Official Invitation for the PRSA 2009 Northeast District Conference- Rochester, NY

For those of you looking to do an Early Bird Registration to this year’s NE District Conference, here’s the official invitation below.

PRSA 2009 NE District Invitation

As a reminder, you can visit the PRSA Rochester homepage to sign up for your early bird special by Sept. 4. Don’t forget to register!   http://www.prsarochester.org/conference.html

List of Initial Speakers for 2009 PRSA NE District Conference

Hi folks, it’s here and it’s what you’ve been waiting for. Below is an initial list of some of our most valued speakers who will be presenting their topics at the PRSA 2009 NE District Conference in Rochester (Thursday, Oct. 8, RIT Inn & Conference Center). We’ll be sending you more updates as they come in, if titles are subject to change, etc. Enjoy!

Steve Cody, Morning Keynote, “Leading in the Midst of Crisis”

Deborah A. Silverman, Ph.D., APR, Buffalo State College: moderating a panel for crisis communications, “The Crash of Flight 3407: A Crisis Communications Case Study.”   Panelists include Grant Loomis, Communications Director for Erie County; Executive Director Christopher Collins; Becky Gibbons, NYS Police; Nadine Krimow; American Red Cross, Rochester Chapter; Brian Meyer, Buffalo News; Barbara Burns, Reporter, WBEN-AM; Josh Boose, Reporter, WGRZ.

David Rockland, “ROI of PR”

Jean Vincent, President, Vincent McCabe, Inc., “Providing Your Plan’s Worth: A Guide to Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation 2009 and Beyond.”

Ginni Jurkowski, SUNY Geneseo; Deborah A. Silverman, Ph.D., APR, Buffalo State College; Jonathan R. Slater, Ph.D., SUNY Plattsburgh, “Masters Class in Public Relations Ethics.”

Jill Hurst-Wahl, President of Hurst Associates, Ltd. & Alison Miller, MLS, Florida State University, “Establishing Your Social Image to Enhance Your Public Image.”

Stacy Smith & Robin Schell, Jackson Jackson & Wagner, “Internal Communications.”

Carl Langsenkamp, Xerox, & Erin Humphrey, Text 100, “Social Media Drives Product Launch Success.”

Linda Burkely, APR, CEO, Ardis Communication Strategy and Training, “Putting Your Best Foot Forward- Developing an Effective Writing Portfolio.”

Peter Shankman, HARO, Lunch Keynote, “It’s not Web 2.0, it’s not Web 3.0. It’s simply life.”

Liz Poda, Public Relations Manager, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, “PR and Marketing- United or Untied?”

Mike McDougall, APR, VP Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Bausch & Lomb, “Working at the Speed of ‘New’: Secrets for Conquering (and Surviving) the 24-Second News Cycle.”

Joseph Stabb, Director of Emerging Media, ABC Creative Group, “Get Indexed: Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization.”

Peter Kapcio, Director of Reputation Management Services, Eric Mower and Associates, “Just because it’s bad news doesn’t mean it’s a crisis… yet.”

Jan Sokoloff Harness, Chief Creative Instigator for Sokoloff Harness Communications, LLC, “Horsing Around: A Strategic Creativity Break or Better Business Writing.”

Jonna L. Martin, President of AdvanceMe Associates, & David L. Dey, President of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship, a B. Thomas Golisano Foundation, “Gain the Competitive Edge in Today’s Job Market Using Old School Techniques.”

More to come, and more updates to follow soon! Looking forward to seeing everyone Oct. 8.

Register Below for the PRSA 2009 NE District Conference. Early Bird Specials are through Sept. 4!

http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=2c938c25-237c-4dac-82d4-31bb900b7db2

Extra! Extra! The Proposed National Bylaws Are Here

Sure, some folks are counting down the days to the start of Football season (I am one), but a smaller subset of dedicated, passionate people has also been looking forward to the concrete PRSA National Bylaws rewrite language.

It is finally here. You can see the (semi)annotated version for yourself here. It doesn’t answer everything (I just posted 20 questions the the PRSA Governance Forum) but we now have something we can dig our teeth into.

Why does this matter? These bylaws determine how this 22,000+ member organization is governed. It determines the focus for your dues.

Your voice matters. Let your chapter delegates know your thoughts and opinions. Let your District Chairs know your thoughts and opinions. We have our own, but we want to represent our constituents and like to hear new points of view.

Leave a comment here, e-mail me, corrall me at a meeting. I am happy to discuss this issue at any time.

The APR: Why is it so misunderstood?

The final of my “catch up” posts.

Over the past few weeks, a lot has been written about the value of the APR. Mike Cherenson, chair of PRSA National defended  it as “The APR is also more than a test of knowledge. It’s a community of professionals who are dedicated to mentoring, sharing and building the industry’s knowledge base.”

While I have some issues with Mike’s post, it was generated in response to a blog post from a Peppercom principal (and someone whom I believe does good work and has built a good agency). Another post on the topic is here.

As an APR, while I respect the posters opinion and think they raise some valid points – I disagree with a lot of what those two posts say, and have real world experiences that show it has helped me professionally. Fundamentally, both sides are making too many blanket statements.

That being said, I am going to chime in with a few blanket statements of my own…:

• Is the APR the holy grail of PR:  No.
• Is it worthless: No
• Does it matter to clients:  Some
• Does it matter to prospects:  Some
• Is it as important as my work successes and experience:  No.
• Are APRs the only good PR pros: Heck No
• Should APRs be required for national office in PRSA:  No.
• Is it worthwhile:  Heck Yes
• Is it something that should be encouraged:  Yes
• Am I glad I studied and became accredited:  Yes
• Would I do it again: Yes

One of the key misperceptions I feel is still out there is a lack of awareness of what an APR is, what it means and why it matters. Even in Mike’s post he doesn’t define it. PRSA states the APR is:

A mark of distinction for public relations professionals who demonstrate their commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice, and who are selected based on broad knowledge, strategic perspective, and sound professional judgment.

I agree with all of that which is one of the reasons I took the exam and have kept up my accreditation.

But the key thing I believe is often overlook is mentioned later in the APR description.  “it is recommended that candidates have at least five years’ experience.”

I have basically always equated it to the level of a CPA, not a CFO. It should be attainable for anyone who has been around the block and understands the history and practice of PR and has solid fundamental skills.

I took it well after the five year mark because I wanted to revisit my own professional development. I wanted to make sure I was learning all that I could and could apply it to my clients and my career. I took the old exam and as an agency guy, a lot of it was pretty straightforward to me. Long, but straightforward.

The most valuable part to me was the prep work in preparing for the exam.

PRSA Boston did an outstanding job with a six week prep course where different sessions were taught by some great PR people and we had 13 outstanding professionals prepping for the exam. The discussions, debate and conversations have only been equaled by the debates at Counselors Academy Spring Conference. Now the agency where I work has outstanding training at all levels. But this was great for I received different perspectives.

It’s very tough to make the case for senior practitioners to take the APR exam. They can be engaged in “mentoring, sharing and building the industry’s knowledge base” without it. If they have been successful for 15+ years and don’t have an APR, why get it now? As VPs of Corp Communications, agency VPs and principals, the demand on their time is significant.

But those I know that have taken the time to step back, study and take the exam have valued the experience.

To me, the APR effort needs to be on the PR pros that have been practice PR for 5-7 years. It is where I tend to focus my evangelism. Prepping for thee exam is great PD, it exposes you to new ideas and starts you on the track to continuous self improvement.

Read about the APR. Consider if it appeals you you. If it does, ask some folks who are accredited about it and if they think it was worth it. Make your own decision. But ask the questions, and if it is right for you, I encourage you to prep and take the test. It is not wasted effort.

Introducing the 2010 PRSA National Slate

A few weeks ago, a group pf 20+ people met as part of the nomination committee to select a slate of National officers and board members for 2010. This is a grueling, two-day process (I was a member of the committee last year) and I want to thank all those who gave of their time (including JoAnn from the Northeast District).

Now the slate will come before the national delegates for a vote. Typically this is pretty pro-forma, but who knows someone may run from the floor. (I have no idea one way or the other, just thinking how this coming Assembly could get even more interesting…) This may also be the last time candidates are elected in this way – as there is a proposal to turn it into a one member, one vote election in the PRSA National Bylaws. I support this proposal in theory, but not until “how” the elections will be held and run is decided, so I may want to see a delay…

Without further ado..the 2010 PRSA National Slate:

Chair Elect - Rosanna Fisk, MS, APR

Treasurer – Philip Tate, APR, senior vice president, Luquire George Andrews, Charlotte, N.C.

Secretary – Gerard Corbett, APR, Fellow PRSA, founder and CEO, Redphlag LLC, San Bruno, Calif.

Director, North Pacific District – Bob Frause, APR, Fellow PRSA, chairman and CEO, FRAUSE, Seattle.

Director, Southeast District – Mickey Nall, MA, APR, Fellow PRSA, managing director, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Atlanta.

Director, Southwest District – Blake Lewis, APR, Fellow PRSA, principal and senior consultant, Lewis Public Relations, Richardson, Texas

Director-At-Large –
Barbara “BJ” Whitman, MBA, APR, Fellow PRSA, principal, BJW Public Relations, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Additionally, Ofield Dukes, APR, Fellow PRSA, president of Ofield Dukes & Associates, Washington, D.C., will serve in the role of 2010 senior counsel.

If you like this slate, be sure to let your delegates to Assembly know. If you don’t like this slate – please do the same. As Mike Cherenson says in his blog post, “this is a democratic process” and one of the foundations of democracy is active participation and making your voice heard.

Congratulations to the Northeast’s Newest PRSA Fellow

Just when a ton of things begin happening with PRSA (Fellows,  National Nominations,  APR debate) work takes me out of the office and heats up. The plan is to chime in on these topics over the next week, but in the meantime I wanted to take a minute to congratulate Kirk Hazlett on becoming a PRSA Fellow. To my knowledge he is the only PR executive from the northeast to join the College of Fellows this year.

I have known Kirk for years and respect his work, his ethics and his contribution to the PR industry immensely. This honor is well deserved. He is always optimistic, willing to help colleagues and give advice to students, and a smart, strategic counselor.

According to the Curry College Web site:

Kirk Hazlett, APR, has practiced nonprofit and government public relations and marketing for more than 35 years in the US as well as Asia. Before moving into education, Kirk managed communication programs for healthcare and member services organizations as well as the US Army and US Air Force in Vietnam, the Philippines and the United States, and he has provided consulting services for both the Manila and the Singapore Red Cross.

Accredited by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Kirk has held leadership positions with PRSA Northeast District and with the Boston and Hawaii PRSA chapters. He is Director-at-Large for PRSA’s Educators Academy and serves as a judge for PRSA’s nationally-acclaimed “Silver Anvil Awards” and the Publicity Club of New England’s “Bellringer Awards.”

For those that do not know, the College of Fellows is one of PRSA’s highest recognitions and the pinnacle of a PR career. It was founded 19 years ago as “a way to recognize individuals who have demonstrated superior capabilities as public relations practitioners or educators. According to PRSA Bylaws, College of Fellows candidates must have 20 years experience or more in the public relations industry and exhibit exceptional personal and professional qualities while advancing the state of the profession.”

Kirk definitely meets those criteria. Congratulations, Kirk!