It's hard to believe that we are entering the last quarter of 2009.  The chapter has accomplished a great deal in the first nine months of the year, and I am grateful to the board of directors and committee members who have worked so hard to deliver professional development and support to our membership.  But the year is not over.  We still have our upcoming member happy hour at The Chocolate Bar on October 29, as well as the annual meeting and election of officers and directors in mid-November to look forward to.

Speaking of your board of directors, I hope you were pleased with the new process implemented for board nominations this year.  With a goal of a more open and inclusive nomination process, for the first time, the chapter membership was encouraged to nominate themselves or someone else for the board.  Though all members have always been eligible to join the board, we wanted to reinforce that notion with the new formal call for nominations.  If you took part and nominated someone, thank you, and if you weren’t able to this year, please consider it for next year.  It’s your chapter, and you can help make it even better by becoming more involved. 

A special thank you and to immediate past president Mike Barone and president-elect Jackie Ghosen, APR, who made the new nomination process happen.

Congratulations are in order for three of our members who achieved accreditation (APR) this year.  They are: 

• Angela Berti, APR, Marketing and Public Affairs Coordinator for the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; 
• Robert Chase, APR, Public Relations Account Supervisor for Gelia Wells & Mohr; and
• Jacqueline Ghosen, APR, Assistant Dean and Director of Communications for the UB School of Management. 

I would also like to offer best wishes to those members who are currently pursuing accreditation.  If there is anything the chapter or I can do to assist you, please do not hesitate to ask.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to share news about fellow member and former chapter president, Julie Cox.  Julie recently underwent unexpected surgery and I ask members to please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  I'm confident Julie will be back to herself and back to her office at National Fuel in no time.

So what’s so important about a bylaw?
By John Senall, Assembly Delegate

As your PRSA National Assembly delegates, Eileen Herbert and I will represent the chapter on November 7 in San Diego at PRSA’s Annual Meeting, which immediately precedes the national conference. Among the most pressing official business of the Assembly this year are several revisions proposed to PRSA’s bylaws—the ruling documents of the organization.

David Rickey, APR, Chair of the Bylaws Task Force, probably put it best in his May PR Tactics essay, stating, “Bylaws define the organization’s purpose, requirements for membership, which groups make the decisions and how people get into those groups.”
One revision being considered intends to broaden PRSA membership eligibility to individuals in professions that are outside traditional public relations definitions, such as marketing.  By expanding membership to marketing and other related professions, the Bylaws Review Committee intends to help create a more diverse Society that reflects the changes in the PR and communications industries over the years.

Some delegates have expressed concern over any such change. They note that while some communication goals of the various industries are similar, there are too many differences to open the door to membership in a PR organization.

Eileen and I have discussed these issues and both viewpoints with your board of directors and, as a group, we have decided to vote in favor of the bylaw that promotes a more inclusive organization. 

As communication professionals, we each wear many hats—from performing traditional PR functions to carrying out advertising buys and social media marketing strategies, and working on integrated teams to fulfill our organizational communication goals. For this reason, our local board feels that we can only benefit from having the expertise of many communication professionals in the same room to learn from each other—and thereby have even more opportunities to “advance the professional.”

We look forward to updating you on the results of the November meeting. To learn more about additional bylaw revisions under discussion, I encourage you to visit PRSA National and the MemberNet section of National’s Web site.

Free local dues for new members
The latest membership promotion from PRSA National is going on until the end of this month.  If you know someone who is thinking about joining, now is a great time.  Check out all the details and spread the word!

PRSA Buffalo Niagara leads the way on diversity
By Jeff Paterson, APR

The ranks of the PR, advertising and journalism professions simply do not reflect the diversity of our region. The lack of diversity among our community’s storytellers naturally narrows the quality and breadth of communication in our area.

For that reason, we have formed the Coalition for Diversity in the Communication Professions. This coalition includes representatives of PRSA Buffalo Niagara, the Advertising Club of Buffalo, the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists, and the Western New York Chapter of the National Federation for Just Communities.

Our immediate focus is to inspire middle school and high school students from diverse communities to study and pursue careers in PR, advertising and journalism. We’re doing this through school presentations – thus far, we have sent speakers to the Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, as well as the Charter School for Applied Technologies.

This effort will be aided by the creation of a DVD that showcases diverse professional communicators doing important and exciting work. Filming is in progress right now, courtesy of Mike Quinniey and Western New York Minority Media Professionals, Inc.

As co-chair along with Rod Watson of The Buffalo News, I invite other PRSA members to become involved in our coalition. We have exciting plans for the coming months and years, and your participation is most welcome. Contact me anytime at 716-285-8224, ext. 234, or via e-mail.

Together we can diversify the communication professions and make our community’s story that much richer.

For PRSA Members Only
One of the most valuable perks of PRSA Buffalo Niagara membership is the job posting service.  This year we have notified you about 13 communication jobs in the Western New York area; combined with all the professional networking opportunities at our programs and events, your membership is a great value. 

Upcoming Events

2009 Northeast District Conference
Changing Dynamics: Communicating Today
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009
RIT Inn & Conference Center
Rochester, N.Y.
5257 W. Henrietta Rd., West Henrietta, N.Y., 14586
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with the program kicking off at 8:15 a.m., concluding at 4 p.m.
Register online now!

Members-only happy hour
Thursday, Oct. 29, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
The Chocolate Bar
114 Chippewa St.
Buffalo, N.Y. 14202
Register now!

Communications Career Day for Students & New Professionals
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 8:45 a.m.
If you are a Western New York communications college student or a professional new to the communications field, plan on attending this seminar on Friday, November 6 at the Larkin at Exchange Building.  Includes free parking, continental breakfast and lunch with area professionals.
Register now!

Announcing…
In addition to posting job opportunities, the PRSA Buffalo Niagara web site also lists a number of volunteer opportunities in the Announcements section.  If you are looking for volunteers to help you and your organization with an event, to serve on your board or to help with publicity, we can post it on the web site.  And it’s a great way to find opportunities if you’re interested in getting involved as well.  Check it out!