Autumn Brings with it a Full Agenda
and Many Accomplishments

Thank you to everyone who completed ballots for the 2007 leadership slate and bylaws amendments. We exceeded the minimum needed for a quorum of the membership, and we greatly appreciate your time and input. The bylaws passed and will be updated on the members only section of the Web site. The Board of Directors for 2007 include: Sandra Hannon, Ph.D., APR, president; Heathere Evans-Keenan, APR, president elect; Jeff Ghannam, treasurer; Mary-Jane Atwater, secretary; and vice presidents Reggie Kouba, Rita Mhley and Scott Shaw. The complete list is available online.

One of our key initiatives of the year is the Circle of PR Friends for Pam Miles Campaign. I am extremely pleased to report that the silent auction held during the Thoth Gala raised $9,000 and the raffles held throughout the summer yielded more than $1,500.  These efforts, along with media relations outreach, fundraisers in Memphis and Syracuse, and word of mouth support, have resulted in $70,000 in donations.  We still need an additional $20,000 to meet the fundraising goal. As such, we will hold another raffle at the Dec. 12 Holiday Luncheon – or you can contribute online at www.cota.org/pammiles.  Please visit our Web site to learn more about Pam’s need for a double lung transplant and watch her video. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Our Thoth Seminar and Gala on Sept. 28 proved to be a memorable day. Thank you to all the speakers and volunteers who made this a most successful event with over 300 people joining us to celebrate excellence in public relations at these two events.  Read more about the event in the “In Focus” section below. The photo gallery, which includes award winners and candidate shots, can be found in the newsroom.

We have several events to round out the year and a complete schedule is listed in the “Next Up” section. If you are attending the International Conference in Salt Lake City, join us Sunday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. for a reception in Earl’s Lounge at the Grand America Hotel.  All chapter members, PRSSA members and chapter alumni are encouraged to attend. The chapter has been able to help fund the attendance of PRSSA members from area universities thanks to a generous donation from AARP and the chapter’s Public Relations Hall of Fame.  More than 20 PRSSA members from Howard University, University of Maryland, American University and Hood College will be attending the Salt Lake City Conference.

Finally, please mark you calendars for December 12, 12 – 2 p.m. for the annual holiday luncheon at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.  Our guest speaker is Julia Hood, editor-in-chief of PR Week.  The new PRSA chapter manager Ty Booker and PRSA vice president of membership Jennifer Ian also will be attending. We look forward to welcoming this trio from New York City to the nation’s capital and the world’s home to public relations.

If you have any comments or questions, please drop me a line.

Cheers,
Tracy A. Schario
PRSA-NCC President

P.S. The Chapter is also co-sponsoring a joint PR-Advertising-Marketing holiday reception – “The ONE Holiday Party” – at the new Hotel Palomar, from 6 – 9 p.m. Stay tuned to the DC Communicator for more details.

P.P.S. JOIN PRSA IN NOVEMBER AND GET CHAPTER DUES FREE!  New members, or members who have been inactive for one year or more, who join during November (for $290: $225 National dues + $65 initiation fee) will receive a free first-year Chapter membership – a $75 value. Visit www.prsa-ncc.org for details.  New members may join online or use a regular print application and MUST use promotion code NOV2006 to receive the special rate.  Please check National Capital Chapter (060).

Back to Top

Success and Celebration: The 38th Annual Thoth Gala; Ron Nessen Received “In the Line of Fire” Award

Talent, creativity and innovation in Washington public relations were recognized at the 38th Annual PRSA-NCC Thoth Awards Gala at the National Press Club on Sept. 28. If you like NBC's The Office, or wonder about PR peeps, ethics, client service, and other fuss, watch the gala video.  The video was produced courtesy of our Thoth video sponsor hack stone productions and is available at: www.hackstone.com/thoth.htm.

“Thoth is the chapter’s signature event and celebrates innovation within the public relations industry and showcases the Washington area’s talent,” said Tracy Schario, president of the PRSA National Capital Chapter and director of media relations at The George Washington University. “We congratulate the Thoth awardees and thank all those who submitted entries for the competition.  We also extend our appreciation to the Thoth judges and the Thoth committee for their efforts in helping to ensure a successful Thoth program.”

This year’s Thoth awards were preceded by an afternoon of seminars focusing on critical issues affecting the practice of public relations.  Ronald H. Nessen, journalist in residence at Brookings Institution and former White House Press Secretary, gave the keynote presentation that examined the interaction between PR professionals and journalists and how PR professionals can best influence journalists to generate news coverage. He also commented on the increasing number of trade journalists and the disappearance of the beat reporter, as well as shared some anecdotes from his tenure as a think tank blogger with The Washington Post.

Nessen received the chapter’s “In the Line of Fire”award, which is bestowed upon a spokesperson who has demonstrated depth and finesse in front of the proverbial media firing squad. The seminar also featured panel discussions on multi-cultural media relations, managing stakeholders during a crisis, examining the future of public relations and corporate ethics.

Thirty-six Thoth Awards and 25 Certificates of Excellence were presented to representatives of public relations agencies, corporations, government agencies and trade and professional associations. For a complete listing of the 2006 Thoth recipients, visit the PRSA-NCC Web site.

NCC Members Deliver Seminars for DC Chamber of Commerce Members

PRSA-NCC offered the second in its series of practical public relations seminars for the DC Chamber of Commerce on September 19. More than 20 DC Chamber members representing mid-size businesses attended the event at the City Club. Titled "Give Us Two Hours and You'll Have a Head Start on Creating an Effective PR Plan for Your Company," the event featured an expert panel, followed by a one-on-one planning session with a PR practitioner partnered with each attendee.

Panelists included Don Meyer, senior vice president, Hill & Knowlton; Mary-Jane Atwater, president, Atwater Communications; and Robert Deigh, principal, RDC Communication/PR. Tim Ayers, president, Ayers Associates, LLC, served as panel moderator.

Three practitioner coaches teamed up with the panelists and moderator to provide the focused planning session. The coaches were Sandra Hannon, Ph.D., APR, principal, The Hannon Group, LLC; Jennifer Reising, communications consultant, Reising Communications; and Rita Mhley, president, Mhley/Davis & Associates Inc.

PRSA-NCC's third practical public relations seminar for the DC Chamber will focus on branding issues. The DC Chamber has also invited PRSA-NCC to repeat its first, highly-acclaimed seminar on basic PR. Dates will be announced shortly.

The Chapter’s Independent Public Relations Alliance (IPRA) has provided the organizational logistics for this seminar series. IPRA, a section of PRSA-NCC, is a group of more than 50 experienced public relations professionals who provide strategic communications services individually and under a virtual agency model.

Back to Top

Maria Olmedo

Governmental Programs Liaison
U.S. Census Bureau

After four years in communications and program management and one year of public relations, Maria was determined to join an organization that would allow her to network with other professionals, especially those like her who were new to the public relations field.  Out of several national and local organizations, Maria quickly realized that PRSA provided both the networking and resources valued by so many young public relations professionals.

1. What skills are required to do your job?
   Creativity and motivation are top of my list. My job is to market a government agency that is better known by an every ten-year activity and lots of numbers. I have to use a lot of imagination and persistence to attract the public to our exhibit booth or workshops in conferences where you have other presenters such as Wal-Mart or Pepsi.  I have to develop various ideas for each activity and create catchy messages that I can communicate in 15 seconds or less.
   
2. What’s your dream job?
   I have two, and I plan to make them both happen in a couple of years.  The first is to manage an upscale event planning company in Puerto Rico and produce very innovative conventions there.  The other one is own a nice spa close to the beach.
   
   
3. Who’s your role model, and why do you admire him/her?
   I do not feel that I have one specific role model. I admire a variety of people from my boyfriend and friends to co-workers to figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Bill Clinton.  I do not take them as a formal role model but learn from the characteristics that make them each successful and try to apply those characteristics to myself.
   
   
4. Tips for maintaining the elusive work/life balance? 
   You need to learn and accept that work and personal life are not going to be perfect all the time.  My job requires a lot of travel and in-town activities that consume much of my time. Those days I do not pretend to be perfect anymore, however as soon as those big work projects are completed I focus on having an excellent dinner with my boyfriend, have a girls night with my friends or simply spend hours in front of the TV playing with my dog.  Please, don’t try to be the MVP of both games at the same time or you will fail in both…Finally, I believe in vacation time!!!

Prepared by Chanda Gilmore. If you’ve joined the chapter within the past six months and would like to receive a questionnaire, please contact newsletter@prsa-ncc.org.

To view past new Member Spotlights, visit the membership section of the Web site – http://www.prsa-ncc.org/content/blogcategory/26/100/

Back to Top