on and Information at University of Tennessee–Knoxville has selected Mark McNeely, senior partner of McNeely Pigott & Fox, as the recipient of the 2015 Donald G. Hileman Alumni Award. The award, established in 1994 in celebration of the college’s 25th anniversary, honors alumni who have made notable contributions to the field of communication and information.
Mark McNeely is a 1970 journalism graduate of the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, and has been a member of the Board of Visitors to the College of Communications and Information since 2001, and chaired the group from 2009–2011.
McNeely founded McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations in 1987 as a one-person consultancy after a career in journalism and politics, including four years as capital bureau chief for The Knoxville News-Sentinel and service as then-U.S. Sen. Al Gore’s first state director. As founding and senior partner, McNeely is responsible for overall firm management as well as client relations.
He has been recognized by the Nashville Women’s Political Caucus in its annual “Good Guys” Awards, is a member of the board of directors of the Nashville Downtown Rotary Club, and has been active in the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the local Public Relations Society of America chapter, which honored him in 2007 with the chapter’s annual Hercules Award for professional contributions to public relations.