From the President: On Mentoring & Membership Parties
Jeff Paterson, APR
The leaves are turning, the kids are back in school, and the Bills are tormenting us once again. Fall is in the air, and that means the ever-popular membership party is on its way. I hope you’ll join us for this free event.
The membership party holds fond memories for me, because it was the first PRSA activity that I worked on as a young practitioner. I had a great time helping Kandis Fuller, APR, with the initial parties in the late ’90s. Somehow, Kandis looks younger than ever, and I look older than ever. Time sure has flown!
Whether your career has lasted for 30 years, 30 months or 30 days, you have your own memories of people and events that shaped your career. All of us have enjoyed the support and encouragement of mentors and role models in the field. For me, those individuals include Dick Shaner, Jr.; Stanton Hudson, APR, Fellow PRSA; Ken Houseknecht, APR; and Ann Carden, APR. I’m sure you have your own list.
For years, our chapter has wanted to start a mentoring program to ensure that new professionals have access to the wise counsel and support they need. If you’re a new professional looking for a mentor, please know we’re doing our best to make this program a reality. If you’re an established practitioner, please consider helping through a long-term mentoring relationship or through one-time shadowing experiences.
We’re compiling a database of willing mentors. Just drop me an e-mail at paterson@hanci.com if you can help. I’ll send you a very short form so you can tell us about your mentoring interests. Then we will make the information available in the members-only section of our chapter Web site. You’ll be able to accept or decline mentoring requests based on your availability. We’ll follow up occasionally to make sure everything is going well.
I hope you can help. It’s a great way to repay your debt to those who have helped you along the way.
Fun with Finance
A panel of PR, development and financial experts spoke to a group at the Comix Café on Thursday, Oct. 5, moderated by investor relations counselor Mike Barone, vice president with Travers Collins & Co. Panelists were Karen Howard, VP of finance and chief financial officer for Columbus McKinnon Corporation; Susan Siwiec, chief development officer for Child & Family Services; and Ken Houseknecht, VP of communications and investor relations for Gibraltar Industries, Inc.
The program began with the panelists providing brief overviews of their careers; Susan and Ken agreed that supplementing their PR knowledge with a solid understanding of finance and business, much of it “on-the-job” training, has been invaluable in enabling them to reach senior management status. Susan noted the similarities between PR and Development, and cited a specific example of being able to forecast trends, a skill that helps her advise executives in a way that benefits the organization’s bottom line. Ken spoke of the complexities among different industries and accounting systems, which makes communicating Gibraltar’s financial standing to his myriad audiences (stockholders, customers, employees, the government, board members, etc.) even more challenging. As a financial executive, Karen explained that her preference is for the communication and marketing professionals she deals with to ask any and all questions they have in order to be able to communicate CM’s messages properly. “After all, accountants are just people,” she said. “If you don’t understand something, just ask.”
PRSA and Amazon Team Up to Deliver Public Relations Publications
Looking for a book on planning an event, media relations or reputation management? Visit the PRSA Amazon Store where you can search for public relations books by topic. The Professional Resources Center staff reviews and recommends the best new and “classic” public relations books. Order through Amazon and you benefit through Amazon’s discounted prices and cost-effective shipping options. Click on “Resources” at www.prsa.org. Questions? Professional Resources Center, (212) 460-1459 or resources@prsa.org.
Help Support the College of Fellows
The College of Fellows offers you and your colleagues the opportunity to sponsor the 2006 College of Fellows Induction Evening. This most elegant and prestigious evening is being held on Nov. 11, 2006, during PRSA’s International Conference in Salt Lake City. Each year, the College of Fellows adds to its roster some of the brightest and best practitioners and educators in public relations from across the United States and the globe. This is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure for your company, employer or client as we pay tribute to these individuals who have made significant contributions to our profession. For further information, please contact Donna Jonas at ( 212) 460-1403 or donna.jonas@prsa.org.
PRSSA Back in Session
October is “Relationship Month” when both PRSSA and PRSA chapters are encouraged to plan a meeting or social activity so all chapter members can develop a professional relationship, discuss various issues within each other’s chapter and offer advice. The new 2006 PRSSA/PRSA Relationship Manual is accessible at http://prssa.org/resources/200607RelationshipManual.pdf
PRSSA 2006 National Conference/Career Development Exhibition
This year’s PRSSA national conference will be held November 10-14 in conjunction with the PRSA International Conference in Salt Lake City. A highlight of the student conference is the Career Development Exhibition. It is an excellent opportunity for students or new graduates to see what resources are available to them. It also provides an opportunity for companies who specialize in the industry to showcase their products and services to one of the largest groups of future public relations practitioners in the country. Companies who are interested in participating should visit PRSSA’s conference Web site for registration instructions, http://www.prssa.org/conference/2006/ or call PRSSA at (212) 460-1474.
Special Offer from Harris Interactive
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Public Relations Grants
For the fourth consecutive year, CyberAlert, Inc. will award public relations grants to a minimum of 10 not-for-profit organizations in the U.S. and Canada. Each grant consists of one full year of free press clipping/media monitoring service from CyberAlert. Each grant ranges in value from $2,700 to $3,900.
CyberAlert is accepting grant applications until December 31 and will announce grant recipients in early January. A simple and secure grant application is available online at https://secure.cyberalert.com/grants.html. A complete copy of the news release announcing the program can be seen at http://www.cyberalert.com/prgrants_news2007.html.
