Valerie “VK” Fields

Valerie “VK” Fields has a degree in journalism and mass communication — with a specialty in public relations — from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also earned a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree in Theology from New Covenant Bible Institute in North Carolina. Valerie has worked in PR for some of the world’s most well-known organizations including Walt Disney World Resort, McDonald’s Corporation Regional Headquarters and the Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities of North Carolina.

In addition to being an entrepreneur, she is an educator and has taught Public Relations, Crisis Communication and Strategic Writing (on the graduate level) for 19 years as a faculty member in the School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill. She also teaches Principles of Advertising and Public Relations for all advertising & public relations students enrolled in the School of Journalism and Media. Valerie has been a business owner for more than 28 years. She is founder of V.K. Fields & Co. PR PROS, an award-winning public relations and content creation agency located in downtown Raleigh, NC. In 2005, the company received the “Pinnacle Business of the Year Award” from the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. In 2013, Valerie was elected as vice president of the Women’s Forum of North Carolina — a statewide advocacy organization promoting educational, political and economic equity for women — and served on the board of the Women’s Forum for six years. In 2016, she was elected to her third term as president of the Women’s Forum.

In 2018, Valerie received the Michael L. Herman “Excellence in Mentoring” award from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America and became a certified Crisis Communication specialist by the national Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) industry group. In 2020, her company PR PROS completed its first commercial renovation project by investing, redeveloping and restoring a property in the historic Prince Hall District of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. The renovated site now houses the PR PROS corporate offices. In 2023, Valerie was honored with the Power 100 Award, presented by Black Business Ink, as one of the top 100 most influential business leaders in North Carolina. In spring 2023, she was inducted into The Links, Incorporated, a premier service organization for women in the United States. Her textbook “Public Relations Writing: Essential Tools for Effective Storytelling” was published by Sage Publications in 2024 and has been adopted by dozens of universities across the country as a practical guide for teaching writing and strategic communications.