Gloria Rodriguez, founder, president, and CEO of comunicad, has been selected to receive IABC/Washington's 2008 Pinnacle Award. The award recognizes a senior-level business communicator in the Greater Washington region who has a consistent record of achieving exceptional results and exemplifies the highest standards of professional excellence and ethics.

"We are delighted to honor Gloria Rodriguez for her outstanding career accomplishments as a communicator and businesswoman, and to recognize her commitment to serving diverse communities," said Margaret A. Ferry, international communications consultant and chair of the 2008 Pinnacle Award for IABC/Washington.

The awards committee received a record number of nominations for this year's award. Ms. Rodriguez was selected by a distinguished panel of judges that included Randy Carswell of Booz Allen Hamilton; John G. Clemons, ABC, APR, of Raytheon; Kate Perrin of PRofessional Solutions, LLC; and Margery Zylich, APR, of MedStar Health.

Comunicad is a multicultural marketing and communications firm that specializes in public relations, advertising, segment research, and brand promotions, with a particular expertise in the Hispanic marketplace. For more than two decades, Ms. Rodriguez has developed and executed communications campaigns, philanthropic, and corporate social responsibility plans for clients in the private, non-profit, and federal sectors, among them Ford Motor Company, Verizon, AARP, Freddie Mac, and Coors Brewing Company.

“It is an honor to receive such a prestigious accolade from an organization like IABC, which serves a broad cross-section of the communications industry. As a multicultural practitioner, I think this award is very telling of the importance this industry sector has gained because of what is happening globally throughout our communities. Multiculturalism has reached a tipping point, and it is important we address the change that needs to happen today,” said Ms. Rodriguez.

“IABC/Washington focuses on achieving results. As such, we are especially proud to present this award to Ms. Rodriguez, whose communications have produced powerful results for her clients—and effected positive change for diverse audiences,” said Randi Hicks Rowe, president of IABC/Washington. Previous Pinnacle Award winners were Margery E. Zylich, APR, of MedStar Health (2007), and Chris Doherty of Sprint Nextel (2006).