In early 2025, the RCC Board of Governors created a third award, joining the Wilbur Award for excellence in the communication of religious issues, values and themes in public secular media, and the DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Award, which is given annually to active members of RCC who demonstrate outstanding work in religious communications and public relations.
“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I’m pleased to announce our newest honor, which complements our existing awards,” states RCC president Teresa Faust. “The Struchen recognizes an individual, organization, or project that has served to elevate religious communication and consciousness beyond boundaries of faith.”
The initial award will be presented at the 2025 annual convention, slated for April 24-26 in Salt Lake City.
Faust explains that the new award is named for Shirley Whipple Struchen, (pictured here), who served as RCC’s executive director from 2002 to 2022 and was coordinator for the global, once-a-decade Religion Communication Congress in 2000, 2010, and 2020.
Shirley worked as an ecumenical communicator for much of her career. Prior to her work with RCC, Shirley worked for United Methodist Communications and as communications director and newspaper editor for the Western New York Conference of The United Methodist Church. She also served as producer for the National Council of Churches’ quarterly television programming and coordinated access for religious broadcasting on major U.S. television networks.
The United Methodist Association of Communicators named Struchen United Methodist Communicator of the Year in 1997 and in 2023 she was inducted into the UMAC’s Hall of Fame. In 2010, she was named an honorary life member of the World Association for Christian Communication for service to the cause of ecumenical and interfaith communication and work characterized by dedication, integrity, and achievement.
Learn more about Shirley, a life member of RCC, here.