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Celebrating Pride Month 

WWPR Diversity & Inclusion Chair, Jewel McFadden sits down with Human Rights Campaign’s Jordyn White

Jordyn White, Human Rights Campaign

I met Jordyn White earlier this year on an intergenerational panel for the Lesbian Day of Visibility. This was the first time the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs organized an event to honor the annual observance. Jordyn manages a dynamic portfolio that includes Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Transgender Justice Initiative, HIV & Health Equity program, and Public Education & Research program. Additionally, she provides strategic guidance across the Foundation on leadership development initiatives, program evaluation, and research related projects. If that is not impressive enough, she is also a doting mother to two beautiful girls.

Q:What is your current role and what do you enjoy most about your position?

A: I am Vice President of Leadership Development and Research for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. This job is the perfect blend of my experience as a researcher and study director and my love for mentorship and creating opportunities for people in our community to thrive.

Q: LGBTQ+ women are underrepresented at every stage of the management pipeline. How have you navigated the career ladder to get to your level as an out lesbian?

A: I do not “shrink.” It’s easier said than done, at times; often the expectation is that women won’t be as vocal in mixed-gender spaces. When you couple that with the microaggressions Black women face and the way we fear reproach for showing up too boldly in mixed-ethnicity spaces (gotta love intersectionality), it often results in us censoring ourselves or making ourselves small to survive. It is harder, but it is always better to show up authentically and consistently. If it causes you to lose access to people and spaces, they were not right for you to begin with.

Q: Despite some legal protections, LGBTQ+ employees often face hostility in the workplace. Have you had any negative experiences in the workplace? 

A: I have been fortunate not to experience any hostility because of my status as a queer woman, even before I came to work at an LGBTQ+ organization. I know, unfortunately, that is not always the case for my queer siblings. HRC strives to create an inclusive culture both internally with our staff and externally in the way we partner with other organizations and cultivate our volunteer leaders. We know that there are factions of the LGBTQ+ community that have not historically been represented in our work—namely, Black and Brown folk and trans individuals—and we strive daily to change that narrative by amplifying their voices in our work and sharing their stories.

Q: Pride Month celebrates queer culture and honors the ongoing movement for LGBTQ+ rights. How do you show your pride and what is your favorite aspect of being part of the LGBTQ+ community?

A: We are so bold, resilient, and brave, and we live unashamed and unafraid. We love our chosen families with the same voracity that we do our blood families, and we remain authentic and true to ourselves despite the right’s attempts to oppress us. My favorite thing about being a part of the queer community is how we fight to make sure there will always be a queer community.

Q: How do you balance the responsibilities of motherhood with the stressors of being a Vice President?

A: Honestly, I just do the best I can and remind my kids and my coworkers constantly that I’m just one person trying to manage all the things. It is not easy, but I appreciate the way folks at work make space for my identity as a mom and don’t expect me to JUST be an HRC boss.

Q: What’s next for HRC?

A: The country is being flooded with anti-LGBTQ+ bills. In the United States, at least 417 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced since the start of this year. HRC is providing critical research support to arm lobbyists and educate lawmakers on the real impact of these bills.

HRC has worked to defeat a remarkable 91% of these bills through the 2022 legislative season. The Foundation is fighting for the LGBTQ+ community in statehouses, in the media, at the federal level, and in the private industry to ensure every member of the LGBTQ+ community has the freedom to live their truth without fear, and with equality under the law.

To learn more about HRC, visit https://www.hrc.org

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ASHLEY BERNARDI, FOUNDER & MEDIA RELATIONS DIRECTOR OF NARDIA MEDIA

Ashley Bernardi is the Founder and Media Relations Director of Nardi Media LLC, a full-service media relations firm that specializes in media placements and training for authors, thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, companies, and more.

Tell me about your background and what drew you to your current position. 

Ashley Bernardi is the Founder and Media Relations Director of Nardi Media LLC

Before joining the PR world, I served as a network television news producer for nearly a decade at CBS News, Bloomberg TV, and The Washington Post. My career as a journalist never came as a surprise – I was producing news stories even as a child. I created a family newscast where I would act as the executive producer and co-host with my little sister. The truth is, I was always curious about PR. When I started having kids, I didn’t want to travel as much as I was required to as a TV producer, but I wanted to transition to a career that would still allow me to keep my hands in the newsroom in some way. I love the thrill of covering the ins and outs of a news story and jumping on trending topics, interviewing compelling guests where the audience can learn something. After my second daughter was born, I thought it was the perfect time to try PR, and I ended up loving it! PR still gives me the feeling of being in a newsroom. I’m always creating stories and segment ideas for my clients, and it makes me feel like the journalist I’ve always been deep down.

Describe what excites you most about your job? 

I absolutely love creating compelling pitch and story ideas for my clients to deliver to the media. I also love utilizing the relationships we have in the media in order to book our experts on various outlets from national TV interviews to op-ed placements. But nothing beats the adrenaline rush I feel when I get bookings for my clients, especially on TV, which is my first love! At Nardi Media, we say that we love uplifting the voices of those who are uplifting the world, and that to me is more rewarding than anything else.

What is the most exciting or rewarding project you’ve done recently or in your overall career?  

There are so many! I loved working with Mel Robbins on her book The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life With One Simple Habit. We successfully secured a total of 93 media opportunities in top-tier media outlets including The TODAY Show, Dr. Oz, SiriusXM, and iHeartMedia, and in major TV/Radio media markets including New York and Los Angeles. We also secured a total of 63 podcast placements including On Purpose with Jay Shetty, The School of Greatness, The Minimalists, and more. It was so much fun!

Another campaign that was incredibly rewarding was working with Jamie Metzl, a leading technology and healthcare futurist on the paperback release of his book Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity. Our work with Jamie began the month that the entire world changed: the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic and states across the country began to implement lockdowns. Our team needed to think unconventionally and pivot our pitches to focus primarily on breaking news around the worldwide crisis. To garner top-tier placements, every pitch needed to tie back to current events. During our onboarding process with Jamie, we learned about his background and expertise and our light bulb moment was recollecting his role as a WHO advisor. Our ability to pivot quickly and get creative allowed us to secure a total of 63 media placements for Jamie during launch that focused around the book and current events, including Yahoo News, HLN, The Hill, People.com, Bloomberg, CNN Newsroom, Newsweek, a 15-interview iHeartRadio tour, and more! We were able to reach over 200 million people solely utilizing earned media.

The questions that are posed in Jamie’s book about the future of our species and the challenges to our beliefs, morals, religions, and politics, were unfolding on a global scale. Drawing these parallels between the book and current news headlines, paired with Jamie’s qualifications and expertise, allowed us to develop a nimble plan to secure opportunities with broadcast, radio, podcasts, and online outlets. We utilized past speaking engagements at the Vatican and participation in the WHO international advisory committee on the human genome to back up pitching and help us win more speaking opportunities at the Smithsonian and Singularity University. 

As a member of WWPR, what have you gained from your experience? I’m new to WWPR, and I am so thankful I joined! My decision to join was motivated by the opportunity to surround myself with like-minded and exceptional women in PR and to create connections and opportunities that allow me to learn and grow as a PR professional and woman in business. I’ve always been of the mindset that it’s not about competition, it’s about collaboration. I love any chance to support other women doing amazing things and to feel that support right back!

What PR trends are you and your company adopting this year and what have the results been like?  This year, we’re investing in securing more podcast placements. We’ve found that there’s so much power in podcasting because podcasts are so niche and 100% opt-in, meaning audiences actually choose to listen! We created a dedicated podcast team to focus on this, and the results have been well worth it. Our clients have gained more visibility, which has resulted in more book sales and more momentum overall. We’re definitely going to continue to lean into podcast placements moving forward!

Another trend we’re thankfully re-adopting post-pandemic  is in-person interviews. We’ve had almost three years of virtual-only interviews during the pandemic, but now that it’s safer to be in person, we’ve found that all TV shows – both national and local – prefer in-person interviews, and it’s happening on a daily basis. I’ve been in TV studios more in the past two weeks than I have in the past three years! While some stations still accept virtual interviews, I believe that in-person interviews are here to stay. As a former TV producer, I’ve found that in-person interviews make for a much more engaging conversation that audiences can better relate to.

Is there any particular book, podcast or influencer you would recommend? How has it impacted your life?   

My favorite podcast is We Can Do Hard Things By Glennon Doyle. What I’ve found is that my personal and professional life is so integrated as a PR agency founder, and the topics that Glennon, her wife Abby Wambach, and her sister Amanda Doyle cover empower me to embody and find synergy with these two sides of me.  And as someone who has always been passionate about health, wellness, science, and spirituality, I love the wide-ranging topics they discuss, from embodiment to boundaries to relationships, parenting, and so much more. The guests and experts they have are amazing, too!

CONTACT INFORMATION: Ashley Bernardi, Founder and Director, Media Relations, Nardi Media LLC, 202-316-3298, ashley@nardimedia.com, www.nardimedia.com

P.S. Check out my feature in Forbes where I share the biggest mistakes authors make when launching a book!

Insights from the Execs: A Communicator’s Role in Stakeholder Management 

A recap from our event with Martha Boudroeau, AARP and Jean Medina, Washington Commanders  

What do communicators of a non-profit and sports Team have in common? As it turns out, a whole lot. Last month, we were joined by Martha Boudreau, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at AARP, and Jean Medina, Chief Communications Officer at Washington Commanders, for a spirited conversation focused on their career paths and how technology has evolved within the  industry over the last few decades.

Both Boudreau and Medina offered words of wisdom about career growth in an ever changing media landscape – starting with embracing the change. Using social media as an accelerator, these leaders described what it was like to soak in the unknown and focus on leveraging new media channels for amplification and growth. Although you wouldn’t think of TikTok as a targeted channel for AARP consumers, Martha shared the importance of proactively engaging a younger audience for awareness and even won a Webby Award for AARP’s channel strategy and campaigns.

Similarly, Jean dove into the diverse ways that audiences consume content from the Commanders and how television is no longer the dominant channel when watching a football game. With a growing list of streaming partnerships, her team’s focus has shifted to crafting a thoughtful strategy for reaching audiences through digital media and leveraging those partnerships for continued growth.

Here are four key takeaways from the discussion:

  1. Always seek to learn more; embrace new platforms for communications and don’t be afraid to position them in your personal and professional life.
  2. Use social media to amplify content, but take the time to listen to your consumers and how they want your brand to show up for them.
  3. A successful brand engages audiences, stakeholders, and consumers across all channels, and leverages its strategic and enterprise partnerships to amplify content.
  4. Integrate your content strategy with your hiring strategy. Intellectual curiosity is gold when it comes to finding talent that is going to think outside the box and find new ways to message your product or service.   

Celebrate Birthdays at New Endeavors by Women! 

By Anne Thomas and Maggie Moore, WWPR Pro Bono Chairs

Are you looking for a NEW and fun way to engage with New Endeavors by Women? Do you enjoy a good birthday celebration? Want to help women who have experienced homelessness feel the love of a community?

In last month’s WWPR newsletter, we mentioned one of the ways to get involved with New Endeavors by Women (NEW) was to participate in NEW’s Birthday Celebration Program.

What is the NEW Birthday Celebration Program?

Whether you love celebrating your birthday every year or you dread the thought of turning another year older, birthdays are one of those rare opportunities to gather your friends and family in one place and celebrate. On the first Wednesday of every month at 7 pm, NEW spotlights all the women’s birthdays in that month with cake, balloons, cards, and a small, fun goodie bag for each woman celebrating her birthday. The celebration takes place at two of NEW’s housing programs located in the Shaw neighborhood at 611 N St NW, Washington, DC 20001.

WWPR members visited the NEW team during April’s Birthday Celebration and we brought cupcakes!

WWPR members visited the NEW team during April’s Birthday Celebration and we brought cupcakes! The Birthday Celebrations are an opportunity for you to get to know NEW and the women better and also celebrate women who often go un-celebrated. There are two options for how you can support the NEW Birthday Celebration Program: 

Option 1: On the day you sign up for, you and your group bring the cake (or cupcakes), balloons, cards, birthday napkins, plates, and goodie bags for the birthday women to 611 N Street NW. NEW asks that you spend a minimum of $150 and a maximum of $200. This ensures that the women can expect the same celebration every Month. Then just celebrate with the women! Chat with them and honor them in the way we honor birthdays. NEW will brag about you and your group on social media as should YOU!

Option 2: You and your group can donate 35 $10 gift cards to Target, Walmart o Visa, totaling $350 for the year. This will allow us to have a gift card for every woman’sbirthday.

If you are interested or have questions, please reach out to NEW: https://www.nebw.org/contact-us. You must be 18 or older. At this time, you must prove that you have had a negative Covid test before coming into the building. Maximum of 10 people per group.

Washington Women in Public Relations Announces 2023 Emerging Leaders Finalists

18 DC-area female communicators will be recognized on June 15, 2023 at the 13th annual awards ceremony; Six winners will be revealed during the awards event

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2023 – Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR), a professional development and networking organization for female communicators in the nation’s capital, today announces the finalists for its 13th Annual Emerging Leaders Awards (ELAs).

The ELAs honor outstanding rising stars, ages 25-35, in the Washington, D.C. metro area who have excelled in communications and related fields. The 18 finalists are grouped into the following categories: Small/Boutique Agency, Mid- to Large-Sized Agency, Government, Non-Profit, Corporate and Trade Association. One winner from each category will be revealed on Thursday, June 15, at the annual awards ceremony.

This year’s finalists represent the top three candidates in each of the six categories, as determined by a distinguished panel of judges. The 2023 ELA finalists are:

Small/Boutique Agency:

  • Falen Petros, CURA Strategies 
  • Helen McCarthy, Trident DMG
  • LaWanda White, The I-PR Agency

Mid- to Large-Sized Agency:

  • Carolyn Cox, Hill + Knowlton Strategies 
  • Jalisa Washington-Price, Subject Matter+ Kivvit
  • Kelly Finneran, Merritt Group

Government:

  • Alaina Gertz, Metropolitan Police Department
  • Brianna Frias, Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn
  • Christ-Shamma Matalbert, US House of Representatives, the Honorable Stacey E. Plaskett

Non-Profit:

  • Cara Hedgepeth, AARP
  • Diala Ghneim, UNRWA USA
  • Kelsey N. Nelson, National Foster Youth Institute

Corporate:

  • Jordun Lawrence, PayPal
  • Ligia McEvoy, AT&T
  • Megan Eichenberg, Washington Capitals

Trade Association:

  • Elleni Almandrez, Children’s Hospital Association
  • Kasey Lovett, American Beverage
  • Stacey Miller, Auto Care Association

“The 2023 Emerging Leaders Awards celebrate the work of young women who are on a fast-paced trajectory,” said Zorie Valchev, President, and Elynsey Price, President, WWPR. “This year’s finalists represent how robust the communications field truly is. We are proud to honor women, year after year, who are changing the landscape and empowering their communities and other professionals. We look forward to celebrating their accomplishments.”

Named as one of 2022’s Top Women in Communications, Devi Thomas, a non-profit go-to-market leader at Microsoft Philanthropies, will serve as the keynote speaker for this year’s event. The awards celebration will be held at LiUNA’s Rooftop overlooking Black Lives Matter Plaza on June 15 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Reserve your spot today. 

ABOUT WASHINGTON WOMEN IN PUBLIC RELATIONS 

Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) is a member-based professional society cultivating and inspiring female communicators to reach their full potential in the DC market and beyond. The organization is committed to providing leadership opportunities, professional development, mentorship, and industry networking. Visit us at wwpr.org, connect with us on LinkedIn and Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @WWPR and on Instagram @WWPRDC.

For more information: Contact Emerging Leaders Awards Co-Chairs Colleen Gallagher and Charmaine Riley at ela@wwpr.org. 

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