NEWSLETTER: August 2014

Alicia Horton, Executive Director of Thrive DC, WWPR’s Pro Bono client for 2012 and 2013, commented, “Thrive DC has been providing services to the homeless community for over 35 years.  We have been doing the work for a long time, but it wasn’t until the WWPR partnership that Thrive DC began, in earnest, the work of strategically communicating our mission and work to effectively increase our visibility and expand our audience.  WWPR offered invaluable support in many, many ways from the development of a comprehensive communications strategy, to help with the development a beautiful new website.  WWPR has enhanced our growth by lending their expertise, their time, and their passion to our work.”

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Have you logged into your WWPR member profile lately?  Our exclusive, members-only database is a great networking tool and we’ve added some new features to help you better connect with fellow members.  You can upload a profile photo, share your LinkedIn profile and other relevant links, and tell others about your communications experience and interests.  Log in at www.wwpr.org today to make sure your profile is up-to-date.

Not yet a member?  Join today to start taking advantage of our fantastic member benefits, including free professional development events and discounts on tickets to our signature events!

WWPR Open House & Wine Tasting – August 27
Whether you have been a member of WWPR for years, have just joined or have been thinking about signing up, we invite you to join us for an Open House & Wine Tasting on August 27, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Edelman’s offices in Washington, D.C. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from WWPR Board Members, learn more about the organization and how you can get involved, and connect with fellow members and prospective members who are excelling in our local communications industry.  Register today to toast the last days of summer and make exciting connections as we head into the fall.

Cost: Free to WWPR members and non-members

Beekeeper Group, 1331 G St., NW, Washington, DC.  Hear industry experts debate whether the role of the press release has changed for PR professionals, if it’s still a viable tool in today’s 24-hour news cycle, if social media has replaced it, and if it has advantages that newer alternatives don’t offer.

Cost: Free to WWPR and PRSA members; $20 for non-members. Register today to join the conversation.

On Thursday, July 10th, 2014 the National Education Association and the Professional Development Committee welcomed about 50 guests for an honest discussion of career advice.  WWPR President, Lauren Smith Dyer kicked off the session with a warm welcome to our moderator, Leila McDowell, Washington correspondent and reporter for Arise TV and NBC’s “The Grio”.  Leila had the pleasure of introducing our extraordinary panelists, all of whom have been PR Woman of the Year Award honorees:

• Pam Jenkins, President, Powell Tate
• Stephenie Fu, Principal, SLF Strategies, LLC
• Maria Rodriguez, Founder and President, Vanguard Communications

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The Role of Public Relations in Politics is a monthly column written by WWPR member

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Washington Women in Public Relations

Journalists Are Killing Information?

An allegation is floating around out there in the twitter sphere.  Journalists are killing information.  That is a serious charge by any standard.  Those of us who practice in the public relations community, and especially those of us who cover politics from within the public relations community, should be rightly offended.  We are.

On behalf of my ‘public relations in politics’ community, I firmly reject that allegation.  Public relations professionals who cover politics do so honestly.  Do we withhold information?  Do we spin information?  There are at least three responses to that question. No, yes and the most relevant of all — it depends on what constitutes ‘information’.

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The B Hive is a monthly column written by WWPR member

Over three years ago, I stumbled into the world of inbound marketing for a sales firm after a series of public relations internships.  What I’ve found more and more each day is the overlapping of tactics from each field: PR and marketing.  The shift into leveraging marketing tactics in PR is certainly no happenstance.  Chalk it up to the “everybody is a publisher”moment we’re experiencing.  According to an article I read in The Next Web, “social media and the ability to go directly to the source,” made information readily available to reporters thus changing the way PR practitioners reached their audience.  Inbound marketing grew in appeal as it’s all about making it so your audience finds your brand instead of the other way around.

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This month’s Member Spotlight interview features WWPR Member and Emerging Leaders Awards honoree Danielle Hagen, VP of Communications at Nahigian Strategies.

Q: How did you get started in communications?

A: Like many communications professionals, I was interested in pursuing a career in journalism because I loved how the media could capture a great story and educate a captive audience. But my dreams of being a journalist shifted after taking my first communications class in college. I was enamored at how our words could shape every aspect of our reality – from professional to interpersonal communications. From that moment on, I was hooked. I began my career in my hometown of Cincinnati, working at a public relations firm and also teaching at the University of Cincinnati. I had the fortunate opportunity early in my career to work on a wide array of communications from corporate branding and media relations to crisis communications and digital media which gave me a toolbox of skills that I still use everyday in my current position. Every project, every situation is an opportunity to grow and expand your knowledge, which is one of the reasons I love PR so much. It’s an ever-changing world where I get to learn everyday.

Q: What inspired you to get involved with WWPR?

A: There are so many wonderful practitioners that are members of WWPR, including mentors that have been so influential on my career in D.C. A friend of mine encouraged me to attend a WWPR lunch event and I was not only blown away at the network of wonderful communications professionals that attended but also the quality of the program where we actually walked away with information we can use in our jobs. After that event, I wanted to become a member of this great organization that coalesced so many impressive members of our profession and enhanced our growth.

Q: What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment professionally?

A: There are a lot of accomplishments that I’m proud of – from winning the first Congressional campaign I ever worked on to being tapped to be the Deputy Communications Director for a presidential candidate in the 2012 election. But the biggest accomplishment for me was taking my dream job in Washington, DC. While that may not seem like significant accomplishment, it was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. I moved away from my family and left my personal life behind to pursue a dream. Fast forward four years later – I’ve never regretted a single moment and can’t wait to see what the future will hold.

• Up Close and Personal: Getting to Know Carrie Fox, Founder and President of C. Fox Communications (Capitol Communicator)
• Why PR is Becoming the Future of SEO (Inc.)
• The Best Branded Content of July (Contently)
• The Latest Trends Driving Online Advertising (Yahoo! Advertising)

• August 20, 5:30 p.m.: Breaking News with USA Today’s Natalie DiBlasio
• August 27, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.: WWPR Open House and Wine Tasting
• September 4, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: WWPR’s Annual Speed Networking Event
• September 30, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: WWPR Brown Bag Panel Discussion: Is the Press Release Dead?
• October 8, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: WJLA Newsroom Tour
• October 29, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: WWPR Annual Media Roundtable

If you have a suggestion for a future program topic, please contact the Professional Development Committee at professionaldevelopment@wwpr.org.

– Public Relations Associate, Nahigian Strategies

– Senior Public Relations Manager, Nahigian Strategies

– Assistant Producer, Green Buzz Agency

– Account Director, PAC Programs, SevenTwenty Strategies

– Account Drector, SevenTwenty Strategies

– Director of Marketing, SevenTwenty Strategies

– Communications and Marketing Coordinator, National School Transportation Association

– Coordinator (Publicity and Promotions), Allied Integrated Marketing

– Communications Intern, Melanoma Research Foundation

July Renewals

American University, School of Communication (AU SOC), Professional Graduate Program in Strategic Communication

GOALS

Yes, we teach professional skills at AU SOC. But even more important is that we teach our students how to think. We teach them to think strategically. We teach how to target an audience, how to create a compelling message, how to write persuasively, how to advocate in a changing world of new media and cutting edge technology. The ability to communicate this way – to communicate strategically – is what our Strategic Communication program is all about.

COURSES

Washington is our communications laboratory. It’s the PR and media capital of the world. And as the longest standing program in the area, it has deep roots throughout the city. Speechwriters and politicians come to class as guest speakers. Students take on nonprofit clients for their coursework. PR firms, international organizations, health care companies, congressional offices, advocacy groups – all welcome our students as interns.

RECORD OF SUCCESS

As the only ACEJMC-accredited Strategic Communication program in the Washington, DC area, our goal is to educate students not only in the most recent trends but in the type of thinking that will set them apart from their peers. Our alumni include top speechwriters, press secretaries, media strategists, crisis communicators, Hollywood agents, sports marketers, public diplomacy experts, nonprofit leaders, advertising executives, and public relations professionals. Our graduates run the world.