Michelle
Flowers
Welch

A true success story in the world of public relations and marketing

Michelle Flowers Welch

A true success story in the world of public relations and marketing

Michelle Flowers Welch has a story that is as compelling as it is unique.  She was drawn to the world of agency public relations early in her career at Golin Harris Communications, where she discovered a passion for what was then called ‘ethnic marketing.’ From there, she moved on to Burrell Communications Group, a leading African American advertising agency, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become a senior vice president.  But Michelle always knew that her destiny held more.

Her entrepreneurial spirit goes back to her childhood, when she dreamed of having her own business.  In pursuit of that dream, much of her life was a purposeful journey that explored just what that business would be.  In high school, she started her first business based off her love of sewing and clothing design.  She pursued yet another entrepreneurial venture in college. However, it wasn’t until she had graduated and had spent nearly 10 years building her agency career that she was ready to take the definitive leap of faith and open her own agency: Flowers Communications Group.  It was a bold move, but one that would prove incredibly successful. Today, her firm is one of the most respected and award-winning multicultural integrated marketing agencies in the country.


Dedicated to cultivating the next generation of multicultural communications professionals and producing innovative campaigns that reach and respect diverse audiences, the agency was named in Forbes’ America’s Best PR Agencies 2021 and in 2022 and was named the PRWeek Midsize Agency of the Year in 2022.  The agency has received nearly 200 industry awards for communications excellence, including more than 30 Gold and Silver Trumpets from the Publicity Club of Chicago; three Silver Anvil Awards from the Public Relations Society of America; more than 10 Spectra Awards from the International Association of Business Communicators; consecutive wins in 2021 and 2022 from PRSA Chicago as the Organization of the Year; three Telly Awards honoring excellence in video and television; and several Awards of Excellence from the National Association of Black Journalists.
A proud magna cum laude graduate of HBCU Winston Salem State University, Michelle earned a master’s degree in advertising from Northwestern University.  Years later, she was a charter inductee into Northwestern’s Medill Hall of Fame.  She has received numerous accolades for her contributions to the industry, including the Publicity Club of Chicago’s Lifetime Achievement Award, PRSA Chicago’s Distinguished Senior Leader Award, the Plank Center Agency Mentor of the Year, Illinois Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year and one of Chicago’s Top 100 Black Business and Professional Women.  Named one of PRNEWS Top Women in PR, she was also inducted into the prestigious PRWeek Hall of Fame.
 

A trailblazer in the world of public relations and marketing, Michelle’s success is due not only to her business acumen, but also to her steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion in communications.  As a tribute to her meaningful contributions to the industry, the PRSA Chicago Michelle Flowers Diversity Fellowship was established in 2020.  Her career serves as an inspiration for those who wish to follow in her footsteps, proving that with hard work, dedication, and a sense of purpose, anything is possible.