2011 Blog Chair Introductions

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

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

Farewell!

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With the Holidays in full swing, it is time for the 2010 PRSA New Pros Executive Committee to say goodbye! 2010 was another fantastic year for the New Pros section and we hope our programs and blog posts have helped and inspired our members.

A big thank you to the following folks for all their hard work this year: Janet Krenn, Sarah Siewert, Mike Greenberg, Adrienne Bailey, Brian Camen, Andi Wilmes, Crystal Olig and Leah Moon.

On behalf of the 2010 executive committee I would like to wish everyone a happy and productive new year. Next year’s programs promise to be the best yet, so stop by the blog in January for an introduction to the 2011 team!

FREE Webinar: Breaking Into International PR

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Ever thought about working overseas or wondered what it might be like representing foreign clients at a major agency? Have you considered working at the U.S. headquarters of a foreign-based company or an international non-governmental organization (NGO)?

Geared towards students, new professionals and more experienced pros looking for new horizons, this free webinar will provide expert advice on how to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the global practice of public relations.

The webinar will be led by David Gallagher, senior partner at Ketchum and president of the company’s European operations. Based in London with dual U.S. and U.K. nationality, David is also chairman of the British Public Relations Consultants Association and a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the PR Guild of the City of the London. He sits on management boards for Ketchum companies in the U.K., France, Spain and Italy, and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s global advisory council on news, media and entertainment and sits and its global health advisory board. He is a journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.

Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Time: 1 p.m. Eastern
12 p.m. Central
11 a.m. Mountain
10 a.m. Pacific
Duration: 60 minutes

To register & more info: http://bit.ly/eyPDWQ

career advice… Ticking Through Last Year’s To Do List Before January by Janet Krenn

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I’m big into lists. I write them. Re-write them. Revise. Lose. Re-imagine.

I wrote myself a “to-do by the end of the year” list last week, and it’s horribly intimidating. I’m not embarrassed to admit that it’s full of things that have been sneaking to the bottom of my “to-do” lists since April, and although I know I have a long month ahead of me, I’m propelled to get through it and start January with nothing hanging over my head.

Imagine! Only having to do the tasks and jobs that are new! (It does sound like a dream, doesn’t it?)

As PR professionals, we can’t control the speed at which new projects and responsibilities fly at us, but we can make sure we’re ready to take them on.

For me, this means I’ll be buckling down. I’ll be more focused at work, checking my Facebook page only when it’s work related or when I’m at home (shuddering with pre-emptive withdrawals). I’ll be a dynamo, or like some kind of well-trained PR Kung Fu master executing tasks with quick, deadly precision.

The list is long. Writing articles, sidebars, upcoming press releases. Then there’s video transcribing, scripting, editing. And then there’s the stuff that I don’t even know about yet, but will undoubtedly make its way to my desk, just as the clutter’s starting to clear.

But I know with my trusty list in hand, I’ll tick through the tasks of soon-to-be yesteryear, and when 2011 rolls around, I’ll be ready to take on the new challenges and rewards without fretting about projects fermenting on my desk.

So who’s with me and ready to write down, then take down, that to-do list of 2010?

—

Janet Krenn is the 2010 Chair of the New Pros Section. She’s optimistic about closing out a successful 2010 at work, even though she has 23 things on her to-do list, and 3 days into December, none are checked off!

A Lesson in Governance by Mike Greenberg

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There’s the concept, and then there’s the reality. The former involves the process, customs and rules by which an organization such as PRSA, is run and the manner by which its members participate in their Society. The reality: that I had the privilege to observe first-hand as our Section’s Delegate to the Leadership Assembly, which met in Washington, D.C., on October 16.

The session began with a review of the Assembly procedures, a report on the financial health of the Society and a review of key accomplishments during 2010. We also voted to keep 2011 PRSA dues at the 2010 level. In other business:

  • There was a much-anticipated and hotly debated amendment to the Society’s by-laws that would allow persons who do not have the APR (Accredited in Public Relations) credential to be nominated to serve on the national Board of Directors. Presently, non-credentialed members cannot serve on the national Board even though they may have held other PRSA leadership positions, such serving on the Board of their local Chapter or national Section, and worked in public relations for at least 20 years.  To me, the strongest argument for change was the fact that only about 16% of Society members carry the APR credential; thus, national leadership opportunities are limited to a small minority of PRSA members. I was convinced that we will be a better Society if we can draw on the talent and experience of more, not fewer members. I voted for the amendment, but the motion failed.
  • Prof. Donald Wright, APR, Fellow PRSA, and Christina M. Darnowski, who heads the PRSA research department, presented their early analysis of a survey of employers on what  knowledge, skills and abilities tomorrow’s PR professionals will require. Future employers will expect new professionals to be proficient in media relations and social media engagement. Polish-up on your writing and listening skills, too. The full report is expected to be released in 2011, but you can see their presentation here.

What impressed me about this experience was the respect, despite their passion, that the Delegates displayed to each other. They clearly shared a deep commitment to the success of PRSA and enhancing the value the profession. As New Professionals, we should follow their example. Yes, we are busy with our new careers, or working to land that first job, but I encourage you to take an interest in serving your Society; and getting involved with the New Professionals Section is a fine way to start. If you want to learn more about opportunities to volunteer your time and talent, e-mail me.

Mike Greenberg is Director of Membership for the PRSA New Professionals Section. He is a member of the PRSA National Capital Chapter and co-Chaired the Chapter’s Volunteer Committee for the 2010 PRSA International Conference in Washington, DC