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WWPR Names Laura Monica the 2014 Washington PR Woman of the Year

Renowned Public Relations Executive Patrice Tanaka Keynotes 25th Annual Awards Ceremony


WWPR Woman of the Year Laura Monica

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 17, 2014) – Laura Monica, Vice President for Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI), was named the Washington Women in Public Relations’ (WWPR) 2014 Washington PR Woman of the Year yesterday in a ceremony honoring top public relations executives and celebrating women in communications.

Monica was one of three public relations professionals chosen as an honoree for the 25th annual award. The other honorees were Susan Matthews Apgood, President and Co-Founder, News Generation and Lauren Lawson-Zilai, Director of Public Relations and National Spokesperson, Goodwill Industries International. The three honorees are true representatives of the best public relations talent in the Washington area.

“This honor is a reflection of an exceptionally talented team of communications professionals working with me plus the tireless work and major investments PHI has dedicated to improving reliability and customer satisfaction,” Monica said. “I’m especially pleased to be acknowledged by WWPR knowing the important mentoring they provide young professionals and their dedication to helping women in our communities.”

WWPR, a professional society advancing women communicators in metropolitan Washington, established the Woman of the Year Award in 1990 to honor the most talented women in the public relations profession. This year’s luncheon was held at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C., and featured keynote speaker Patrice Tanaka, Co-founder, Chief Counselor and Creative Strategist, Padilla CRT. Reflecting on the day, Patrice said, “Thank you WWPR for inviting me to participate in your 25th Annual ‘Washington PR Woman of the Year’ Award Luncheon.  I was delighted to share the stage with your three honorees – Susan Matthews Apgood, Laura Monica and Lauren Lawson-Zilai! – Who have accomplished so much because of their purpose-driven approach to business and life.  Congratulations to them and to WWPR for staging such a beautiful event to celebrate the best women leaders in our profession.”

“Laura Monica embodies all the exceptional characteristics of a WWPR Washington PR Woman of the Year,” said WWPR President Lauren Smith Dyer. “WWPR is so pleased to honor Laura, and recognize the impressive accomplishments of Lauren Lawson-Zilai and Susan Matthews Apgood, especially on the 25th anniversary of this prestigious industry award.”

Proceeds from the raffle benefit FLOW (Financial Literacy Organization for Women and Girls), a charitable organization committed to empowering young women and girls, with the knowledge and skills necessary to make good economic decisions in an increasingly complex U.S. and global financial system.

Special thanks goes to event table sponsors, raffle contributors and in-kind donors for their generous support of the event.

About the Washington PR Women of the Year Selection Process

Each year, candidates are nominated through an open application process.  The applications are then reviewed and evaluated based on standard criteria, which include: accomplishments in the public relations field; contributions to the community; and industry leadership.  The final selection is made by a panel of esteemed communications professionals based in the Washington, D.C. area. The judging panel included WWPR President Lauren Smith Dyer; WWPR Vice President Avelyn Austin; Shana Glickfield, Beekeeper Group; Ann Davison, Burson-Marsteller; Anne Woodbury, TogoRun; Heather Rosekner; and WWPR’s co-Past Presidents, Tina McCormack Beaty and Kendra Kojcisch.

About Washington Women in Public Relations

Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) is a vital resource for communications professionals in metropolitan Washington, D.C. With a thriving membership base and a slate of highly anticipated annual events, WWPR is committed to delivering outstanding professional development, networking, and marketplace positioning and leadership opportunities to area communicators. Find out more at www.wwpr.org, “Like” us on Facebook.com/WashingtonWomeninPR, join our group on LinkedIn, and follow us on Twitter @WWPR.

 

NEWSLETTER: October 2014

WWPR Announces Woman of the Year Keynote Speaker; Register Today!

Washington Women in Public Relations’ (WWPR) 25th annual Washington PR Woman of the Year Award Luncheon will be held on Friday, November 14, 2014, at the Fairmont to celebrate the accomplishments of women who are raising the bar in public relations. The Woman of the Year luncheon, established in 1990, is WWPR’s signature event. It is an annual experience fostering camaraderie among women in public relations, culminating in a must-attend event that honors the achievements of those who have reached a pinnacle in the profession.

This year’s keynote speaker, PadillaCRT co-founder Patrice Tanaka and author of Becoming Ginger Rogers…How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, a Better Partner and a Smarter CEO, will share her unique and inspirational journey as a female entrepreneur and PR professional.

The finalists for WWPR’s 2014 Washington PR Woman of the Year Award are:

Susan Matthews Apgood — News Generation

Laura Monica — Pepco Holdings

Lauren Lawson-Zilai — Goodwill Industries International

Join us for lunch as we honor these extraordinary women in the field! Register today and make sure to use the #WOY2014 hashtag to promote the event!

Continue reading “NEWSLETTER: October 2014”

Attention all PR Professionals: The Press Release Isn’t Dead!

WWPR’s September 30th brown bag event, sponsored by Beekeeper Group, answered an intriguing question on the minds of many DC-area communication professionals – is the press release dead? The simple answer, no.

Shana Glickfield, Beekeeper Group partner and event moderator, asked a panel of industry experts to describe the viability of the tool in today’s 24-hour news cycle, if social media has replaced it, if it has advantages that newer alternatives don’t offer, and other questions related to the relevancy of the PR staple. With input from a highly interactive audience, the panel concluded that the press release is still an essential resource for journalists, stakeholders and communicators today.

Danny Selnick, Sr. Vice President Strategic Markets at Business Wire, noted that according to a recent Business Wire survey, “almost 90 percent of journalists said that they had referenced a release in the previous week, with 62 percent having used one in the last 24 hours.”

Timothy Homan, Finance Editor at The Morning Consult, called it “the easiest way to obtain authoritative information,” particularly with on-the-record quotes from organization officials. Homan remarked that it’s much harder to gauge authenticity via Twitter handles.

Pallavi Kumar, Assistant Professor & Division Director SOC at American University, took a different approach, mentioning that the press release isn’t just for journalists. Consumers, investors, analysts, partners all look at releases on company websites, and even internal staff reference them for planning purposes.

Many of the panelists agreed that the press release shouldn’t be the only means of communicating your message – it should be used with other tools like social media content. They, as well as a few members of the audience, spent a good portion of the event emphasizing tips of the trade when using these various devices.

Some of the tips included the following:

  • Send exclusive/embargoed content via email, social media, or releases
  • Address a reporter by their preferred name to show familiarity (i.e., Dan NOT Danny)
  • Include a strong news hook in releases and make sure to have it at the top
  • Keep a press release to one page and use AP style
  • Research the right reporters and outlets to pitch your release, call the planning/news desk and use media databases like Vocus to help with this research
  • Customize your pitch to certain reporters/outlets
  • Be accessible, have your spokesperson ready to answer any reporter inquiries 24 hours after the release is sent

Finally, one of the main reasons the press release is alive is because it can be viewed as a media kit.  The panelists noted that the press release is one way, unlike social media, where the reporter can see everything together. They overwhelmingly want multimedia like pictures, graphics, infographics and videos, and the press release is one of best places to put this information.

To learn more about how reporters view press releases, click here.

 

PR In Politics: You’re Just Not Ready for Prime Time, Honey!

The Role of Public Relations in Politics is a monthly column written by WWPR member Margaret Mulvihill, examining the role of PR in politics.

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

PRIME TIME

I would hazard a guess that the majority of us in the public relations community have taken some type of media training for press, television, and radio. It’s a good idea, really, for anyone in a spokesperson role to have this training. It helps us and our clients in so many ways: appearance, content, delivery. It’s especially useful when your public relations business spills over into the political arena.

 

CAMERA READY

In today’s pop-up media universe, your client must always be camera-ready. Your client must always have his elevator speech ready to roll. It helps if he keeps a fresh shirt and tie in the office and in his car, and it helps if he always looks well-groomed.

Some clients are naturals. They were just born that way!  Some clients are ready and willing to make whatever small changes need to be made. Some clients will take our advice and do a little media training. But what do we do with the client who believes that he is perfect from the soles of his scruffy shoes to the top of his tangled mop?

 

MR. SCRUFFY

I know you hear me. We have all, have we not, been there! We have all had that one client that resisted all our efforts. That one client who refused to listen to any advice. That one client most in need of help in just about every area, from personal appearance, to speaking points, to tone. The client who came to you already weighed down with negative baggage.

So what do we do with and for this client? Well, we work as hard as always, if not harder, to get print, radio and television interviews. We request and share feedback with the client, in the often vain hope that this will persuade him to get a haircut, drop 40 pounds or buy a new suit.

 

NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME

Bringing in an outside media trainer under the guise of videotaping 30-second segments for online advertising is a good approach, an approach that frequently works. If your client is still resisting appearance upgrades, don’t panic. Sometimes, improving the message works. A set of polished speaking points, crisply delivered, can sometimes overcome appearance. If your client is still resistant after all feedback has been delivered, well – there really isn’t anything you can do for that client. If you are already in a contract situation, continue to do your best with what you’ve got.

Then grab the popcorn, sit back, and watch the show. Some clients just aren’t ready for prime time!

 

WWPR Announces Keynote Speaker for 2014 PR Woman of the Year Luncheon

Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) is proud to announce that Patrice Tanaka, co-founder and chief counselor/creative strategist at PadillaCRT will be the keynote speaker for its 25th annual Washington PR Woman of the Year Award Luncheon on Friday, November 14, 2014, at the Fairmont.  The Woman of the Year luncheon, established in 1990, is WWPR’s signature event and celebrates the accomplishments of women who are raising the bar in public relations.

Patrice is a serial entrepreneur, co-founding her third PR & marketing agency, PadillaCRT, last September to create the “largest, employee-owned PR agency” and the “15th largest, independent PR agency” in the U.S. She has been honored by many PR & marketing organizations and devotes much of her free time to serving on boards of non-profit organizations dedicated to helping women and children. Patrice is also author of, Becoming Ginger Rogers…How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, a Better Partner and a Smarter CEO.

Don’t miss an opportunity to hear from this inspirational expert communicator and join us for lunch as we honor extraordinary women in the field!  Register today and make sure to use the #WOY2014 hashtag to promote the event!

For additional information, please contact WWPR WOY committee co-chairs Mary LoJacano & Mara Vandlik at woy@wwpr.org.

 

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