Scott Hanson
Scott Hanson, APR, Fellow PRSA, is a senior consultant with HMA Public Relations. He has been with the firm since 1986, serving as agency president until November 2023.
Recognized as an industry leader, he is among the nearly 700 PR practitioners to be admitted to the Public Relations Society of America’s distinguished College of Fellows and among only 25 percent of PR practitioners nationwide to have earned his Accredited in Public Relations certificate from the PRSA. He received the 2012 Percy Award from PRSA’s Phoenix Chapter, the highest honor bestowed by the chapter.
Hanson has earned several Copper Anvil Awards for public relations programming from the PRSA, numerous writing awards from Associated Press, as well as a prestigious Gold Award for media relations from Bulldog Reporter Magazine. He has also been recognized for his communications expertise by numerous client-related industries, including a President’s Award from the Arizona Association for Economic Development for his efforts to improve Arizona.
Hanson is also a founding member of the Public Relations Global Network, one of the world’s largest international public relations networks with more than 50 agencies worldwide.
Hanson is a graduate of Valley Leadership Class XX and was active in Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization for nearly 20 years. He is past chairman of the Northern Arizona University School of Communications’ Advisory Council and is also the professional advisor for NAU’s PRSSA chapter. He sat on the board for Junior Achievement of Arizona for 10 years and served for more than a decade on the board of directors for The Arthritis Foundation’s Greater Southwest Chapter, as well as representing the chapter on the foundation’s National Awareness and Planning committees. He has also served on the board of directors for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Phoenix Chapter.
Additionally, Hanson has hosted Protecting The Public, an award-winning monthly news and information program for Phoenix Channel 11, and has done freelance work for other news organizations, including KPHO-TV (CBS), KSAZ-TV (FOX) and KNXV-TV (ABC). He has also appeared regularly on KAET-TV (PBS). In 2012 he was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Rocky Mountain Chapter’s Silver Circle, honoring his 25 years of contributions to the broadcasting industry.
A telecommunications graduate of Northern Arizona University, Hanson was awarded both an Arizona Broadcasters Association and an Arizona Republic scholarship.
The Phoenix native is also the author of “Who Is Gym?” an Arizona history book that captures the fascinating stories about the names behind high schools and their sports venues, and “What’s Your Number?” a book about the stories behind the retired numbers at Arizona’s high schools. And when he is not playing or writing about sports, Hanson is a certified high school baseball umpire and football official for the Arizona Interscholastic Association. He has umpired three state championship baseball games and dozens of regional and state playoff games in both baseball and football.
