NEWSLETTER: June 2013
Jun 19, 2013 | News & Updates
In this issue: WWPR Leadership Position Emerging Leaders Awards Vocus Demand Success Conference Discount Teen Financial Literacy Communicating with Scientists WWPR Open House Recap Trends of the Trade PR in Focus Articles of Interest Upcoming Events Jobs Membership News Sponsor Spotlight Sponsorship Committee Chair Needed Are you looking to find a way to become more involved with WWPR? The Strategic Partnerships and Sponsorships Committee is looking for a new chair. WWPR established its Strategic Partnerships and Sponsorships Committee to form beneficial relationships with women's groups, professional societies and like-minded organizations. The purpose is to increase awareness of WWPR, secure sponsorships for key events and network with and learn about other groups in the community. To learn more, see https://wwpr.org/committees/#partnerships. If interested, please contact kendra@wwpr.org. Now Open! 
The Emerging Leaders Awards committee received a record number of nominations for the 2013 ELAs! Five impartial judges are already in the process of reviewing each submission. The awards ceremony on July 18, 2013 will recognize rising stars in the industry and showcase six of the field's most talented young women. Three honorees from the six finalists will be named at the reception, being held at the National Press Club. Registration is now open -- be sure to secure your spot at the 4th annual Emerging Leaders Awards! WWPR Members Receive 50% Discount off of Vocus' Demand Success Conference Vocus is offering WWPR Members a 50% discount off of the Demand Success Conference which will take place June 20th-21st at the National Harbor's Gaylord Hotel. Arianna Huffington, Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss (plays Peggy Olson), Altimeter Group's Jeremiah Owyang, and New York Times bestselling author Rohit Bhargava will be keynoting the conference. You can see the full line up of speakers here: http://www.vocus.com/conference/why-attend/speakers/. WWPR Members can use the code Demand13LS500 to receive a 50% discount off of conference registration. Pro Bono Update: "Girls Just Wanna Have Funds" July 8-12 Calling All Girls Ages 11-17! Bring your teens or tweens to the "Girls Just Wanna Have Funds" summer program on July 8-12, 2013. The summer week-long program is sponsored by WWPR's pro bono client Financial Literacy Organization for Women and Girls (FLOW) in partnership with The Friends of the Library, Bethesda. The summer program will be held at The Bethesda Library located at 7400 Arlington Road, Bethesda, Md., 20814 (three blocks from the Bethesda metro station). Financial literacy experts from FLOW will provide the program curriculum that will focus on financial responsibility and decision-making; managing your money; wealth investing 101, and the ABCs of starting a business. The program is free, but registration is required and space is limited. Register today at http://sitting-pretty.org/. May Brown Bag Recap: The Science of Communicating with Scientists Tips to cut through the clutter and reach health science reporters In case you missed our wildly successful May 8 brown bag, "The Science of Communicating with Scientists," at the American Chemical Society you are in luck -- Erica Hiar, WWPR Professional Development Co-Chair and moderator from the event sums up the top tips from the panelists below. 1) Know the reporter's beat. We hear this from reporters all the time, but it is always important to reiterate. Reading recent articles and areas that a reporter has covered can help structure and define a pitch (not to mention get coverage). Panelist Kimberly Leonard at U.S. News &World Report was so impressed by a pitch from Sarah Willey at Racepoint Group that she asked her if she could share it with our membership. Here are the topline details: Sarah followed a recent Twitter chat Kimberly organized about children with diabetes and followed up with a pitch offering her additional diabetes story ideas. Sarah has gracefully agreed to let us share some of it, and the pitch went something like this: READ MORE Click here, for more information about upcoming WWPR Professional Development events. WWPR May 15th Open House Recap By Angela Barnett, WWPR Professional Development Committee Member "When I think of WWPR, I think of four words...service, skills, success and support," Lauren Lawson- Zilai, director of public relations and national spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International, told the group of aspiring PR women that attended WWPR's Open House on May 15th. It was a great night of mingling and networking, where attendees had the opportunity to talk to the new WWPR 2013 Executive Board about getting more involved in the professional society and start taking the first steps in cultivating strong professional relationships. "The most important aspect of joining a professional society is to network. But the ability to form a personal relationship goes beyond your laptop. It's not just about social networking and connecting to people via LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, it's about engaging with someone in-person who will help you solve problems by introducing you to people with the expertise you're looking for or contacts in your desired field," Lauren Lawson-Zilai went on to say when addressing the group about how joining WWPR has helped shape and change her career. Lauren's final advice to the attendees was, "If you're willing to work hard and be open, you'll develop personal and professional relationships that will last a lifetime. It's not people you have to do lunch with, but people you want to do lunch with." We are excited to welcome all the new WWPR members and want to thank Ketchum for allowing us to use their space for the event. If you have a suggestion for a future program topic or would like to join the Professional Development Committee, please email PD Co-Chairs, Melanie Jordan and Erica Hiar at professionaldevelopment@wwpr.org. Click here, for more information about upcoming WWPR Professional Development events Trends of the Trade: Influencers and Game Changers Trends of the Trade is a monthly column written by WWPR member Cory Churches exploring, well, trends in PR. Follow her @Coricita or reach her at Cory.Churches@gmail.com. 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 In this season of graduation speeches and life advice for emerging youth leaders, there is an overflow of "words to live by". From Steve Case at UNC to Joss Whedon at Wesleyan Universityinspirational words are conveyed to graduates and non-graduates alike. Case lists his three Ps: people, passion and perseverance, while Whedon tells his audience to pay attention to contradiction and see things from a different perspective. What you absorb and implement can have a great impact on not just your personal life but also your career path, your interactions with colleagues, and your choice of future employers. Even the most erudite professionals know that you never stop learning. Tapping new sources for new ways of thinking, approaching business, and interacting with colleagues and clients is a great way to stay on top of trends and continually refresh your approach to your chosen profession. Written in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has been on the shelf of aspiring business leaders since its publication. Many of those lessons are still applicable today. Books, podcasts, networking events, and paid workshops are ever present and teach you the latest skills to stay attuned to the most effective ways to reach clients and influence people. But which ones are really worth your time? As Washington Women in PR prepares to evaluate the latest crew of nominees for the Emerging Leaders Awards, it's worth taking some time to review some influencers and resources that can help propel aspiring communicators to become tomorrow's leaders and game changers. Obviously we each have different interests and drivers but one thing we do have in common is our interest in communicating and reaching an audience. Evaluating what inspires you to do your best work is a great place to start this exercise. Determining your "personal brand" is akin to evaluating your value proposition and again, what inspires you. Tapping into mentors in your organization or during events such as WWPR's Minute Mentoring event in April helps you learn from the experience of others and put these life lessons to work. READ MORE PR In Focus PR in Focus is a monthly column written by WWPR member Jessica Williams exploring a wide range of topics and current events from a public relations perspective 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 A Buzzword Worth the Hype A Buddhist proverb says the teacher comes when the student is ready. I think this also applies to conferences and workshops insofar as what you learn depends on your receptivity. Last month I attended the What's Next DC conference and was truly energized. I left with a head brimming with ideas and newly-acquired knowledge on a host of buzzwords. One in particular seemed to dominate all of the presentations and resonated strongly in the discussions I had with fellow attendees-innovation. As I wrote in April's "History Lessons" about Daniel J. Edelman's vision and enduring legacy in the field of public relations, innovation is born of an inherent willingness to learn, endless curiosity, and a desire to make things better in some way, shape or form. This also proves instructive for those of us in a profession where success is often measured by and depends on coming up with new ideas and strategies for our clients, respective companies or organizations. Ideas Matter Working in communications gives us the opportunity to interact with people in a host of industries and fields and is one reason why I find it so rewarding. Variety may be the spice of life but it's easy to overlook the fact that just coming into contact with professionals in various disciplines offers up new ideas and experiences you may not have otherwise had. With speakers hailing from such well-known companies and organizations as Pandora, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Siteworx, Honest Tea, PBS, National Geographic, AARP, and the United Nations Foundation among many others, a conference like What's Next DC becomes a wonderful learning opportunity. Over the course of two intense days, there was no shortage of lessons being shared, offering attendees an abundance of ideas to consider and hopefully go back and employ in our respective jobs. READ MORE Articles of Interest 
Vocus provides cloud marketing software that enables businesses to attract, engage and retain customers. Online information, recommendations and social networks increasingly influence buying behavior. Marketing has evolved, and in order to succeed in today's world, marketers have to take advantage of new digital marketing channels and ensure that they are working together to generate brand awareness, demand and revenue. Vocus offers a unique solution for marketers. Our software integrates powerful features of digital marketing including social, search, email and publicity. In addition, our software sends real-time marketing opportunities directly to marketers in the form of leads, prospects, social media conversations, curated content and inbound media inquiries. With our marketing consulting and services team ready to help, our software solution delivers marketing success.
The Emerging Leaders Awards committee received a record number of nominations for the 2013 ELAs! Five impartial judges are already in the process of reviewing each submission. The awards ceremony on July 18, 2013 will recognize rising stars in the industry and showcase six of the field's most talented young women. Three honorees from the six finalists will be named at the reception, being held at the National Press Club. Registration is now open -- be sure to secure your spot at the 4th annual Emerging Leaders Awards! WWPR Members Receive 50% Discount off of Vocus' Demand Success Conference Vocus is offering WWPR Members a 50% discount off of the Demand Success Conference which will take place June 20th-21st at the National Harbor's Gaylord Hotel. Arianna Huffington, Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss (plays Peggy Olson), Altimeter Group's Jeremiah Owyang, and New York Times bestselling author Rohit Bhargava will be keynoting the conference. You can see the full line up of speakers here: http://www.vocus.com/conference/why-attend/speakers/. WWPR Members can use the code Demand13LS500 to receive a 50% discount off of conference registration. Pro Bono Update: "Girls Just Wanna Have Funds" July 8-12 Calling All Girls Ages 11-17! Bring your teens or tweens to the "Girls Just Wanna Have Funds" summer program on July 8-12, 2013. The summer week-long program is sponsored by WWPR's pro bono client Financial Literacy Organization for Women and Girls (FLOW) in partnership with The Friends of the Library, Bethesda. The summer program will be held at The Bethesda Library located at 7400 Arlington Road, Bethesda, Md., 20814 (three blocks from the Bethesda metro station). Financial literacy experts from FLOW will provide the program curriculum that will focus on financial responsibility and decision-making; managing your money; wealth investing 101, and the ABCs of starting a business. The program is free, but registration is required and space is limited. Register today at http://sitting-pretty.org/. May Brown Bag Recap: The Science of Communicating with Scientists Tips to cut through the clutter and reach health science reporters In case you missed our wildly successful May 8 brown bag, "The Science of Communicating with Scientists," at the American Chemical Society you are in luck -- Erica Hiar, WWPR Professional Development Co-Chair and moderator from the event sums up the top tips from the panelists below. 1) Know the reporter's beat. We hear this from reporters all the time, but it is always important to reiterate. Reading recent articles and areas that a reporter has covered can help structure and define a pitch (not to mention get coverage). Panelist Kimberly Leonard at U.S. News &World Report was so impressed by a pitch from Sarah Willey at Racepoint Group that she asked her if she could share it with our membership. Here are the topline details: Sarah followed a recent Twitter chat Kimberly organized about children with diabetes and followed up with a pitch offering her additional diabetes story ideas. Sarah has gracefully agreed to let us share some of it, and the pitch went something like this: READ MORE Click here, for more information about upcoming WWPR Professional Development events. WWPR May 15th Open House Recap By Angela Barnett, WWPR Professional Development Committee Member "When I think of WWPR, I think of four words...service, skills, success and support," Lauren Lawson- Zilai, director of public relations and national spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International, told the group of aspiring PR women that attended WWPR's Open House on May 15th. It was a great night of mingling and networking, where attendees had the opportunity to talk to the new WWPR 2013 Executive Board about getting more involved in the professional society and start taking the first steps in cultivating strong professional relationships. "The most important aspect of joining a professional society is to network. But the ability to form a personal relationship goes beyond your laptop. It's not just about social networking and connecting to people via LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, it's about engaging with someone in-person who will help you solve problems by introducing you to people with the expertise you're looking for or contacts in your desired field," Lauren Lawson-Zilai went on to say when addressing the group about how joining WWPR has helped shape and change her career. Lauren's final advice to the attendees was, "If you're willing to work hard and be open, you'll develop personal and professional relationships that will last a lifetime. It's not people you have to do lunch with, but people you want to do lunch with." We are excited to welcome all the new WWPR members and want to thank Ketchum for allowing us to use their space for the event. If you have a suggestion for a future program topic or would like to join the Professional Development Committee, please email PD Co-Chairs, Melanie Jordan and Erica Hiar at professionaldevelopment@wwpr.org. Click here, for more information about upcoming WWPR Professional Development events Trends of the Trade: Influencers and Game Changers Trends of the Trade is a monthly column written by WWPR member Cory Churches exploring, well, trends in PR. Follow her @Coricita or reach her at Cory.Churches@gmail.com. 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 In this season of graduation speeches and life advice for emerging youth leaders, there is an overflow of "words to live by". From Steve Case at UNC to Joss Whedon at Wesleyan Universityinspirational words are conveyed to graduates and non-graduates alike. Case lists his three Ps: people, passion and perseverance, while Whedon tells his audience to pay attention to contradiction and see things from a different perspective. What you absorb and implement can have a great impact on not just your personal life but also your career path, your interactions with colleagues, and your choice of future employers. Even the most erudite professionals know that you never stop learning. Tapping new sources for new ways of thinking, approaching business, and interacting with colleagues and clients is a great way to stay on top of trends and continually refresh your approach to your chosen profession. Written in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has been on the shelf of aspiring business leaders since its publication. Many of those lessons are still applicable today. Books, podcasts, networking events, and paid workshops are ever present and teach you the latest skills to stay attuned to the most effective ways to reach clients and influence people. But which ones are really worth your time? As Washington Women in PR prepares to evaluate the latest crew of nominees for the Emerging Leaders Awards, it's worth taking some time to review some influencers and resources that can help propel aspiring communicators to become tomorrow's leaders and game changers. Obviously we each have different interests and drivers but one thing we do have in common is our interest in communicating and reaching an audience. Evaluating what inspires you to do your best work is a great place to start this exercise. Determining your "personal brand" is akin to evaluating your value proposition and again, what inspires you. Tapping into mentors in your organization or during events such as WWPR's Minute Mentoring event in April helps you learn from the experience of others and put these life lessons to work. READ MORE PR In Focus PR in Focus is a monthly column written by WWPR member Jessica Williams exploring a wide range of topics and current events from a public relations perspective 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 A Buzzword Worth the Hype A Buddhist proverb says the teacher comes when the student is ready. I think this also applies to conferences and workshops insofar as what you learn depends on your receptivity. Last month I attended the What's Next DC conference and was truly energized. I left with a head brimming with ideas and newly-acquired knowledge on a host of buzzwords. One in particular seemed to dominate all of the presentations and resonated strongly in the discussions I had with fellow attendees-innovation. As I wrote in April's "History Lessons" about Daniel J. Edelman's vision and enduring legacy in the field of public relations, innovation is born of an inherent willingness to learn, endless curiosity, and a desire to make things better in some way, shape or form. This also proves instructive for those of us in a profession where success is often measured by and depends on coming up with new ideas and strategies for our clients, respective companies or organizations. Ideas Matter Working in communications gives us the opportunity to interact with people in a host of industries and fields and is one reason why I find it so rewarding. Variety may be the spice of life but it's easy to overlook the fact that just coming into contact with professionals in various disciplines offers up new ideas and experiences you may not have otherwise had. With speakers hailing from such well-known companies and organizations as Pandora, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Siteworx, Honest Tea, PBS, National Geographic, AARP, and the United Nations Foundation among many others, a conference like What's Next DC becomes a wonderful learning opportunity. Over the course of two intense days, there was no shortage of lessons being shared, offering attendees an abundance of ideas to consider and hopefully go back and employ in our respective jobs. READ MORE Articles of Interest - Transforming Your Agency: How Change Inspires Creativity (Clairemont Communications)
- In the Age of Social Media, Why PR Should Matter to Businesses, Both Small and Large (Huffington Post)
- TweetDeck Gets a Major Makeover From Twitter (Mashable)
- 25 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed (Mashable)
- Building a Better Pinterest Through Data (Mashable)
Sarah Immenschuh, International Food Policy Research Institute
Catherine Weckenman, Student
Vanessa Kauffman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Dorothy Amatucci, Student
Barb Jump, BarbJump.com
Kimberly McCune, Lipman Hearne
Amy Clark, Freelance
Patricia Neidlinger, Brazilian Consulate
Lisa Frederick, Frederick Communications
Melissa Thompson, Society for Neuroscience
Sally Koroma, Student
Anne Kelsey, Society for Neuroscience
Jana Goldman, Press Here
Barbara Semedo, Independent
Lauren Mandell, e.republic
Lauren Tyler, Public Affairs Council
Deborah Prideaux, Independent
Arlyn Riskind, National Communication Association
Sandra Wills Hannon, The Hannon Group
Benjamin Jordan, Student
Carrie Clyne, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Grace Courter, Student
Jacqueline Salmon, American Bar Association
Megan Duke, Pivotal Voices
Sarah Moore, Independent
Meredith Corley, UBM Tech
Laura Wilson, ICF International
May RenewalsJennifer Murphy, Hickok Cole Architects
Sarah Holt, Mixed Minds LLC
Kelly Mack, Environics Communications
Dawn Jakutowicz, Dougherty & Associates (DAI), Inc.
Lisa Newman, Independent
Kate Connors, Media & Communications Strategies
Stephanie Abraham, American College of Cardiology
Top Sponsor SpotlightVocus provides cloud marketing software that enables businesses to attract, engage and retain customers. Online information, recommendations and social networks increasingly influence buying behavior. Marketing has evolved, and in order to succeed in today's world, marketers have to take advantage of new digital marketing channels and ensure that they are working together to generate brand awareness, demand and revenue. Vocus offers a unique solution for marketers. Our software integrates powerful features of digital marketing including social, search, email and publicity. In addition, our software sends real-time marketing opportunities directly to marketers in the form of leads, prospects, social media conversations, curated content and inbound media inquiries. With our marketing consulting and services team ready to help, our software solution delivers marketing success.