(BLACK PR WIRE) – ATLANTA (Oct. 24, 2012) – Clark Atlanta University this week named Sheryl Sellaway, south area executive director of public relations for Verizon Wireless, “Advocate of the Year” during “The Call to True Beauty 2012” Awards, part of the University’s annual advocacy, education and prevention campaign against dating and domestic violence.

Sellaway is the first recipient of the “Joseph H. Silver Sr., Ph.D. Award for Leadership in Advocacy Against Dating and Domestic Violence.” Silver, former provost and vice president for academic affairs at CAU and now president of Alabama State University, initiated “The Call to True Beauty” program under his purview at Clark Atlanta.

Upon receiving the award, Sellaway said, “Although I have never been a victim of domestic violence, I am deeply honored and humbled to receive such an award, and I look forward to continuing the work that needs to be done to end domestic violence. I accept this award on behalf of Verizon Wireless and its commitment to address a topic that people don’t like to talk about, but that has a negative impact on our households and communities. I appreciate the partnerships and the friends I have made along the way in tackling this call.”

In her role at Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and a sponsor of “The Call to True Beauty,” Sellaway is responsible for the company’s public and media relations, community affairs and employee communications functions in a 13-state region. With more than 18 years of telecommunications experience and strategic communications expertise, she has received numerous professional awards for her work, including recognition from the Public Relations Society of America, the Texas Public Relations Society and the International Association of Business Communicators.

As a former board president of the Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV), the largest domestic violence agency in Georgia, Sellaway helped orchestrate significant strides in creating solutions for victims of dating and domestic violence. She is a champion of Verizon’s HopeLine® program, which recycles used wireless telephones for use by victims and survivors to help them escape dangerous situations and rebuild their lives. Sellaway also is one of three individuals responsible for the creation of “The Call to True Beauty,” and the force behind the creation of The Verizon Wireless Domestic Violence Prevention Leadership Academy, which, at its inception in 2010, provided $50,000 in graduate fellowships to students in Clark Atlanta University’s Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work.

Sellaway holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Amber University in Dallas. She also has served as a member and vice chair of the University of Georgia’s Graduate School Advancement Board. She presently serves on the boards of Cool Girls Inc., The Ron Clark Academy and the YWCA of Greater Atlanta. Sellaway also is a member of the WCLK-91.9FM advisory board of directors. For more details on “The Call to True Beauty,” visit www.cau.edu.