Monique Farmer, APR, poses with PRSA CEO Matthew Marcial, CAE, CMP, at the Women of Impact Awards celebration in Chicago.

Article Credit: LeAnne Morman, APR

OMAHA, Neb. — Aug. 10, 2026 — Monique Farmer, APR, is the only honoree to receive two awards in the inaugural PRSA Women of Impact Awards, earning national recognition for her leadership, mentorship and contributions to the public relations profession.

Farmer, president and founder of Avant Solutions, received the Mentor & Coach of the Year and Industry Champion/Thought Leader awards Aug. 6.

The recognition reflects more than two decades of Farmer’s work as a communicator, educator, mentor, author and PRSA leader.

“I believe the lessons we learn are meant to be shared,” Farmer said. “I’ve always tried to take what I learn and make it useful for someone else.”

Farmer has taught at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. As faculty adviser for UNL’s PRSSA Bateman Team, she helped lead students to a second-place national finish in 2021.

She is also the author of the 2024 Amazon bestseller Chart Your Path: A 9-Step Method to Getting Unstuck and creator of Anvil Ready, an online strategic communication planning platform built around the Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation (RPIE) model.

A PRSA member for nearly 20 years, Farmer served as PRSA Nebraska president in 2023 and has supported diversity initiatives and volunteer efforts at both the chapter and national levels.

The PRSA Women of Impact Awards recognize women whose leadership, innovation and influence are advancing the communications profession and creating opportunities for the next generation of communicators.

For Farmer, the recognition is less a finish line than a reason to keep giving back.

“These awards are motivation to keep learning, mentoring and sharing what I know with communicators at every stage of their careers,” she said.