Columbia Union Member Awarded Young Professional Communicator Award

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Communicators from around the Columbia Union Conference (some pictured above) recently joined collegues from across the North American Division and beyond in Chicago for the 2024 Society of Adventist Communicators (SAC) convention.

During the event, Becky St. Clair, a freelance writer, and Ricardo Bacchus, an associate director of Communication for the Columbia Union, won the "Best Longform Feature Writing" award for "Hidden Harm of Emotional Abuse," an article published in the November/December 2023 issue of the Visitor.

Claudia Allen, a lay pastor at Allegheny East Conference's Emmanuel-Brinklow church in Ashton, Md., won the "Young Professional of the Year" award for her work at Message magazine and many other roles. Award presenters shared the following about Allen:

Claudia’s communication work has ranged from online content management for Message magazine to her current government position as director of Advancement at Maryland Humanities, where she fosters public conversations and promotes access to educational resources while advocating for the preservation of historical sites.

Beyond her professional duties, Claudia serves on boards, such as the Wilde Lake Community Board of Directors, the Adventist Peace Fellowship Board, and the Racial Equity Task Force for Howard County Library. She also volunteers as a lay pastor at Emmanuel- Brinklow Seventh-day Adventist Church. Among her many accolades, she was recognized as one of Maryland Daily Record's 2023 Leading Women Under 40.