Joyce Luhrs, president of the marketing, public relations, social media and management firm Luhrs & Associates, was honored by the League of Women Voters of Northern Valley (LWVNV) at its annual meeting. The LWVNV recognized the Leonia resident for many years of service marketing and publicizing the organization's mission, activities, and events. Co-Vice-President Nike Prieston Bach of Leonia presented Ms. Luhrs with a certificate of recognition.
Ms. Luhrs has been involved with the League of Women Voters in various capacities for several years. With the LWVNV, she has served on the board of directors and assumed the positions of Co-President, Co-Vice President, and Public Relation Chair. Other activities include serving on the board of directors of the League of Women Voters of Leonia, Membership Chair and Publicist. As a member of the League of Women Voters of NJ State Education Committee, she coordinated a conference on issues affecting education in urban areas in the state.
Ms. Luhrs brings to the League extensive experience working with businesses and nonprofits to promote and increase their image and name recognition in various markets. Her company, Luhrs & Associates, is a results oriented marketing, public relations, social media management services firm that works with businesses, celebrities, artists, nonprofit organizations and schools.
In 2013, Met Opera legend Lucine Amara, artistic director of Bergen County's only grand opera company–New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, presented her with the organization's achievement award in recognition of Luhrs & Associates' successful public relations and social media campaign. The campaign increased the opera company's brand and name recognition, resulting in enhanced audience cultivation and the recruitment of more vocalists, volunteers, and supernumeraries.
Under her direction, Luhrs & Associates launched several grassroots projects with its In the Community program, a community service initiative for nonprofit organizations. From 2010-2013, the company implemented marketing and publicity campaigns annually to announce the Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of NJ, Inc.’s scholarship program, resulting in record numbers of applications received.
Other activities included providing pro-bono consulting about public relations and publicity to nonprofit leaders attending the Center for Nonprofits' conferences; sponsoring linen, school supply and children’s book drives for the Ramapough Lenape Nation in New Jersey and New York; and undertaking collections to support Shelter Our Sisters and Bergen Family Center's Adult Day Care Program.
In addition to the LWVNV, she is a member of the advisory board and a past board member of the nonprofit, umbrella organization Leonia Arts. Previously, she served as Public Relations Chair and on the board of directors of The Rotary Club of the Palisades. Ms. Luhrs received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oberlin College and a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. She held a Leadership New Jersey fellowship and fellowships from the University at Albany, State University of New York-Center for Women in Government & Civil Society, the City of New York-Urban Fellowship and the Washington, D.C. based Institute for Educational Leadership’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. She has received numerous awards, including a New Jersey Women of Achievement Award from Douglass College and the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs and several other honors.
