PRSA Dallas Highlights Amanda Lewis Hill, MBA, APR

Posted by admin on Apr. 15, 2025  /  Subscribe 0

Amanda Lewis Hill, MBA, APR, is the CEO of Three Box, a Texas-based PR firm recognized nationally for its strategic, research-driven campaigns and ethical approach to communications. Motivated by her father’s example, she pursued APR accreditation to validate her professional expertise—an achievement that has strengthened her career through its emphasis on ethics, research, and lifelong learning.

Who is Amanda Lewis Hill, MBA, APR?
Amanda Lewis Hill, MBA, APR, is passionate about leveraging marketing communications to drive impact for brands. As CEO of Texas-based Three Box, she and her team serve as strategic advisors to brands and organizations across the country, leading integrated campaigns that deliver meaningful impact.

Amanda has been recognized for her industry expertise and millennial leadership in regional, national and global forums – including by the Public Relations Global Network, PRNews, PRSA Silver Anvils and Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. Aside from her husband and their two sons, she's most proud of building an award-winning team at Three Box, named one of Forbes' Top PR Firms in America.

What motivated you to pursue APR accreditation? 
I grew up in the PR business, and my dad, Blake Lewis, APR, Fellow PRSA, has been an incredible role model. I remember him pursuing professional milestones like earning his APR and later being inducted into the PRSA College of Fellows, and he often talks about the value of accreditation. He inspired and encouraged me to take steps to validate my professional expertise, which included pursuing APR accreditation about five years into my own professional career.

What was the most challenging part of earning your APR?
While probably unique to me, my biggest challenge was taking the APR exam at 32 weeks pregnant. There’s already a set timeframe to complete the accreditation process, but my first baby put his own deadline on it. I definitely felt extra pressure to pass the exam, so I didn’t have to study for it again with a newborn!

How has having an APR accreditation benefited your career?
For the first few years, the credential validated my commitment to best practices and demonstrating mastery of our profession. Beyond that, though, my APR credential quickly communicates my values and ethics as a PR professional. Our field has changed dramatically since I started, but I’ve always been proud to align to the unwavering ethics required for accredited professionals. In PR, your reputation is your greatest professional asset.

What skills or knowledge areas did the APR process help you strengthen the most?
Research was a priority focus for me during the APR process and that really became a recurring theme for me through my career. Research often can be overlooked, rushed or underfunded in PR strategy and planning. My APR mentors challenged me to expand the research section of my portfolio and PR strategy, and I remember getting a lot of questions about research during my review panel. While challenging at the time, that experience really engrained how valuable advance research in informing a successful, targeted program. Today, research is an intentional component of all client campaign strategies at Three Box.

What role do ethics and transparency play in successful public relations?
Effective public relations really comes down to trust. Brands build trust by consistently demonstrating care for its stakeholders and consistently delivering on its promises.

Sure, most brands say they are ethical and transparent – but stakeholders now have almost unlimited resources and tools to make those judgements. Stakeholders can quickly sense and often verify a lack of transparency or partial truths. They’re constantly making decisions based on how a brand aligns to their personal ethics. The ultimate litmus test is how stakeholders engage and respond with their actions. Brands can’t afford not to prioritize an ethical, transparent culture.

How do you stay updated on changes and trends in the public relations industry?
Public relations, marketing and communications are constantly evolving – with technology, culture, the economy and audience preferences, among other factors. You have to stay on top of fast-shifting trends while staying grounded in proven best practices.

I hold myself accountable to the same standards I have for our agency team: commitment to lifelong learning, intentional professional development, active participation in professional networks and cultivating diverse and creative interests away from the office. Good ideas and new skills can come from a variety of places. It’s important to never get complacent or stand still for too long!

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