 2, 2026 – The Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC) is proud to announce that Michelle Flowers Welch, the founder of Flowers Communications Group and a celebrated industry leader, has been named recipient of its 2026 Presidential Legacy Award.
This award is the highest honor that PCC awards annually to recognize an individual whose exceptional leadership, dedication, and long-standing service has directly shaped and strengthened the organization. It will be presented during the 68th Annual Golden Trumpet Awards on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
A pioneering entrepreneur, industry leader and longtime supporter of the Publicity Club of Chicago, Flowers Welch has helped transform the practice of multicultural communications. She founded Flowers Communications Group in 1991, building it into one of the nation’s most respected multicultural integrated marketing agencies and creating opportunities for generations of communications professionals.
Flowers Welch has also made an enduring impact on PCC. A former member of the organization’s Board of Directors, she has remained an active advocate for the Club and the Golden Trumpet Awards throughout her distinguished career. In 2012, PCC recognized her professional accomplishments with its Lifetime Achievement Award. The Presidential Legacy Award now honors the lasting contributions she has made to the organization and the broader community it serves.
“Michelle represents the very best of Chicago’s communications community,” said PCC Co-President Kimberley Rudd. “She has been a trailblazer in our profession, a generous mentor and a steadfast champion of the Publicity Club of Chicago. Her leadership has opened doors for countless professionals, including me, and her creativity and acumen have raised the bar for multicultural marketing and communications for our industry. We are proud to recognize the extraordinary legacy she continues to build.”
Under Flowers Welch’s leadership, Flowers Communications Group has earned more than 200 industry awards, including more than 30 PCC Gold and Silver Trumpets. She has also demonstrated a lifelong commitment to cultivating the next generation of multicultural communications professionals. That commitment is reflected in the PRSA Chicago Michelle Flowers Diversity Fellowship, which provides financial assistance, professional development and employment opportunities to students of color pursuing communications careers.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Presidential Legacy Award from the Publicity Club of Chicago,” said Flowers Welch. “No career or legacy is built alone, and I have been extraordinarily fortunate to have colleagues, friends, family and mentors who have believed in me, challenged me and walked alongside me throughout this journey. I accept this honor with tremendous gratitude and share this recognition with all of them. PCC has been an important part of my professional life, and I am especially grateful for the opportunity our industry gives us to open doors for others. To me, the greatest legacy is not simply what we achieve, but what we make possible for the generations that follow.”
Flowers Welch’s many professional honors include induction into the PRWeek Hall of Fame and Northwestern University’s Medill Hall of Achievement. She has also received PRSA Chicago’s Distinguished Senior Leader Award, the Plank Center Agency Mentor of the Year Award and recognition as one of PRNEWS’ Top Women in PR. In 2025, the Diversity Action Alliance named her an Industry Legend.
About the Publicity Club of Chicago Presidential Legacy Award
The Presidential Legacy Award recognizes individuals whose volunteer leadership and service have made an enduring contribution to the Publicity Club of Chicago. The honor is reserved for those whose dedication, leadership and commitment have significantly advanced the Club’s mission and strengthened Chicago’s communications community. Recipients embody the spirit of service, collaboration and excellence that has sustained PCC throughout its history.
About the Publicity Club of Chicago and the Golden Trumpet Awards
Since its establishment in 1941, the Publicity Club of Chicago has served as a professional home for communications, marketing and public relations professionals. For more than six decades, PCC’s Golden Trumpet Awards have recognized outstanding communications campaigns and distinguished industry leaders from across the Midwest and beyond.
The 68th Annual Golden Trumpet Awards will take place Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Tickets and additional information will be available at publicity.org.