{"id":404698,"date":"2026-07-19T21:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/404698\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T21:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:26:10","slug":"marketink-pr-veteran-derek-danziger-agrees-to-serve-as-chair-of-united-way-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/404698\/","title":{"rendered":"MarketInk: PR Veteran Derek Danziger agrees to serve as chair of United Way board"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diego public relations veteran Derek Danziger has agreed to serve as board chair of the United Way of San Diego County.<\/a> His two-year term with the nonprofit runs from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Derek Danziger is the new chair of the board of the United Way of San Diego County. (Photo courtesy of Derek Danzinger)<\/p>\n

A statement said Danziger will help advance United Way of San Diego County\u2019s mission by uniting people, resources and ideas to support working families, helping them create pathways to lasting financial security in a region where affordability challenges continue to grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs board chair, Danziger will work alongside United Way of San Diego County\u2019s leadership, volunteers, donors, and community partners to expand the organization\u2019s impact and help ensure every child and family has the opportunity to thrive,\u201d a statement said.<\/p>\n

Danziger\u2019s appointment as board chair comes after years of service and dedication to United Way of San Diego County. He joined the board in 2020 and has served as vice chair (2024-2026) and Governance Committee chair (2021-2026).<\/p>\n

\u201cUnited Way of San Diego County plays an important role in bringing people, organizations and resources together to support financial security for families across our region,\u201d said Danziger. \u201cI am honored to serve as board chair and work with an amazing team of dedicated individuals to help advance the organization\u2019s work to create meaningful, lasting impact in communities throughout San Diego County.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDerek believes lasting change happens when we unify our community to create tangible pathways to financial security, and his commitment to this vision for our future will make him an exceptional board chair,\u201d said Rachael Orose, president and CEO of United Way of San Diego County. \u201cI believe Derek\u2019s leadership will help ensure more families can afford to live here, achieve financial security and thrive for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

With 30 years of strategic communications experience, Danziger operates his own solo consultancy, named Danziger Public Relations.\u00a0\u00a0His clients represent the development, public affairs, government affairs, energy, life sciences, higher education and civic sectors.<\/p>\n

Earlier in his career, he served for five years as president of Katz & Associates, a marketing communications and public affairs firm, and for five years as vice president at Nuffer Smith Tucker, San Diego\u2019s oldest operating PR firm.<\/p>\n

After his tenure at Katz, he opened Danziger Public Relations in 2022, then served for one year as president of the San Diego office of Riverside-based OPR Communications, founded 24 years ago by Patrick O\u2019Reilly. He then returned to his solo consultancy in July 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still work with OPR as a strategic partner on projects, but I\u2019m more passionate about operating my own agency,\u201d Danziger told Times of San Diego.<\/p>\n

A resident of San Diego\u2019s Del Sur community near Rancho Bernardo, Danziger also serves on the boards of the Downtown San Diego Partnership and Children\u2019s Health Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties. He graduated in 1995 from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) with a bachelor\u2019s degree in communications. He remains active with UCSD athletics and alumni activities.<\/p>\n

Danziger is the author of two children\u2019s books, including \u201cTeddy the Tiny Tree,\u201d<\/a> published in December 2023, and \u201cI\u2019m Autistic and I\u2019m Awesome,\u201d<\/a> published in December 2024 and inspired by a family member on the autism spectrum.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0\u00a0*\u00a0\u00a0*<\/p>\n

Two new clients for newly-launched WOC Signal agency<\/p>\n

WOC Signal, a strategic communications and public relations agency affiliated with San Diego-based (W)right On Communications (WOC), has been selected by two new clients, including Impact Washington and centrexIT, announced Larry Smalheiser, managing director, WOC Signal.<\/p>\n

In addition, the agency has hired Chloe Pankratz as a communications strategist. Prior to joining WOC Signal, she led marketing and communications initiatives at local nonprofit The Arc of San Diego. <\/a>Pankratz will support strategic communications and public relations initiatives within WOC Signal, helping organizations strengthen visibility, audience engagement and stakeholder trust, a statement said.<\/p>\n

Impact Washington,<\/a> a statewide, nonprofit Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center, serves Washington-based, small and mid-sized manufacturers through hands-on consulting, workforce development, innovation support and government or industry association introductions, helping them improve competitiveness, strengthen operations and drive measurable economic impact, a statement said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWOC Signal brings a level of strategic clarity and discipline that is helping us better articulate who we are and the impact we deliver,\u201d said Kelley Sowards, president and center director, Impact Washington. \u201cAs we continue this work, we\u2019re excited to more clearly communicate our role as a strategic partner to Washington manufacturers and to amplify the outcomes we\u2019re helping drive across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cImpact Washington does highly sophisticated, high-impact work that is not always fully understood,\u201d said Smalheiser. \u201cThis partnership is about bringing clarity and precision to the story, ensuring manufacturers, stakeholders and the broader market recognizes Impact Washington as a strategic partner driving real operational and economic outcomes. When the narrative is aligned and activated, it will drive measurable value not just for the organization but for the entire manufacturing ecosystem it supports.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a statement, centrexIT<\/a> provides strategic counsel, execution and ongoing managed IT services leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), automation, cybersecurity solutions and other enterprise technologies\u00a0\u00a0for organizations operating in highly regulated and operationally sensitive environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we continue growing our cybersecurity and enterprise technology services, we wanted a strategic communications partner that understands both technical complexity and executive-level business communications,\u201d said Dylan\u00a0Natter, chairman & CEO at centrexIT. \u201cWOC Signal demonstrated a strong understanding of cybersecurity communications, thought leadership and media engagement for technical B2B organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCybersecurity and enterprise technology companies operate in an environment where trust, clarity and credibility matter more than ever,\u201d said Smalheiser. \u201ccentrexIT understands how critical secure infrastructure, cyber resilience and managed IT services are to modern organizations. We\u2019re excited to support their leadership positioning and market visibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

WOC Signal, which focuses on business-to-business (B2B) sectors, including clean energy, advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity, was launched earlier this year by (W)right On Communications, which was founded in 1998 by Julie Wright in her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. Wright later headquartered her agency to San Diego and opened offices in Los Angeles and North Vancouver, B.C.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0\u00a0*\u00a0\u00a0*<\/p>\n

San Diego Press Club accepting entries for `Excellence in Journalism\u2019 awards<\/p>\n

The San Diego Press Club<\/a> (SDPC) is accepting entries for its 53rd annual Excellence in Journalism awards program.<\/p>\n

The awards competition is open to San Diego County residents who have news media material published, broadcast, aired or posted online during the contest period from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

The awards typically attract more than 1,000 entries, making it one of the largest journalism competitions in the nation. Entries come from reporters, writers, artists, photographers, videographers and public relations professionals, along with college journalists.<\/p>\n

Deadline for professional entries is 11:59 p.m., Monday, Aug. 10. Entries for the SDPC\u2019s College Media Awards will be accepted starting Aug. 14, with a deadline of Friday, Sept. 11.<\/p>\n

SDPC has partnered with the Illinois Press Association<\/a> for its Advanced Contest Entry System<\/a> (ACES) as the SDPC awards platform. All\u00a0entrants will need to register with ACES, including entrants who have submitted entries in previous years.<\/p>\n

More than 500 awards will be presented in more than 130 categories and 10 divisions at a ceremony on Tuesday evening, Oct. 27.<\/p>\n

Also presented will be special career achievement awards for contributions in reporting media management and public relations. Deadline is Aug. 14 for nominations for one of the three annual special awards, which include:<\/p>\n

Harold Keen Award for Outstanding Contribution in Journalism:\u00a0Given to the journalist who has throughout their career shown a high degree of professionalism and gone above and beyond standard practices for the sake of fairness and truth telling.<\/p>\n

Jim Reiman Enlightened Media Management Award:\u00a0Given to the boss or supervisor who shows exceptional leadership or managerial skills to promote a positive, creative, and healthy work environment.<\/p>\n

Andy Mace Award for Outstanding Contribution in Public Relations:\u00a0Awarded to a Public Relations\/Marketing professional who has exemplified a high ethical standard of fairness and integrity, and over the course of their career has effectively disseminated the truth on behalf of their clients to the general public.<\/p>\n

Also at the SDPC event, two college students will be awarded scholarships. Over the past 15 years, SDPC has granted more than $55,000 in scholarships to talented journalism students who are interested in pursuing a news media career and attending San Diego-area two-year colleges and four-year universities.<\/p>\n

Information on entry instructions, categories and cost is available at\u00a0https:\/\/sdpressclub.org\/<\/a>. Additional questions can be sent to Albert Fulcher, SDPC executive director, at\u00a0admin@sdpressclub.org<\/a>, or 858-215-1619.<\/p>\n

Rick Griffin<\/a>\u00a0is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly in Times of San Diego.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"San Diego public relations veteran Derek Danziger has agreed to serve as board chair of the United Way…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":404699,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[2406,74,76,75,19142,210],"class_list":["post-404698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-marketink","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-san-diego-press-club","tag-united-way"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}