Orlando Chapter -- PRSA Newsletter

It's mid-year, summer is here and it seems like the perfect time to evaluate what you're getting out of your PRSA membership.

Membership in the local chapter brings you together with friends and colleagues on a regular basis, from both the corporate and agency sectors. The programs provide you with the opportunity to network, share ideas and discuss challenges. Our monthly luncheon programs are a great way to hear from experts from within and outside our community, to stay on top of the latest trends and understand issues facing local business.

Participation at the local level allows you to sharpen your leadership skills by becoming a committee or board member and sharing your knowledge and expertise with fellow members. Participation can also bring about opportunities at the District and/or National level if that's your goal.

Of course, membership at the national level provides you with a myriad of resources, from the monthly Tactics and quarterly PR Strategist, to access to all of the Silver Anvil award winners, as well as the new online Job Center and much, much more.

Conferences and teleseminars abound, whether they are offered by our Chapter, District, or at the National level. Information is just a click away at www.prsaorlando. org or www.prsa.org.

If you've forgotten why you joined PRSA in the first place, I encourage you to evaluate what you're getting out of your membership. You have to put into it to get out of it, but I promise you, once you make the commitment to get involved, you'll find that it's more than worth the effort. I challenge each of you to commit to attending at least three of our next six programs, whether it's this month's District Conference, July's Media Roundtable, September's Ethics Awards program, or any of our regularly scheduled luncheon events. Commit to becoming a participating member of our chapter and truly experience the value PRSA membership brings.

Dawn Vaughan, APR

PRSA Orlando is taking a vacation and will not host a June luncheon. Members are encouraged to attend the district conference for oustanding professional development opportunities.

Business is not as usual for today's public relations and communications practitioners. The 24-hour news cycle, a growing reliance on social media and the evolution of online tactics make information both abundant and on demand.

The new era of communications is dynamic, exciting and sometimes daunting. Our line-up of top-notch presenters will show you how to incorporate the latest trends while delivering effective communications plans that are strategic, ethical and immediate.

Join us for the 2008 PRSA Sunshine District Conference, June 19-21 at The Alexander Hotel in beautiful Miami Beach. We promise sand, sun, fun... and professional development, too!

Online Reservations Available Soon

Featured Speaker: White House Press Secretary Dana Perino
Title Sponsor: Walt Disney World Resort
Date: Thursday, July 17
Location: Embassy Suites Orlando Downtown
Prices:

• Members: $60 whole day, $40 lunch only
• Non-Members: $70 whole day, $55 lunch only
• Corporate Table Members: $300 ($20 discount)
• Corporate Table Non-Members: $420 ($20 discount)

Great sponsorship opportunities and packages are still available. Contact Heather Morgan, APR, VP, Programs, or call 321.397.3000, extension 339.

If you thrive on creativity and the thrill of a little healthy competition, do we have a contest for you!

Our chapter newsletter, which remains nameless, needs a little zing! The working title is "News from the Public Relations Society of America Orlando." Pretty boring, eh? But we're stuck. Can you come up with something that's more compelling? If so, enter the "Newsletter Naming Contest."

Valuable prizes (although prizes and their value have yet to be determined) and braging rights will be awarded to the member with the winning submission. Send entries for the "Newsletter Naming Contest" by July 1, 2008, to Michelle Lynch, VP, Communications.

To Become Involved In Your Local PRSA Chapter

Interested in becoming more involved? Let us know! Volunteering helps you develop professional contacts, earn APR maintenance points and gain leadership experience. We have opportunities available for this year and for 2009.

The Retention Committee is looking for a few good members to serve as PRSA Ambassadors. Learn more by contacting Tongela Milton, VP, Retention, or calling 407.895.4286.

For 2009, opportunities include participating on several committees to serving on the board. Contact Kena Lewis, APR, President-Elect, with your name, contact information and area of interest.

PRSA is offering a one-year free local membership to all professionals who join by Thursday, July 31. Please encourage your colleagues who are not members to take advantage of this great opportunity.

New members MUST reference promotion code CHAP2008 to receive this offer.

To learn more, contact Lashonda Eaddy, VP, Membership Recruitment.

Welcome!

• Kristin Renee Beltz, Account Executive, Gilbert & Manjura Marketing
• Erin Michelle Forbis, Account Executive, Gilbert & Manjura Marketing
• Lesley Ann McMillen. PR & Marketing Manager, TransLife Organ & Tissue Donation Services
• Lindsey Cathleen Irwin, Associate Representative, Public Relations, Universal Orlando Resort
• Dean Eric Hybl, Communication Strategist, Curley & Pynn
• Lauren Morgan, Tavistock Group
• Steve Triggs, Communications Division Manager, Orange County Government

Congrats to the following:

• Heather Morgan, Children's Home Society, who recently earned her APR certification.

Name: Janie Graziani

Occupation: Manager, New Media & Technology, American Automobile Association (AAA)

PRSA Involvement: Orlando Chapter member, 10 years

Person who has most influenced your life: There are two. My father, Hamlet "Guy" Graziani, was a single parent for many years and was very dedicated to his children. He taught all of his children, by example, to work hard, choose your friends wisely, and to value the precious time we have with those we love. The other is my husband, F.C. "Kib" Kibler. He is generosity and self-sacrifice personified.

What made you choose PR as a profession: I majored in Public Relations and received my master's in Journalism, but I went right into newspaper reporting out of college. Years later, I think I just wanted to try something different and Public Relations seemed like the perfect fit - just enough writing to keep me satisfied and lots of other work to keep it interesting.

Best PR advice you ever received: It's always important to know what to say, but it's even more important to know when to talk and when to keep quiet.

Greatest accomplishment: Other than my family, it would have to be earning my bachelor's and master's degrees. It wasn't easy - I worked a full-time job and two part-time jobs while I went to school full time (18 hours per semester, so I could finish early). Now I sometimes wonder, "What was I thinking?" but it was worth it. I was strong enough to do the work and young enough not to know better!

Favorite thing to do on the weekend: Go to movies with my husband, relax at home.

Something nobody really knows about you: I have brown belts in two different types of martial arts.

As a PR professional, you must always be alert to improving your value to your organization or clients, so too is Universal Accreditation Board committed to finding ways to make the APR credential more valuable for all of us. That's what accredited members charge us with every day

After thoroughly studying our current maintenance program and points schedule, we saw an opportunity to encourage APRs to pursue more lifelong learning opportunities. These changes also bring the APR credential more in line with credentialing programs for other professions that place a very strong emphasis on professional development and lifelong learning. In fact, practitioners in a number of other professions only earn credit toward maintenance through continuing education activities.

To maintain your accreditation, you should have accumulated points in continuing education, professionalism or public service within a three-year period. Click here for everything you need to maintain your Accreditation and get involved in the Universal Accreditation Program.

Serving as an instructor at a seminar, workshop or program on public relations, membership of the Chapter local committee and special participation in activities such as mentor, professional advisor, and newsletter editor count toward your three-year maintenance period.

If you are interested in volunteering your time and talent to support APR, contact Laura E. Richeson, APR, or call 407-478-4040.

Save The Date: September 10

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, Sept. 10, when PRSA Orlando will hold a workshop focusing on how we can make social media work for our companies and clients.

"Social Media: It's Here -- Now What?" will give you practical applications for how to use the latest tools in your campaigns and programs. The workshop, at the Embassy Suites Downtown Orlando, will feature a morning session with a lineup of outstanding expert speakers, followed by a lunch and keynote speaker.

Stay tuned for more details.

• The PRSA JobCenter -- relaunched in May -- boasts a new Web site and new functionality including e-mail job alerts, a robust career library, and anonymous resume posting.
• PR Journal, new in Nov. 2007, is an online open- access peer-reviewed research journal. Included in the current issue are two articles on blogging.
• PR QuickStart, a tool that offers free Web-based training for new professionals, created in partnership with The Council of Public Relations Firms and PRSA's Counselors Academy.

June's Diversity Dimensions column by Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR, will be posted online shortly. To read last month's column, "Lessons from Obama's speech on race," click here.

Looking for the best talent for your company? Then send your job openings to Meredith Spinder, PRSA Orlando's Job Bank coordinator.

PRSA Orlando's up-to-date job bank features the latest openings in Central Florida.