In this issue:
WWPR 2010 Recap
Annual Meeting and Board Luncheon Invite
2010 Holiday Party Photos
Member Spotlight
Upcoming Events
Membership News
Job Opportunites
Articles of Interest
WWPR 2010 Recap
As I close on my year as president of Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR), I am very proud of the accomplishments of the 2010 board. I was much honored to lead a bright, talented, and energetic team. Here are a few of our accomplishments:
- After months of research, writing and review, we are about to launch a new website, which will include a WWPR blog.
- WWPR refreshed its brand with a brand new logo.
- We increased our presence in social media, and worked to connect with members on many different platforms.
- The number of WWPR fans/followers almost doubled on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We also added a FriendFeed profile and created new WWPR lists on Twitter.
- We launched a new signature awards program, the Emerging Leaders Awards, in June for the 30th anniversary of WWPR.
- To address the needs of our more established members, we created the Executive Communicators Committee, which held quarterly professional development seminars, including one with Bill Novelli speaking on Corporate Social Responsibility.
- The Partnerships Committee connected WWPR members with the members of several other groups for various events. Some of the groups included AWC, DC Flacks, IABC/DC Metro, PRSA-NCC, Women on Course, and YoungMC.
- The Washington PR Woman of the Year Luncheon – keynoted by Dee Dee Myers- exceeded attendance and sponsorship goals, and it was thought by many to be our best, yet.
- Attendee surveys confirmed the monthly professional development lunches are still a great value to our members, and they enjoyed the many new topics, speakers and venues.
- We selected a new pro bono client, who will be announced at the annual meeting at noon on January 20 at the National Association of Broadcasters. The Pro Bono committee did a great job of gathering and reviewing a record number of applications.
I hope you will consider helping WWPR grow even more in 2011 by getting involved with a committee. I know I’m looking forward to working with another great group of women toward a successful year.
Debbie Friez
2010 WWPR President
Annual Meeting and Board Luncheon Invite
Don’t Miss Out! WWPR’s Annual Meeting and Board Induction Lunch with Keynote by Shashi Bellamkonda is coming up!
When: Thursday, January 20, 2010 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: National Association of Broadcasters, 1771 N Street Northwest
To register: Click here
Please join WWPR for its annual business meeting, where we will vote on the incoming board. Members unable to attend should e-mail their vote (yea or nay) to Debbie. We’re excited to announce our new pro bono client, as well.
Lunch will be served.
Shashi Bellamkonda, the Social Media Swami, is our keynote speaker. As director of social media at Network Solutions, Shashi is responsible for implementing and executing strategies for all social media initiatives, reputation management, small business outreach, brand development and evangelism. In this position he has helped Network Solutions aggressively move into the online space to actively listen to and interact with its customers. This push paid off when Network Solutions won the 2008 and 2010 Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) Award of Excellence for Online Reputation Management/Corporate Division. The Swami, one of Washingtonian’s Top 100 Tech Titans, is a self-described “Internet junkie” and prolific Twitterer, blogger, and product innovator.
Members and non-members are welcome. We hope to see you on January 20!
2010 Holiday Party Photos
Photo 1: Debra Silimeo (2010 Washington PR Woman of the Year), Emily Hughes, Lauren Gill, Lauren Smith & Kendra Kojcsich enjoying the party.
Photo 2: Debbie Friez (2010 WWPR President), Robin Evans and Jeff Ghannam at Washington Women in Public Relations’ annual holiday party at Hudson’s restaurant and Lounge.
Member Spotlight: Tina McCormack Beaty
by Elisa O’Halloran
WWPR Member Tina McCormack Beaty (@TMStrategy) has been working in public relations since she was a freshman in high school. “When other kids wanted to be a teacher, astronaut or a doctor, I wanted to be in public relations. Public relations is unique because it give us the freedom to really work with what a client needs, create campaigns that are hyper-unique to them and their audience,” said Tina.
Tina currently serves as a Senior Director at C.Fox Communications, where she handles media relations,
strategic marketing, event management, social media, and messaging. C. Fox Communications works together with each client to create campaigns with the power to move audiences, build brands and grow businesses.
“C.Fox Communications is a small, woman-owned PR and marketing agency serving mission-driven organizations. To us, mission-driven means an organization that can say, ‘what we do, we do for the good of others.’ We work with organizations that embody that mantra and we tell their stories in ways they never thought of and in ways that people notice,” added Tina. “Our clients are typically in three sectors – health and wellness, support services, and business innovators.”
Working at C. Fox Communications has been a great experience for Tina, as she enjoys working with entrepreneurs and business innovators. She explained, “I enjoy looking at all aspects of an entrepreneurs’ environment – their audience, their branding, their story, their customer service, their relationships, their promotions and so on. Different elements need to work in detailed harmony – putting all those pieces together is what I love.”
In addition to enjoying her work as a Senior Director, Tina enjoys volunteering for local charities, running on the national mall, visiting new restaurants and exploring DC when she gets into a tourist mode. Tina also is a guest speaker on PR for Entrepreneurs for the Miami University (OH) Institute for Entrepreneurship.
Upcoming Events
AdClub of Metropolitan Washington “Tips & Tricks”
Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 6:30-8 p.m.
To register: Click here
IABC/DC Metro Presents “Managing Communications During Crisis: Discovery’s Experience”
Thursday, January 20, 2011, 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Discovery Communications, One Discovery Pl, Metro: Silver Spring (Red line)
To register: Click here
MENG’s DC Chapter hosts “Negotiating More Effectively for Business and Personal Success”
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 5:30 p.m.
To register: Click here
Women in Government Relations “Advice from a Trailblazer: Dana Perino”
Friday, January 21, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
To register: Click here
What’s Next Marketing Communications Conference
Monday, January 24, 2010, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
To register: Click here
** WWPR members get a 25% discount for using the code: WWPR25
Membership News
New Student Members
Diane Butts, Voice of America, Advertising and Promotions Manager
New Members
Stacy Price, Price Communications, Owner
Elisse LaMay, American Association for Justice, Manager
Pheniece Jones, Speakerbox Communications, Senior Media Specialist
Kathy Mathers, The Fertilizer Institute, Vice President Public Affairs
Kathleen Manzo, The Hatcher Group, Director of Education and Policy Outreach
Tracey Halliday, American Beverage Association, Vice President of Communications
Returning Members
Debbie Friez, BurrellesLuce, Vice President Major Accounts
Denise Graveline, Don’t Get Caught, President
Mary Fletcher Jones, Fletcher Prince, Manager
Susan Apgood, News Generations Inc., President
Veronica Brown, Burson-Marsteller, Manager
Lauren Humann, Hager Sharp, Account Executive
Membership has its benefits! Members do not pay for most WWPR monthly professional development brown bag lunches. To learn more, please contact Caitlin Douglas, membership chair, at membership@wwpr.org.
Job Opportunities
Communications Manager, Children’s Law Center. Please send resume, cover letter, two writing samples and desired salary range to CLCjobs@gymr.com.
Account Supervisor, Crosby-Volmer Internal Communications. Send resume and cover letter to jointheteam@cvic.com.
Marketing Manager, Washington Design Center
Communications Associate, Pew Research Center
Program Coordinator, Georgetown Hospital: Division and Community Health Division of the Department of Family Medicine
Public Relations Coordinator, APCO Worldwide
Events Coordinator, FHI
Public Affairs Manager, Burson Marstellar
Communications Coordinator, Spring Hills Assisted Living
Media Relations Director, World Wildlife Fund
Senior Digital Strategist/Planner, Porter Novelli. Contact kendra.kojcsich@porternovelli.com
If you have a job opening at your company, e-mail marketing@wwpr.org to include it in next month’s newsletter.
Articles of Interest
10 Social Media Thoughts You Liked Best
Six Social Media Business Trends to Watch Out for in 2011
11 Public Relations Trends for 2011
2010 Trends and 2011 Predictions for Public Relations, Marketing and Social Media