UF Alum at PRSA Helm When Gators Scored 2 Yrs of PRSSA Bateman Wins
Did the Florida Gators score back-to-back PRSSA Bateman wins on merit? Or, because PRSA's UF-alum Chairman gave PRSA's CEO a $20K pay bump?
With recent revelations of:
- PRSA governance-level cartel structure and culture, set up years ago with antitrust-noncompliant activity
- PRSA usurping of power over the “Accreditation in Public Relations” (APR) program to wrangle control away from a “Universal Accreditation Board” (UAB)
and
- Documentation of a Tennessee boycott desired, discussed, and conspired by PRSA National leadership in 2023…
…Things aren’t looking too good for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) on the antitrust legal-compliance front.
Now, there’s even more concerning anti-competitive issues afoot.
This time, it’s on the PRSA academic side of the house, with appearances of illegal favoritism given to the University of Florida PR program.
Last week, on Tuesday, April 7, I sent an e-mail inquiry to PRSA’s current National Chair Heide Harrell and to the current CEO Matt Marcial, with copy to two PRSA National Chairs (one who served in 2024 — Joseph Abreu — and one who is set to serve in 2027 — Angela Eveillard).
Both Mr. Abreu and Ms. Eveillard are University of Florida graduates, and both are employed at taxpayer-funded employers in the state of Florida.
I have received no response to my e-mail to PRSA from a week ago, from any recipient of it — not even an acknowledgement of receipt.
This persistent stonewalling leads me to believe that PRSA Headquarters is well-aware that PRSA’s former CEO Linda Thomas Brooks may have received a some $20,000 increase in her CEO compensation in 2024, after she oversaw judging processes from the 2023 and 2024 Bateman Case Study Competitions, in which the University of Florida won 1st place in BOTH years, when UF alumnus Joseph Abreu served as PRSA National Chair-Elect (2023) and then PRSA National Chair (2024).
The PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition is a mega-competitive student program across PRSSA’s universities nationwide. It’s been going on for decades… since the 1970s.
It is shocking to see appearances that PRSA may have awarded the Bateman top prize to a university — in back-to-back years — on internal PRSA political grounds, based on the PRSA Chairman’s alumni status.
This issue must be investigated, given the evidence. Manipulation of the Bateman judging and awarding of honors could constitute even more PRSA antitrust violations.
As per my e-mail of concern to PRSA HQ, it was discovered in a legally obtained e-mail that Mr. Abreu had pre-advised (warned?) PRSA’s CEO directly, back in February 2022, that “Gators are protective over their territory.’
I believe an investigation is in order on this concerning matter, given appearances of quid pro quo… potentially leveraging PRSA member dollars that we are now learning have long been over-committed, at dire, deficit levels.
In short, it appears not only was Ms. Thomas Brooks given a massive raise that PRSA couldn’t afford to give, but it apparently was done in lock-step with special favors and treatment for the University of Florida, and for Florida in general, being demanded by one or more certain PRSA insiders, like Mr. Abreu.
For example, in November 2021, while Mr. Abreu served as PRSA National Secretary, he scolded PRSA staff (including then-CEO Linda Thomas Brooks and PRSA’s Chief Comms Officer Karen Mateo) for not keeping him “clued in” on PRSA advocacy messages tied to partisan political issues in Florida and specifically pertaining to the University of Florida, his alma mater.
In his e-mail, Mr. Abreu gave points for PRSA good Gator-deferential behavior in giving University of Florida staffer and PRSA Past Chair Mickey Nall — who hasn’t been on PRSA’s Board in years and years — advance notice of PRSA advocacy statements. (Why Mr. Nall got special treatment seems obvious, for anyone in PRSA familiar with the “Gator Mafia.”)
But Mr. Abreu also complained:
“I have been fielding concerns from members since June who have shared they feel Florida gets picked on by national/NY…”
He further stated his expectation:
“In the future, if it is an issue or concern involving Florida, I beg you to run it by me.”
It seems that it was perfectly fine with Mr. Abreu later in 2023 to have PRSA consider boycotting the State of Tennessee where I live, but when it came to Florida where Mr. Abreu lives, he issued orders in 2021 that PRSA staff must treat Florida and Mr. Abreu’s Gator alma mater with kid gloves — and pre-coordinate with him directly, to boot.
Ms. Mateo (PRSA staff CCO, whose own job also was dependent on Mr. Abreu’s good graces) then groveled her apologies to Mr. Abreu, per below.
Mr. Abreu forwarded Ms. Mateo’s mea culpa to his fellow Gator on the PRSA Board, Ms. Eveillard, for her records, too, with an “FYI”:
Then, within only days (December 9, 2021) a PRSA memo — legally obtained through FOIA — was exchanged between PRSA National Chair-Elect Dr. Felicia Blow and CEO Linda Thomas Brooks, with documentation of “unbecoming” PRSA Board member behaviors alleged, as well as “inappropriate behaviors” underlying PRSA’s “hostile work place.”
One is forced to ask out loud if Mr. Abreu and Gator goings-on were part of that hostility and inappropriateness.
So…
My April 7, 2026, e-mail inquiry reads as follows and, at this writing, it remains ignored by PRSA leadership:
From: Mary Beth West
Sent: Tuesday, April 7, 2026 6:16 PM
To: heide.harrell@prsa.org; Matthew.Marcial@prsa.org
Cc: Joseph Abreu <jabreu@leeclerk.org>; aeveillard@hccfl.edu
Subject: Abreu / U of Florida / $20K
Heide and Matt:
Some new, disturbing information has been brought forward, and I would like to ask if there is an explanation for it. (Please note that I’m still waiting for responses / explanations from you to other issues I’ve written to you about in recent prior weeks.)
This new matter involves appearances of massive PRSA leadership conflict-of-interest, tied to the national PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition.
Legally obtained e-mails seem to indicate that now-former PRSA CEO Linda Thomas Brooks was given a nearly $20,000 compensation boost between 2023 and 2024 – after she oversaw the Bateman Case Study Competition 1st Place Award being given to PRSSA’s chapter at the University of Florida (Joseph Abreu’s and Angela Eveillard’s alma mater).
Earlier, in 2022, Chair-Elect Joseph Abreu seemingly warned Linda, “Gators are protective over their territory.” (see e-mail below)
Note: I have other legally obtained e-mails in which other “Gator” alumni from PRSA’s Past Presidents Council placed undue and improper pressure on Linda.
For example, one UF alumnus, Del Galloway, threatened legal action against PRSA if he did not get his way, with Joseph Abreu, Rosanna Fiske and Tony D’Angelo also copied on that e-mail. So, without question, Linda was “on notice” that if she displeased a PRSA Board member or Past PRSA Chair with University of Florida ties, then she and/or PRSA may be retaliated against.
The following year, Linda dutifully gave advance / preferred notice to Joseph Abreu (using his government e-mail address) and Abreu’s fellow Gator on PRSA’s Board, Angela Eveillard, of their alma mater’s prestigious PRSSA Bateman Competition win (e-mail below).
LTB wrote, in pro-Gator solidarity with Abreu and Eveillard, “(insert Gator Chop here….)” (sic).
“FINALLY!!” replied Joseph Abreu in his e-mail.
Abreu stated, “I’ve already screamed out loud” at Linda’s news of the U of Florida win and that he “ran around (his) house” in apparent delight.
Abreu further replied to LTB,“GO GATORS!!”
Later, according to PRSA’s IRS 990 filings, Linda promptly scored a $19,734 comp increase in 2024 over the prior year, under PRSA’s national chairmanship control by “Gator” Joseph Abreu.
This large comp boost occurred even though PRSA was otherwise losing money hand-over-fist, and, Linda was not exactly receiving stellar job performance reviews (according to other legally obtained e-mails / documentation now in my possession).
In PRSA’s May 2024 feature story announcing the national UF / “Gator” Bateman win on PRSA’s website, Joseph Abreu did not bother to disclose that he himself is a University of Florida alumnus:
It appears that pressure may have been placed upon Linda Thomas Brooks as CEO to appease PRSA’s Board / Past President “Gator” contingency, and consequently, the University of Florida was potentially “gifted” a prestigious Bateman win… with Linda then rewarded accordingly, to the tune of nearly $20,000 in member dollars that PRSA actually didn’t even have.
If this situation is not the case, Heide and Matt, then can you please explain the $20K boost in Linda’s compensation when PRSA was actively losing money and members between 2023 and 2024?
Please advise.
-Mary Beth
P.S. – As you know, the “client” for the Bateman Competition in 2023-24 was the pro-DEI publication, Culturs.
How is it that after Linda left PRSA in December 2024, she suddenly ended up on Culturs’ “advisory board” in what appears to be a paid post (at least as it appears on her LinkedIn page)?
