San Diego public relations veteran Derek Danziger has agreed to serve as board chair of the United Way of San Diego County. His two-year term with the nonprofit runs from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028.
A statement said Danziger will help advance United Way of San Diego County’s mission by uniting people, resources and ideas to support working families, helping them create pathways to lasting financial security in a region where affordability challenges continue to grow.
“As board chair, Danziger will work alongside United Way of San Diego County’s leadership, volunteers, donors, and community partners to expand the organization’s impact and help ensure every child and family has the opportunity to thrive,” a statement said.
Danziger’s appointment as board chair comes after years of service and dedication to United Way of San Diego County. He joined the board in 2020 and has served as vice chair (2024-2026) and Governance Committee chair (2021-2026).
“United Way of San Diego County plays an important role in bringing people, organizations and resources together to support financial security for families across our region,” said Danziger. “I am honored to serve as board chair and work with an amazing team of dedicated individuals to help advance the organization’s work to create meaningful, lasting impact in communities throughout San Diego County.”
“Derek believes lasting change happens when we unify our community to create tangible pathways to financial security, and his commitment to this vision for our future will make him an exceptional board chair,” said Rachael Orose, president and CEO of United Way of San Diego County. “I believe Derek’s leadership will help ensure more families can afford to live here, achieve financial security and thrive for generations to come.”
With 30 years of strategic communications experience, Danziger operates his own solo consultancy, named Danziger Public Relations. His clients represent the development, public affairs, government affairs, energy, life sciences, higher education and civic sectors.
Earlier in his career, he served for five years as president of Katz & Associates, a marketing communications and public affairs firm, and for five years as vice president at Nuffer Smith Tucker, San Diego’s oldest operating PR firm.
After his tenure at Katz, he opened Danziger Public Relations in 2022, then served for one year as president of the San Diego office of Riverside-based OPR Communications, founded 24 years ago by Patrick O’Reilly. He then returned to his solo consultancy in July 2024.
“I still work with OPR as a strategic partner on projects, but I’m more passionate about operating my own agency,” Danziger told Times of San Diego.
A resident of San Diego’s Del Sur community near Rancho Bernardo, Danziger also serves on the boards of the Downtown San Diego Partnership and Children’s Health Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties. He graduated in 1995 from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He remains active with UCSD athletics and alumni activities.
Danziger is the author of two children’s books, including “Teddy the Tiny Tree,” published in December 2023, and “I’m Autistic and I’m Awesome,” published in December 2024 and inspired by a family member on the autism spectrum.
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Two new clients for newly-launched WOC Signal agency
WOC Signal, a strategic communications and public relations agency affiliated with San Diego-based (W)right On Communications (WOC), has been selected by two new clients, including Impact Washington and centrexIT, announced Larry Smalheiser, managing director, WOC Signal.
In addition, the agency has hired Chloe Pankratz as a communications strategist. Prior to joining WOC Signal, she led marketing and communications initiatives at local nonprofit The Arc of San Diego. Pankratz will support strategic communications and public relations initiatives within WOC Signal, helping organizations strengthen visibility, audience engagement and stakeholder trust, a statement said.
Impact Washington, a statewide, nonprofit Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center, serves Washington-based, small and mid-sized manufacturers through hands-on consulting, workforce development, innovation support and government or industry association introductions, helping them improve competitiveness, strengthen operations and drive measurable economic impact, a statement said.
“WOC Signal brings a level of strategic clarity and discipline that is helping us better articulate who we are and the impact we deliver,” said Kelley Sowards, president and center director, Impact Washington. “As we continue this work, we’re excited to more clearly communicate our role as a strategic partner to Washington manufacturers and to amplify the outcomes we’re helping drive across the state.”
“Impact Washington does highly sophisticated, high-impact work that is not always fully understood,” said Smalheiser. “This partnership is about bringing clarity and precision to the story, ensuring manufacturers, stakeholders and the broader market recognizes Impact Washington as a strategic partner driving real operational and economic outcomes. When the narrative is aligned and activated, it will drive measurable value not just for the organization but for the entire manufacturing ecosystem it supports.”
According to a statement, centrexIT provides strategic counsel, execution and ongoing managed IT services leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), automation, cybersecurity solutions and other enterprise technologies for organizations operating in highly regulated and operationally sensitive environments.
“As we continue growing our cybersecurity and enterprise technology services, we wanted a strategic communications partner that understands both technical complexity and executive-level business communications,” said Dylan Natter, chairman & CEO at centrexIT. “WOC Signal demonstrated a strong understanding of cybersecurity communications, thought leadership and media engagement for technical B2B organizations.”
“Cybersecurity and enterprise technology companies operate in an environment where trust, clarity and credibility matter more than ever,” said Smalheiser. “centrexIT understands how critical secure infrastructure, cyber resilience and managed IT services are to modern organizations. We’re excited to support their leadership positioning and market visibility.”
WOC Signal, which focuses on business-to-business (B2B) sectors, including clean energy, advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity, was launched earlier this year by (W)right On Communications, which was founded in 1998 by Julie Wright in her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. Wright later headquartered her agency to San Diego and opened offices in Los Angeles and North Vancouver, B.C.
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San Diego Press Club accepting entries for `Excellence in Journalism’ awards
The San Diego Press Club (SDPC) is accepting entries for its 53rd annual Excellence in Journalism awards program.
The awards competition is open to San Diego County residents who have news media material published, broadcast, aired or posted online during the contest period from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
The awards typically attract more than 1,000 entries, making it one of the largest journalism competitions in the nation. Entries come from reporters, writers, artists, photographers, videographers and public relations professionals, along with college journalists.
Deadline for professional entries is 11:59 p.m., Monday, Aug. 10. Entries for the SDPC’s College Media Awards will be accepted starting Aug. 14, with a deadline of Friday, Sept. 11.
SDPC has partnered with the Illinois Press Association for its Advanced Contest Entry System (ACES) as the SDPC awards platform. All entrants will need to register with ACES, including entrants who have submitted entries in previous years.
More than 500 awards will be presented in more than 130 categories and 10 divisions at a ceremony on Tuesday evening, Oct. 27.
Also presented will be special career achievement awards for contributions in reporting media management and public relations. Deadline is Aug. 14 for nominations for one of the three annual special awards, which include:
- Harold Keen Award for Outstanding Contribution in Journalism: Given to the journalist who has throughout their career shown a high degree of professionalism and gone above and beyond standard practices for the sake of fairness and truth telling.
- Jim Reiman Enlightened Media Management Award: Given to the boss or supervisor who shows exceptional leadership or managerial skills to promote a positive, creative, and healthy work environment.
- Andy Mace Award for Outstanding Contribution in Public Relations: Awarded to a Public Relations/Marketing professional who has exemplified a high ethical standard of fairness and integrity, and over the course of their career has effectively disseminated the truth on behalf of their clients to the general public.
Also at the SDPC event, two college students will be awarded scholarships. Over the past 15 years, SDPC has granted more than $55,000 in scholarships to talented journalism students who are interested in pursuing a news media career and attending San Diego-area two-year colleges and four-year universities.
Information on entry instructions, categories and cost is available at https://sdpressclub.org/. Additional questions can be sent to Albert Fulcher, SDPC executive director, at admin@sdpressclub.org, or 858-215-1619.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly in Times of San Diego.
