Welcome and Happy New Year, New Pros!

While 2011 marks the end of term for last year’s Executive Committee, the new year also ushers in a new crop of PR professionals excited to serve as Executive Committee members.  We are so grateful for the 2010 team and strive to follow their example.  We are your two new Blog Chairs—Diahnn Henderson and Heather Sliwinski. 

Allow us to introduce ourselves:

Diahnn Henderson is a human resources generalist with an emphasis on employee relations at ProQuest LLC, an electronic publisher in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  With 10 years of experience in the HR profession, she needed a change of pace and began focusing her attention in a new direction.  In 2010, she completed her studies in Communications at Concordia University and recently launched a new business venture, Collaborative Communications.  As a new professional, she looks forward to serving in her role as the Blog Co-Chair.

Heather Sliwinski is a marketing communications manager at United States Drug Testing Laboratories, a forensic drug testing laboratory in the Chicago suburbs.  After receiving her degree in Journalism and Mass Communications with an emphasis on Strategic Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she has enjoyed learning every aspect of marketing and event management for almost two years at USDTL.  She joined PRSA hoping to increase her network of peers, especially within the New Professionals Section.  Heather looks forward to the new year serving as Blog Co-Chair, offering New PR Pros a wealth of information and professional development.

Together, we hope to meet your expectations for this blog.  We look upon this blog as an outlet for virtual mentorship, through perspectives from new professionals like yourselves and seasoned professionals who have insider tips for those of us still learning.  For example, each month we will continue to feature a different aspect of the public relations field in the “Intro to…” series.  Look for our “Intro to Sports and Entertainment PR” post from a seasoned professional later this month. 

We encourage dialogue from fellow members.  After all, we only consider this blog successful if we are able to provide information you find useful.  So please, comment on posts.  Tell us which trends you are interested in.  We welcome the feedback.  Respond to the blog on Facebook or Twitter.  If you are itching for a more involved role, contact either of us to make your voice heard in your own New Pros blog post.  Our goal is to collaborate with members and create a discussion important to your careers.

So, New Pros, what do you want to see in the New Pros Blog in 2011?  We are excited for the coming year!

-Diahnn and Heather