Washington Women in Public Relations

Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) has elected its new executive board for 2008, its 28th year.

The Board of Directors is a group of up to thirteen WWPR members in good standing who are elected for a term of one year. All Directors serve without compensation and are responsible for the duties of running the organization.

The 2008 WWPR Board of Directors:

President

Lisa Kelley McCluskey is the Communications and Clearinghouse Project Manager for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. She currently manages two federal contracts administered by ARTBA’s Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) and supports ARTBA and ARTBA-TDF communication efforts.

Previously Lisa was the manager of communications and managing editor of a quarterly publication for the Career College Association (CCA), a leading higher education association in Washington. During her four years at CCA she developed public relations strategies to promote the activities of the association and its members during reauthorization of the higher education act. Lisa’s work earned positive coverage for the association in such publications as the NY Times, The Washington Post and Business Week. She developed communication efforts for awards programs, Capitol Hill events, and a congressional visit program. She worked with the membership department to develop and retain members and to manage all publications and marketing materials. Her freelance public relations experience has included work with CNN’s Washington bureau, the Irish National Lacrosse team and Volunteers of America.

A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Lisa moved to Washington after college to work for VMS, a national media monitoring company. At VMS she worked with top public relations firms, advertising agencies and Fortune 500 companies. During her time at VMS, she gained valuable insight that gives her a unique perspective on communication strategy.

Lisa holds a BA in Speech Communications with a concentration in PR from Radford University. She also trained and served as a volunteer with Arlington Independent Media, Channel 33 in Arlington, VA. Her media experience includes camera work, on-air talent, and field and studio production. Lisa also holds a degree in Early Childhood Development. Lisa has served on the Board of WWPR in various capacities since 2000.

Vice President

Lauren Lawson is the Media Relations Manager for Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Prior to that, Lauren ran her own consulting firm where she assisted with the media efforts for Servathon 2007, sponsored by Greater DC Cares and AOL, which is one of the largest single days of volunteering in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Lauren has also served as Media Relations Manager for both the Children’s Defense Fund and Communications Marketing Group (CMG). Other experience includes serving as the Publicity Manager for LifeLine Press and Regnery Publishing, both divisions of Eagle Publishing, where she handled the publicity for their current events, health, and life-style books. Before coming to Washington D.C., Lauren lived in New York City and handled publicity campaigns for book publishers including Hachette Book Group (formerly Time Warner Book Group), Penguin Putnam, and Simon & Schuster.

Lauren has established contacts with producers in the media in both radio and TV. Her placements include CNN’s American Morning, The Early Show, The Today Show, Fox & Friends, and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. In addition, Lauren has worked with a number of writers and has secured feature stories or placements of her clients in the following publications: Newsweek Magazine, People Magazine, Oprah Magazine, AARP Magazine, and Reader’s Digest.

In addition to WWPR, Lauren is also a member of several communication professional organizations including the American Marketing Association, the American Society of Association Executives, the Association for Women in Communications, the International Association of Business Communicators, the National Association of Female Executives, and the Washington Metropolitan Society for Health Care Marketing and Public Relations.

Lauren is a high-energy publicist with a passion for cause-related issues. Lauren volunteers extensively in the community, including co-chairing the “Done In A Day Committee” for the Junior League, which manages requests from nonprofits within the metropolitan area for volunteers on short-term projects. Lauren also serves as Secretary for the Young NonProfit Professionals Network of D.C.

Lauren has served on the board of WWPR for four years as Chair of the Pro-Bono Committee and provides media outreach and strategic development to Doorways for Women and Families, Arlington’s first emergency and Safehouse shelter for battered and/or homeless women and their children.

Lauren holds a B.A. in English Literature from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA and is a graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute.

Treasurer

Erin Wendel is the Manager of External Communications for the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). In this capacity, she is responsible for managing the Association’s relationships with members of the media and creating and distributing external communications related to APhA policy. Additionally, she manages a variety of APhA’s PR initiatives, including American Pharmacists Month.

Previously, Erin worked as senior public relations specialist for the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). There she crafted strategic communications plans for the organization’s “Knock Your Socks Off” and award-wining “Podiatrists Keep America Walking” campaigns. Erin was also instrumental in setting up state PR committees for most of APMA’s state associations to assist with the promotion of campaigns at the local level.

Prior to her non-profit public relations experience, she worked in corporate PR. Erin served as public relations specialist for Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., where she was responsible for media relations across the company’s seven-state Mid-Atlantic region and Washington, D.C. Prior to moving to the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, Erin worked as public relations coordinator for HealthSouth Corporation, one of the nation's largest providers of outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitative healthcare services, at their corporate office located in Birmingham, AL.

Erin holds a B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Alabama. She is currently serving her third term on WWPR’s Board of Directors. She is also a member of PRSA’s National Capital Chapter.

Secretary

Allison Langfelder is a National Account Manager for MultiVu, the broadcast public relations and multimedia division of PR Newswire. She assists and advises clients nationwide in developing and executing broadcast and multimedia programs.

Allison most recently served as Vice President at Z Communications where she was responsible for creating and enhancing multimedia services and solutions for clients. Prior to this role, Allison spent six years at Medialink Worldwide, progressing to the role of Client Solutions Manager.

Working with a wide variety of customers located in and around the D.C. area, Allison helped build effective multimedia and broadcast programs, with an emphasis on multicultural campaigns and live events. Allison also held positions at UMTV Terp TV News and WMUC News 88.1FM, working as a producer and reporter.

This is Allison's second year on the executive board of Washington Women in Public Relations. She has been a member since 2001. She is also the founder of the Alphabet Club DC, a networking organization for young men and women. She has a B.A. from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, with a focus on television and radio broadcasting.

Marketing and Communications Co-Chair

Debbie Friez is Vice President, Major Accounts for BurrellesLuce, the largest media monitoring company in the world. She handles public relations and manages the relationships with the company’s largest accounts. She was previously with BurrellesLuce for over 7 years in several different positions in Washington and Minneapolis.

Previously, Friez was a senior account director for West Glen Communications, a broadcast PR services company. While at West Glen Communications, she was a frequent contributor to the DC Communicator newsletter.

Friez is active member of Washington Women in Public Relations, Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators, and the Association of Women in Communications. She is currently on the board of AWC and Thoth Awards Co-chair for PRSA.
Friez graduated cum laude from the University of North Dakota with a major in Journalism with an emphasis in broadcasting and a major in political science. While at UND, she interned at KTHI-TV, an NBC affiliate, KFJM, a NPR affiliate, in addition to producing, reporting and writing for “Studio 1”. an award wining student produced television talk show.

Marketing and Communications Co-Chair

Carla Julian, is the Director of Communications for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the largest and oldest national construction trade association in the United States serving more than 32,000 members. Julian serves as part of AGC’s public affairs team where she helps manage media relations, association newsletters, magazines, graphic design and manages two of the construction industry’s largest awards programs. She has worked with AGC for more than three years.

Before joining AGC, Julian worked as the communications specialist for the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) where she worked with a team to manage the organization’s newsletters, graphic design and charity programs.

Before relocating to the Washington D.C. area, Julian served as assistant director of public relations for the University of Alabama’s College of Engineering. Her roles there included serving as the assistant editor of the college’s magazine and managing media relations. Julian also served as managing editor for the university’s college of communication’s news Web site.

Julian graduated from the University of Alabama in 2001 with a B.A. in Public Relations and minor in psychology. While at the university she wrote for the Crimson White, an award-winner student-run newspaper.

Woman of the Year Co-Chair

Yanira Eason serves as the current Co-Chair for the annual PR Woman of the Year event committee with Washington Women in Public Relations. She has been a member of the WWPR Board since October 2006.

Yanira brings more than ten years of marketing and communications experience to her role at WWPR. Currently, she works as the Office Manager for Innovative Consultants International, Inc. a public policy and consulting firm. In that capacity, Yanira provides marketing and communications support for her company's business development efforts.

Prior to working for Innovative Consultants International, Inc. Yanira held the position of Marketing and Communications Manager for Crittenton Services of Greater Washington, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping at-risk teen women. In her previous capacity as project assistant for Metropolitan Group, a full service strategic communications firm, Yanira worked on strategic communications and media relations assignments for clients such as the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the National Hispania Leadership Institute, Farm Worker Justice Fund, WTS International, CentroNía and several other organizations.

Yanira's professional experience also includes work as the Marketing and Advertising manager for LatinaStyle, a national magazine for Latina business owners and professionals.

In addition to her volunteer work with Washington Women in PR, Yanira also volunteers for Greater Washington DC Cares.
Year Co-Chair

Mary Fletcher Jones is co-owner of Fletcher Prince, an advertising and public relations agency located in Falls Church, VA. Previously, Mary worked as the marketing communications manager for the American Red Cross and in public relations for the Greater Reston Arts Center and the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. She is a member of Washington Women in Public Relations for which she serves as co-chair for the Woman of the Year Committe, the Public Relations Society of America, and the Independent Public Relations Alliance, and is an assistant organizer of The DC Podcaster Alliance.

Mary attended Oberlin College and University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. She has a nine-year-old son. In her spare time, she likes kickboxing and visiting art museums. She lives in Falls Church, VA.

Professional Development Co-Chair

Kendra Kojcsich is currently an Assistant Account Executive at Porter Novelli in Washington D.C. working in the Health and Social Marketing group. In this role she develops brand messages, designs and writes materials, organizes and implements media relations strategies, plans and helps run events, and successfully pitches top-tier print and broadcast media Currently, Kendra works on women’s health clients specifically work related to an upcoming cervical cancer vaccine for GlaxoSmithKline. She also works on the American Heart Association’s trans fat campaign. Kendra originally started at Porter Novelli in June 2004 as a Health and Social Marketing Intern where she provided support on accounts such as GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kendra graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication with concentrations in public relations, health communication and organizational communication and a minor in Political Science.

While at JMU, Kendra held an internship at the March of Dimes Shenandoah-Piedmont Region, where she spearheaded all public relations activities. She was responsible for creating and placing local public service announcements and stories, drafting weekly newsletters, and planning monthly community events. In addition, she also worked as a speech consultant for the Communication Resource Center at James Madison University where she tutored students in developing strong public speaking skills.

Kendra volunteers for several local organizations, including the American Red Cross corporate headquarters in the public affairs division where she assists in public relations activities during the hurricane disaster season.

Rachel Maleh serves as Vice President, Public Awareness for VSA arts. In additional to traditional communications functions, she also oversees both the visual arts and performing arts department of this international nonprofit based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining VSA arts, Rachel was Vice President at Enterprise Community Partners, an non-profit organization that helps build low-income housing, where she oversaw all communications, supervised a staff of nine, and managed a budget of over $3 million. Additionally she has experience in scheduling print and electronic media interviews as well as developing publications from conception through production.

Rachel has also demonstrated skill in executing events, ranging from small VIP meetings to large national conferences. Rachel has over 17 years of experience in creating and planning outreach campaigns that inform and educate community members, elected officials and media representatives through mailings, presentations, display materials, promotional materials and events. Her previous experience also includes positions at The National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the Academy for Education Development, and the Peace Corps, where she served as a regional manager and public affairs officer. She is fluent in French, proficient in Mandarin Chinese and is familiar with Arabic. Rachel has an M.S. in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. in International Relations and International Communications from Boston University, and a B.A. in Sociology and French (dual major) from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Membership Chair

Lindsay Keller, Communication Director in the Washington DC office of Metropolitan Group, has generated an extraordinary portfolio on behalf of corporations, law firms, law schools, and non-profits.

Lindsay joined Metropolitan Group in 2006 and plays an integral role in the development and execution of media and communication strategies that achieve measurable results. She helps clients build relationships with key audiences and influencers and sustain awareness about their cause or mission.

Lindsay previously worked for several national public relations agencies, most recently Manning Selvage & Lee, where she served as an internal media consultant for corporate, consumer, public affairs and health care organizations. Her work at MS&L included crisis communications and grassroots advocacy for The Word Network, a mainstream media broadcaster for African American ministries; product communications for a leading pharmaceutical companies; branding and special events for companies such as Best Buy and Heineken; and media relations for National Geographic Foundation's geographic literacy campaign, My Wonderful World.

Before joining MS&L, Lindsay served as a senior account executive at Levick Strategic Communications, which represents nearly half of the 100 largest law firms in America and their highest-profile clients. Prior to joining Levick, Lindsay was a communications coordinator for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), where her work included organizing and securing media coverage for a PBS mini-series Building Big, and for the 2001 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, as well as helping with media efforts for the ASCE/WTC report on the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

Lindsay has a bachelor's degree in broadcast communications from the State University of New York at Oswego. She held a variety of internships while a student, including one at National Public Radio. Lindsay has served on the Board of WWPR in various capacities since 2001.

Pro-Bono Co-Chair

Rachel Henderson brings a broad range of skills in media relations and issues management to Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Through her work for leading healthcare clients such as Medtronic, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, and Dey L.P., Rachel provides expertise in media relations. For Bayer, Rachel played a strategic role to help leverage support for an educational contest on women’s experiences with menopause. In 2006, her planning and logistical management for a healthcare summit helped forge meaningful advocacy support for the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

As a member of Ogilvy PR’s media group, Rachel continues to build her expertise in media relations and issues management. For Medtronic CardioVascular, Rachel lead an awareness campaign for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and a screening benefit for Medicare patients. Through this work Rachel managed a media campaign and communications toolkit to provide hospitals with materials about AAA. Rachel also managed two satellite media tours for Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals in October 2007.

Other clients Rachel has worked with include The Carpet & Rug Institute, Merck & Co., Novartis, AstraZeneca, Quintiles and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable.

Rachel graduated cum laude and holds a bachelor’s degree in Media and Society, and Spanish and Hispanic Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a minor in International Relations. She also holds honors for her senior thesis which explores the effects of media on American society.

Nicole Aren joined Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Ogilvy PR) in 2006 and has since served various key account roles for a number of clients, including the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT), the Appraisal Institute, Dey, L.P., Medtronic, Quintiles, and Novartis.

Currently, Nicole serves as project manager for the NBCOT campaign to increase the appreciation for the NBCOT certification. She analyzes trends in the field of occupational therapy, facilitates message testing via focus groups, and just recently developed the Credentials Essentials toolkit to position NBCOT as a resource for its constituency and provide tools for certificants to market certification. She oversees budgeted management as well as the activities timeline. Nicole also provides support for the visibility and recruitment campaign the Appraisal Institute and its designations for real estate appraisers.

Nicole also currently serves as project manager for Dey, L.P. for an initiative to educate key stakeholders, first responders and the emergency preparedness community about the dangers of cyanide poisoning from smoke inhalation and other potential cyanide incidents. She participates in strategic planning, media relations, oversees project execution and budget management. In addition, Nicole has provided management and logistical support for Medicare, clinical trials and public health emergency preparedness conferences. Her work has included overseeing the activities timeline, providing budget management, facilitating weekly client meetings, leading the creation of creative materials, securing conference attendees, developing conference agendas, and coordinating speakers and moderators to ensure the communication of key messages.

Her work for Ogilvy PR also includes leading research on a range of topics, from analyzing pricing transparency practices in the healthcare industry to collecting demographic data on national schools. She has also supported grassroots initiatives to educate older Americans about shingles and has helped launch a research initiative to collect information from school nurses about the frequency and treatment of students with asthma and anaphylaxis in the school setting.

Nicole graduated magna cum laude and holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Tufts University with a minor in Economics.

Web Site Support Chair

Rebecca Booker is the online marketing officer for Grameen Foundation, where she serves as Web master for the GF Web site and manager of all online marketing initiatives, and marketing liason for the Foundation's Asia-based programs.

Prior to her work at GF, she served as the online communication specialist for the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation, where she oversaw the redesign and deployment of the organization’s external and internal websites, as well as the creation and launch of websites to support the organization’s branch offices in Russia and Ukraine.She managed the organization’s online presence including outreach to the organization’s constituents, and support for special events and initiatives.

Rebecca has more than five years experience in Web content and design and has previously worked at the American Association for the Advancement of Science where she responsible for all online content for a division of the Science and Public Policy Program and managed the deployment of the AAAS site redesign for the Science and Public Policy Program.

Rebecca holds a BS in Journalism from Ohio University and a certificate in International Business Communication from the Ohio University Global Leadership Center.

Board of Directors

The 2008 WWPR Board of Directors:

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

Marketing and Communications Co-Chair

Marketing and Communications Co-Chair

Woman of the Year Co-Chair

Professional Development Co-Chair

Membership Chair

Pro-Bono Co-Chair

Web Site Support Chair

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