How FINN Partners Is Showing Up for the Future of the Communications Industry

Photo credit: Gerald Peart

There is a lot of talk right now about the future of communications. Less attention is paid to who is being invited into the industry and how early those pathways are being created.

That’s why a recent gathering at the New York headquarters of FINN Partners is worth noting. Some 60 graduate and undergraduate students from The City College of New York, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Hofstra University and other schools came together with agency leaders for conversations focused on careers, opportunity and what it takes to build a life in communications.

The event marked the second annual FINN PRSA Foundation Networking Mixer and reflected a broader, long standing commitment by FINN to education and access. This was not positioned as a one off networking moment, but as part of an ongoing effort to connect students with industry leaders and real world insight.

Helen Shelton, FINN’s Global Chief Diversity Officer and PRSA Foundation trustee, with Natan Edelsburg, Chief Partnership Officer at Muck Rack and 2026 PRSA Foundation Board President. Photo credit: Gerald Peart

The mixer was co-hosted by Helen Shelton, FINN’s Global Chief Diversity Officer and a trustee of the PRSA Foundation, alongside Natan Edelsburg, Chief Partnership Officer at Muck Rack and 2026 Board President of the PRSA Foundation. Senior PRSA Foundation staff and FINN executives were on hand to engage directly with students and help facilitate meaningful connections.

Education is a core pillar of FINN’s inclusion and impact work, and that focus was evident throughout the program. Students were encouraged to explore different career paths, ask candid questions about agency life and better understand how the industry is evolving.

The evening also served as the introduction of FINN’s 2026 Excellence Award at The City College of New York recipient, Shefa Galiba Giash. The award includes a paid internship and scholarship and was established in 2016 in honor of David Finn, a distinguished CCNY alumnus and the father of FINN CEO Peter Finn.

Now in its 10th year, the Excellence Award has produced measurable results. More than 80 percent of recipients have gone on to full-time roles at FINN following completion of their internships, underscoring the firm’s emphasis on sustained opportunity rather than short-term engagement.

As Shelton noted in remarks shared around the event, education is not a side initiative for FINN. It is central to how the firm approaches leadership development and the future of the profession, in partnership with the PRSA Foundation, PRSA and PRSSA.

The mixer also highlighted the importance of industry wide collaboration. Other participating organizations included Hannah Cranston Media, Mission North and Muck Rack, reinforcing the idea that preparing the next generation is a shared responsibility across agencies and platforms.

For the PRSA Foundation, that alignment is intentional. Edelsburg emphasized that real access is created when students can engage directly with agency leaders and begin building relationships that extend beyond the classroom.

At a time when the communications industry is navigating rapid change and heightened expectations, FINN’s continued investment in education and early career access sends a clear message. Building the future of the profession requires showing up consistently, creating pathways and committing for the long-term.

That is how you build what comes next.