Margaret Ann Hennen

Margaret Ann Hennen, 78, was born September 28, 1947, in Hutchinson, Minnesota, to Gregor and Ella Flynn Hennen. She grew up there, graduating from Hutchinson High School in 1965.

She attended St. Cloud College, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in education, with majors in speech and Spanish, in 1968. Following college, Margaret Ann began her career teaching English, speech and Spanish at high schools in Onamia, Coon Rapids and Blaine, and received her Master of Arts degree in English from St. Cloud State University in 1976.

She switched to the field of public relations and communications, and recognizing she had no formal training, attended the College of St. Thomas to receive a master’s business communications certificate in 1978. That also led her to join the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to seek to become accredited in public relations, beginning a professional affiliation where she had an enormous impact on the field and the careers of countless colleagues and students as a mentor, friend and confidant.

Margaret Ann’s public relations career included serving in leadership roles at Unisys, Fortis Financial Group, Fairview Health Services, American Public Media and her own consulting firm, Hennen Communication, LLC.

Equally important to Margaret Ann was the desire to help non-profit organizations tell their story in meaningful ways. Early on in her public relations career she committed to providing strategic communications counsel to organizations important to her.

She served on the boards of the Camp Fire Boys and Girls (1990-94), Corporate Volunteerism Council (1985-88), Minnesota Alliance with Youth (2011-15), Minnesota Council of the Teachers of English (1978-84), Minnesota Literacy Council (1991-94) and Open Arms of Minnesota. Margaret Ann served in a number of committee leadership programs with the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of the Greater Saint Paul Area. She also volunteered with Best Prep, the Minnesota Humanities Commission, Mother Bear Project and served on the advisory board for the Strategic Communication’s Masters Program at the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism. For these endeavors she received countless awards of recognition for her service.

Her passion for the public relations profession is where she had her biggest impact and achieved her greatest reward. She became involved with the Minnesota Chapter of the

Public Relations Society of America and earned her Accredited Public Relations (APR) credential in 1990. From there she served on chapter committees and was elected to offices, serving as chapter president in 1997. She was elected the inaugural chapter ethics officer from 2000-2003 and served again from 2013-2018. To keep past chapter leadership engaged, she created and led the Past President’s group in 2010, which is active to this day.

In 2005, Margaret Ann was elected to the National Board of PRSA, serving until 2008 and providing her wisdom and counsel. She was selected for membership in the PRSA College of Fellows in 2009, joining an august group of public relations professionals recognized for their skill and experience in the profession.

She also served on PRSA’s Board of Ethics and Professional Standards from 2013-18 and went on to chair the College of Fellows in 2022 and was appointed its first DEI officer to build engagement, community and inclusivity. She led the College’s 30th anniversary in 2019 and has since spearheaded efforts to collect the group’s history.

Her service to PRSA was recognized with awards and citations at both the chapter and national levels. She received the Donald G. Padilla Award for Community Service in 1998 from the Minnesota chapter; the Chair and CEO Citation for Meritorious Service to PRSA in 2012; recipient of the Patrick Jackson Award for Outstanding Service to PRSA in 2021, the PRSA Midwest District Platinum Award in 2023, and the Outstanding Leadership Award from the PRSA College of Fellows in 2025.

Margaret Ann touched many lives, personally and professionally, and will long be remembered by colleagues and friends for her sage advice, willingness to listen, commitment to doing what is right and just, and occasionally, giving a strong nudge to get involved. Her impact extends far beyond the individuals she directly mentored. Like a ripple in the water, those she guided and inspired have gone on to influence countless others throughout their own careers and communities. Her legacy will not be measured by a single achievement, but by generations of professionals who continue to carry forward her commitment to mentorship, leadership, and service.

Margaret Ann died on June 7, 2026, and is survived by her sister, Mary Ellen, and an extended family of cousins and dear friends. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 24, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Willwerscheid Funeral Home (Grand Ave.) in St. Paul. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, June 25, at 9:00 AM at the Church of St. Louis King of France in St. Paul, MN. Please click here to learn more about the parking. Interment will follow on Friday, June 26, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Anastasia Catholic Cemetery in Hutchinson, MN.

Memorials preferred; a list of suggested organizations includes: 

Church of St. Louis, King of France, St. Paul, MN; 

Merriam Park Branch, 

St. Paul (MN) Libraries, 

PRSA College of Fellows

Certificate in Principles of Public Relations Grant and the St. Cloud State University scholarship fund. Plans are underway to establish a scholarship fund in Margaret Ann’s memory, with additional details to be announced at a later date.

A light went out today as Margaret Ann Hennen, APR Fellow PRSA died after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Rest assured, she will continue to influence Fellows and all our lives because she gave us such fabulous tools and advice. I first met Margaret Ann Hennen when she joined the Board and immediately made a mark. She quickly earned the respect of all PRSA board and staff members. But more importantly, she became our friend. Many of us have spent hours in coffee shops, board rooms and yes, bars, with her talking about anything and everything. Because she could listen and offer her sage wisdom. If I needed input on anything connected at all to the profession, she was likely the first person I’d call. Her advice was incredibly wise and spot on.

As a leader in the profession, Margaret Ann left her mark every single place she could. Last year she was awarded the Fellows Outstanding Leader Award in recognition of her efforts. Her list of service to PRSA include years of active membership in the Minesota Chapter, numerous PRSA committees, seven years on the Board of Ethics and Professional Standards, three years on the national board and service as Fellows Chair and officer almost since she became a Fellow in 2009. She received the Pat Jackson award from PRSA in recognition of her lifetime of service.

Nothing seems more fitting than to include the nomination as her remembrance.

One of the first achievements of Margaret Ann’s involvement in Fellows was her role in creating the Standards of Excellence. Because of her strong moral compass and commitment to ethics in her personal and professional life, and her desire to make being a Fellow even more of a pillar in public relations, Margaret Ann chaired the task for that created a “code” which has a higher standard than the traditional PRSA Code of Ethics. The Standards of Excellence have become yet another way Fellows emphasize the importance of ethical practice.

In recent years, Margaret Ann became concerned the College was losing its “exclusive” brand; its reputation as being something only few earned and instead Selection was becoming less selective. She created a training program for the Selection Committee which reminds the members of their job: to select only those who have made a significant footprint in the profession and who have led with the highest ethical standards.

Margaret Ann served as the College’s historian since at least 2019 when she worked with several of us to document the history of the College. Margaret Ann interviewed early Fellows to make sure their stories were preserved forever. Programs from each induction dinner were also gathered which was a huge feat in and of itself. So our history and stories aren’t lost, Margaret Ann created Voices for the Future where she (and now a few others) interviews Fellows about their legacies. These videos are on the Fellows YouTube channel and used by several professors in their classes. To date more than 20 past chairs of the college and PRSA have been interviewed to provide inspiration and education for others.

It may seem minor, but Margaret Ann also wrote the in memoriam for Fellows, a job she began when serving the College as an officer but continued until today. She believed it important these be written in a way that memorializes the Fellow for their professional contributions and provides them the respect they are due. She regularly reached out to Fellows who may have known the deceased Fellow so she could personalize the piece.

Margaret Ann served on the Selection Committee, and Nominating for both Fellows and PRSA, numerous times, provided her counsel to the Board of Ethics and Professional Standards and was on too many committees to name. She has served her chapter and the Midwest District in numerous capacities. Margaret Ann regularly provided sage counsel to me and hundreds of other professionals. In talking with several recent chairs, she was the first person each reached out to because of her willingness to offer support, not to mention her sage advice.

For those who didn’t know Margaret Ann, I’m sorry, but trust those of us impacted by her that Fellows is as amazing as it is because of our dear MAH. RIP my friend.