DAYTON — Better Business Bureau serving Dayton and the Miami Valley has announced its vice president of communications, Sheri Sword, has been named a winner of a SPOKEies award, a national honor.

She was the first ever winner in the Nonprofit Membership Association category.

The SPOKEies are the first awards program to honor the best, in-house spokespeople representing brands, nonprofits and corporations. Spokespeople representing PepsiCo, Marine Corps Marathon, B&G Foods, Guinness World Records, AARP, Allianz Global, American Medical Association, and more are among the SPOKEies Award winners.

The mission behind the SPOKEies is to acknowledge and reward leaders who communicate honestly and effectively on behalf of their organizations. The winners were judged based on their ability to achieve organizational goals, creativity, trust and authenticity as spokespeople. The first award-winners represent the best in the business with 27 honorees.

The winners will share their advice with the communications community, May 3, on a live, multi-channel video stream called “Spokesperson Secrets to Build Your Brand.” A full list of honorees can be found at https://www.dssimon.com/announcing-winners-first-ever-spokeies-awards, which also includes quotes and tips from the winners.