Devon Group CEO Named 2016 Brava Award Winner by New Jersey SmartCEO

Accomplished Public Relations Executive, Jeanne Achille, Recognized for Leadership Within and Beyond the Workplace


RED BANK, NJ--(Marketwired - Jun 15, 2016) -  The Devon Group, a public relations and marketing services firm, today announced that its founder and CEO, Jeanne Achille, has been named by New Jersey SmartCEO as a 2016 Brava Award winner, which celebrates the achievements of 40 of New Jersey's top women business leaders.

"Having launched a high-tech PR firm at a time when there were very few women in the tech space, I fully understand the challenges of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Devon's success can be attributed to perseverance, the ability to adapt to always-changing market conditions and a great team that rises up to meet challenges and drive the business forward," said Achille. "It's an honor to be recognized as a 2016 Brava Award winner."

Achille founded The Devon Group in 1994, recognizing the opportunity to apply a systematic approach to public relations that results in positive outcomes. Drawing on an extensive background in IT, sales, marketing and product management, as well as her HR, healthcare and retail industry knowledge and connections, she built a fully customer-funded, women's business certified organization that has weathered economic downturns, stayed ahead of market trends by offering innovative programs and services, and earned the respect of clients, colleagues and competitors.

Widely considered by industry analysts, journalists and influencers to be one of the world's leading tech public relations experts, Achille nurtures her employees to be experts as well. Under her leadership, The Devon Group maintains its longstanding ability to help its clients translate their corporate, product and services messages into distinct revenue-generating advantages and present their messages to the right audiences at the right moment. To date, the Agency has made thousands of high-profile trade, business and broadcast media placements for its clients, winning numerous awards for these media placements as well as its social networking campaigns, by-lined articles and special events.

In addition to leading The Devon Group, Achille works with a wide range of organizations to provide leadership guidance for other entrepreneurs. She has served on the board of directors for Lunch Break, a soup kitchen in Red Bank, N.J., and the Eastern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce's Educational Foundation. Achille also believes in offering The Devon Group's services pro bono to causes that can benefit from its work. Most recently, this included supporting the HR Gives Back to a Future Without Parkinson's event during the 18th Annual HR Technology Conference, which raised funds for The Michael J. Fox Foundation to help find a cure for Parkinson's.

"Brava winners possess the hallmark qualities of successful leaders -- vision, passion, compassion, dedication, perseverance. Each winner in this year's class exhibits these qualities in all facets of her life, from running her business to tending to her family and donating time and resources to philanthropic initiatives," says Jaime Nespor-Zawmon, president of SmartCEO. "We are honored to recognize a group of women who are truly making a difference in the world."

The New Jersey Brava Awards ceremony on June 23, 2016 is an expected sell-out event where more than 350 local executives and guests will gather and celebrate their noteworthy achievements. Past Brava winners will also be in attendance to welcome the new class of winners into the Brava community. The event will kick off with a cocktail reception, followed by a video-packed awards ceremony and a final, inspirational toast to the female leaders of New Jersey.

About the Brava Awards
The Brava Awards program celebrates high-impact female business leaders in three categories: CEOs, Executive Directors of Nonprofits, and C-suite executives. Brava award winners combine their irrepressible entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for giving back to the community, and are exemplary leaders of both their companies and their communities. They encourage local philanthropy, mentor up-and-coming leaders and set their companies on the path to tremendous growth. Each year, an independent committee of local business leaders selects winners based on company growth, community impact and mentoring. SmartCEO shares their inspiring stories in SmartCEO magazine and celebrates their success at a high-energy awards gala.

About SmartCEO
SmartCEO's mission is to educate and inspire the business community through its award-winning magazine, connections at C-level events and access to valuable online resources. SmartCEO's integrated media platforms reach decision makers in the Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Long Island, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas.

About The Devon Group
The Devon Group delivers expert public relations and marketing results to global companies and organizations. Committed to fully engaged partnerships with clients, The Devon Group has one of the highest client retention rates in the PR industry. Devon has also won numerous awards for branding, feature stories and press releases, and local, national and global print and online media campaigns.

The Devon Group is headquartered outside New York City in Red Bank, N.J. For more information about The Devon Group, please visit www.devonpr.com or follow the Company on Twitter: twitter.com/devongroup.

Jeanne Achille, founder and CEO of The Devon Group