Resident Honored with Distinguished Service Award

Ted Nguyen, a resident of  Laguna Niguel, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for his overall contributions to the public relations profession by the Orange County Public Relations Society.

Nguyen, public communications and media relations manager of the Orange County Transportation Authority, received the award for his pioneering work in social media, commitment to mentoring students and superior work in the public relations field, according to the Orange County Public Relations Society.

Nguyen received the award on June 2 at the annual Protos awards where more than 200 public relations and marketing professionals gathered to honor the year’s top-performing communications professionals and programs.

The awards program – named Protos for “first” in Greek – recognizes outstanding performance in categories ranging from community outreach, multicultural and media relations programs to communication collateral materials and multimedia presentations. Each year, it is hosted by the Orange County chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

The Orange County Transportation Authority received a total of 17 awards for superior work in public relations and marketing, including the highest honor of Best in Show for the O.C. Jobs Now Initiative.

“Reaching the public is a critical part of OCTA’s mission and I’m proud of our team’s hard work in delivering cost-effective programs,” said Will Kempton, OCTA’s CEO. “These programs required superior strategic planning and precise execution that netted impressive results to enhance transportation in Orange County.”