Great Neck residents Jeff Morosoff and Robert Zimmerman will be honored at the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island at its 23rd annual awards gala on May 14.
Zimmerman will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his more than 25 years of work in public relations.
In 1988, Zimmerman founded the PR firm Zimmerman/Edleson Inc., with co-founder Ron Edleson, after starting out as a congressional aide to Rep. Lester Wolf in the seventies.
“He saw in my work in legislation that I was an effective advocated and had me deal with the media,” said Zimmerman.
“Take a tip from me,” Zimmerman said. “The key to success is having Ron Edelson as my partner. He’s not just a business partner. He and his family are very important in my life.”
Zimmerman cited the diversity of their firm and its growth through referrals as the main reasons for its strength, a strength that “allows me go after the causes I care about.”
In 1995, Zimmerman was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Presidential Commission on the Arts. While there, he assisted in getting the Great Neck Arts Center recognized by the JFK Center and included in its prestigious arts program to help build arts education for kids.
Zimmerman, who has frequently appeared as a political commentator on cable news programs, has also served on the national finance committee for the presidential campaigns of presidents Clinton and Obama. He is also on the board of the American Museum of Natural History, where he represents Speaker of the New York City Council Christine Quinn, working to get city funding for the museum.
Zimmerman said that one of the best parts of his work at the firm is introducing new concepts to clients. “Media and communications are constantly growing, and bringing customers into that is exciting.”
Pete Guaraldi is in his second year as an associate account executive at Zimmerman/Edleson after interning for them his senior year at Hofstra. Guaraldi said that he loves working there and that Zimmerman “genuinely cares, not just about the business, but about us as well.” When asked about the relationship between Zimmerman and Edelson, Guaraldi said, “It’s like Batman and Robin.” He added, “They’ve both been outstanding to me in my career. Having Ron and Robert make me a better, more well-rounded professional.”
Morosoff, who lives four blocks from the Zimmerman/Edelson firm, is being honored with the Mentor Award. Morosoff was a part of the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island from their inception and served as their president from 1995-97 and 2006-07. After a number of years working in public relations, Morosoff became an adjunct professor at his alma mater, NYIT, in 2000, and then a full time professor of public relations at Hofstra in 2010.
“Deep down inside I was always a teacher. I knew it was where I always wanted to end up,” Morosoff said.
Guaraldi was one of Morosoff’s students at Hofstra and was one of two people who nominated Morosoff for the Mentor Award. He said that Morosoff went above and beyond for his students and brought new initiatives into the program.
“He brought real world experience to us in the classroom,” said Guaraldi.
Morosoff is the faculty advisor for the Hofstra chapter of the Public Relations Students Society of America. Guaraldi said that he held a day long symposium for students with workshops in everything from social media tactics to crisis management.
But he said that the best part of teaching is sharing information with his students and watching them grow year to year. “Nothing makes me happier than students telling me they have jobs.”
When he sees the joy on students faces when they land a job or ask him for a reference, Morosoff said, “That makes it all worth it.”
The Public Relations Professionals of Long Island awards gala is taking place on May 14 at 6 p.m. at the Chateau Caterers, 440 Old Country Road, Carle Place.
