2026 Board of Directors Slate

President-Elect: Josh Baer (three-year term)
Josh Baer currently serves as a corporate communications & social media manager with ESL Federal Credit Union and has held a variety of communications roles and responsibilities since 2014. His background includes work in internal communications, employee engagement, event management, media relations, and social media management. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from St. John Fisher University and a Master’s in Management from Nazareth University. Josh has volunteered as a member of the PRSA Rochester Young Professionals Committee including previously serving as Committee Chair.

Treasurer: Stephanie Robusto (one-year term)
Stephanie Robusto is the chief communications officer at Monroe One BOCES where she spearheads initiatives around accessibility and inclusion. She also oversees the organization's strategic communications and public relation efforts.  
Stephanie has been serving as the director-at-large of the PRSA Rochester’s Diversity Committee, supporting the committee’s efforts to bring professional learning to area PR professionals and engaging in efforts around the PRSA Rochester The Pitch program. She previously served as the president of the Greater Rochester Professional School Communicators (GRPSC). In that role, she facilitated professional learning opportunities for school communication experts, ranging in topics from AI and cybersecurity to understanding microaggressions and inclusive communication.  
Prior to entering the field of school communications, Stephanie was an Emmy Award-winning multi-media journalist. She is currently the general manager of WBER 90.5 which provides a training ground for area high school students interested in broadcasting.  

Director-At-Large, Diversity: Gianluca D’Elia (one-year left in a three-year term)
Gianluca D’Elia is a senior communications specialist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he bridges his interests in higher education, health sciences, and multimedia storytelling as the University of Rochester School of Nursing's lead writer and content creator. Gianluca has been recognized as PRSA Rochester’s 2024 Rising Star and led his team to a PRism Award for Nonprofit Newsletters the same year. He is an active member of PRSA Rochester who has volunteered with the Young Professionals and Diversity committees for the past two years. Gianluca is passionate about fostering community and belonging in the PR profession and supporting the next generation of PR and communications leaders through mentorship and innovative programming. In his previous work as a journalist, he covered K-12 education, healthcare, disability, and culture in Philadelphia’s South Jersey suburbs at the Burlington County Times. He earned his bachelor’s in journalism at Rider University in 2018, and a Master of Mass Communication at Arizona State University through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Reporting Initiative in 2021.

Assembly Delegate #1: John O'Malley (one-year term)
John has more than 30 years’ experience developing and executing communications strategies for technology companies, including more than 20 years in the telecommunications industry. He’s currently a communications consultant for The Guyer Group–a MA-based consulting firm–where he supports a variety of clients in the technology and telecommunications spaces. Prior to that, he held corporate communications positions at both the corporate and regional levels at Verizon where he focused on media relations, corporate message development and competitive positioning, content creation, executive communications, and crisis communications/issues management. A longtime Rochester PRSA member, John holds a B.A. in English and public relations from The State University of New York at Geneseo and an M.A. in technical communications and marketing from Bowling Green State University.

Assembly Delegate #2: Liz Novak (one-year term)
Liz Novak serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Monroe County Bar Association (MCBA), the Center for Education (CFE), and the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar. In this role, she leads strategic initiatives that advance the mission of the organizations while overseeing daily operations. Liz directs membership engagement and renewal efforts, manages member benefits, and guides the association’s communications to ensure strong connections with members and the broader legal community.

Beyond the MCBA, Liz is engaged in the community and the profession. She serves on the Board of Directors for Literacy Rochester, the Programming Committee of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Rochester Chapter, and the Communications Section Council of the National Association of Bar Executives (NABE).

APR Chair: Iva Petrosino, APR (one-year term)
Iva Petrosino, APR is the executive director of communications and community engagement for the Gates Chili Central School District. In her time with PRSA, Iva has served as the director-at-large for membership, a member of the PRSA Rochester Diversity Committee and most recently as the APR and Ethics Chair. Iva began her career in television news at WWBT-TV in Richmond, Virginia, and WHAM-TV in Rochester, York, before transitioning to school public relations. She is an active member of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and New York School Public Relations Association (NYSPRA), and a past president of the Greater Rochester Professional School Communicators (GRPSC). In addition to being active within these organizations as a leader and mentor, Iva has earned more than 30 communications awards including being named to NSPRA’s 35 Under 35 in 2023. Iva holds a B.S. in Mass Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture as well as the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). 

Director-At-Large, PRisms: Madeline Rickett
Madeline Rickett is a Public Relations Specialist at The Martin Group, where she focuses on media relations and community engagement. With over three years of experience at the firm—initially joining as an intern during her college years— Madeline has developed a strong skillset in crafting compelling narratives and fostering meaningful connections. After moving back to Rochester in 2023, Madeline has built a strong reputation for her work ethic serving the firm’s lengthy client roster, including national brands like M&T Bank, New Era Cap, Student Transportation of America and Perry’s Ice Cream. Always playing an active role on multiple accounts, Madeline is helping her agency team implement strategic communication initiatives, secure earned media coverage and engage in social media activations.

Madeline has a degree in Communication Studies from Canisius University and is actively involved in professional development through organizations like PRSA. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading and baking anything sourdough related. She also loves a good iced latte and can often be found exploring Rochester’s restaurants.

Ethics Chair: Iva Petrosino, APR 
Iva Petrosino, APR is the executive director of communications and community engagement for the Gates Chili Central School District. In her time with PRSA, Iva has served as the director-at-large for membership, a member of the PRSA Rochester Diversity Committee and most recently as the APR and Ethics Chair. Iva began her career in television news at WWBT-TV in Richmond, Virginia, and WHAM-TV in Rochester, York, before transitioning to school public relations. She is an active member of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and New York School Public Relations Association (NYSPRA), and a past president of the Greater Rochester Professional School Communicators (GRPSC). In addition to being active within these organizations as a leader and mentor, Iva has earned more than 30 communications awards including being named to NSPRA’s 35 Under 35 in 2023. Iva holds a B.S. in Mass Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture as well as the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). 

Iva will be serving in dual roles on the 2026 board.