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NEWSLETTER: September 2012

Sep 20, 2012 | News & Updates
In this issue: WWPR Woman of the Year Event Registration Now Open WOY Keynote Announced! Event Recap Engaging Industry Technically Speaking Thrive DC Gala Member Spotlight Articles of Interest Upcoming Events Jobs Membership News Sponsor Spotlight   Registration for WWPR's Woman of the Year Event Now Open! Registration for WWPR's second signature event of the year is now open! Join us for the Washington PR Woman of the Year Award Luncheon on November 15, 2012, from 11:30AM -2:30PM, at the Grand Hyatt Washington.  REGISTER HERE   Charlotte Beers to Keynote Woman of the Year Event Washington Women in Public Relations is proud to announce Charlotte Beers as the keynote speaker at the 2012 Washington PR Woman of the Year Award Luncheon. Advertising icon Beers' storied rise through the ranks to become the first female CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, branded her the most powerful woman in the industry. In her newest ventures-detailed in her book I'D Rather Be in Charge-Beers is dedicated to helping women achieve pride, power and joy at work. The 23rd annual Woman of the Year event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt, 1000 H St. NW, Washington, D.C. This annual event celebrates the accomplishments of women who are raising the bar in public relations. The awards ceremony recognizes three finalists who have reached a pinnacle in the profession and selects one to become Washington PR Woman of the Year. Beers will be available to sign copies of her best-selling book, I'd Rather Be in Charge, after the luncheon from 2-2:30 p.m. In addition to leading Ogilvy & Mather, Beers helmed advertising powerhouse Tatham-Laird & Kudner, chaired agency giant J. Walter Thompson, and served as Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy in President George W. Bush's administration. In 1996, Beers was featured on the cover of Fortune magazine as one of the country's most influential businesswomen. Beers' book offers advice to women who want to break through the glass ceiling to the C-Suite, and to all women who want to advance in their careers. Her counsel is culled from her years as an advertising executive and more recently as a leader of seminars for businesswomen. One of Beers' themes is that while women excel at their work, they often drop the ball at the important task of building relationships in the office. "It's easy to be lulled into thinking that the way you work is measured by the results, the numbers, the expanding business, but an equally important measure is how you behave . . ." Beers notes in her book. She says "what we women are being commended for is what keeps us in subordinate positions," such as being "communal, collaborative, nice to others, and peacemaking." Instead of those traditionally "womanly" traits, Beers urges women to nurture such qualities as demonstrating a willingness to lead, taking credit for their work and speaking out at meetings. For now, please save the date for this celebratory occasion. Registration will open in mid-September.   Event Recap: Annual WWPR Speed Networking Event "Its like speed dating for PR people!" On Tuesday, August 21, about 50 members and friends at all levels of PR gathered at Bar Louie in Chinatown for the annual WWPR speed networking event. Stationed at small cocktail tables, half of the attendees remained seated while the rest continually rotated for more than an hour. Chatting for about two minutes at each station, attendees connected and exchanged business cards with dozens of new contacts. After the speedy rotations, the event adjourned to open networking and drinks for another hour to give everyone the chance to meet anyone they may have missed. Within hours of the event wrapping up, networking was in full force via LinkedIn. The dizzying stream of new connections the following day showed just how important WWPR is to its members and the PR and marketing community in DC in general, regardless of how new to or experienced in it you may be!  
Engaging Industry Engaging Industry is a monthly column written by Karin Bloomquist covering the impact of public relations in the corporate, education, government, and non-profit sectors.  It dives into industry trends and issues related to the development of public relations professionals. Social media has transformed the way we think, behave, and communicate as working professionals. The diffusion of innovations theory-which explains how, why, and at what rate new technology and ideas spread-suggests that different types of industries, such as corporations and the federal government, understand the value of social media and its influence on its publics at different stages. One of the more recent adopters of social media over the past several years has been the federal government. Through use of social media, the government has influenced public policy, engaged with media, and has sought to bolster each agency's mission. Government use of social media has ranged from small-scale efforts to large-scale, agency-wide initiatives. Most recently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) within the Department of Homeland Security created eighteen new Twitter handles in an effort to combat the negative publicity the agency receives on a continual basis. By establishing these new Twitter handles, the agency hopes to better serve the public by making it easier to find up-to-date news and current events. The accounts aim to enable "the public to pinpoint specific regions to follow rather than just following one national account." Interaction with Twitter users will also be a large part of this campaign. A majority of the new accounts are conscious attempts by the agency at improving the online reputation and media representation of TSA. Spokespersons at the agency will oversee more than half of the accounts, and will disseminate information about TSA that challenges negative perceptions of the agency. By doing so, TSA may finally be able to shake its unsavory reputation and begin to transform itself from a monolithic entity to a transparent organization that is willing to listen to the concerns of and engage with the general public.  
Save the Date: Thrive DC’s Inaugural Gala Thrive DC's is hosting their inaugural Thrive 365 Gala. Thrive 365 is a one-day brunch and charity auction that will provide 365 days of hope, opportunity, nourishment and compassion to our disenfranchised community members. The event is on Sunday, October 14 from 11:00 am-2:00 pm at the historic and newly renovated Howard Theatre.  Please encourage your company or organization to buy a table or make a donation to support this event. Click here for more information and to reserve your tickets today!   Member Spotlight WWPR recently held its 2012 Emerging Leaders Awards (ELA) and last month's Member Spotlight featured three of the six finalists.  This month's issue features one of the three ELA winners, Olivia Doherty of The Hatcher Group.  Stay tuned for future issues highlighting the other ELA award recipients. As an undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania, Olivia Doherty had plans to embark on a career in journalism. With her bachelor's in communication in toe and a year of print journalism under her belt, Doherty was ready for a change. When she was introduced to the world of public relations at The Hatcher Group, Doherty found the change she was looking for. The idea of facilitating the communications efforts of nonprofit organizations was new to Doherty yet something she found a passion for. "When I learned about how The Hatcher Group works only with nonprofit clients and groups with issues like poverty, education, environment, things I would call good causes, I thought this was comfortable for me and I'd like to make a difference in this way," said Doherty. Not only is Doherty making a difference professionally as Public Relations Strategist for The Hatcher Group but personally as an executive board member for FAIR Girls.  FAIR Girls, which stands for Free Aware Inspired Restored, works to prevent the exploitation of girls through empowerment and education. Doherty provides strategic communications guidance for the organization as well as advise the executive director on messaging and media relations. Top Articles of Interest Top Upcoming Events For the latest information about our exciting events and programs, please visit our Events page. WWPR members receive member rates for PRSA-NCC and AWC events. Top WWPR Job Board In the market for a new job? Visit the WWPR job board to help you find your dream position! View More Positions To post an open position for free visit wwpr.org/jobs. Contact web@wwpr.org with questions. Top
Membership News August New Members: Cornelia (Bonnie) Piper, US Environmental Protection Agency

Andrea Koslow, American Red Cross Jennifer Gingery, Jones Public Affairs Anne Ladewig, National Association of Home Builders Amy Levey, Self-Employed Maury Donahue, FedEx Amy Betor, City of Falls Church, Va. Susan Finarelli, City of Falls Church, Va. Elise Simmons, Freelance Alyssa Barnett, Society for American Archaeology

August Member Renewals:

Cynthia Martinez, ZGS Communications Janiré Hopkins, Articulate Geek/Chic Geek Style Jennifer Schleman, American Hospital Association Lauren Werner, Hager Sharp, Inc Deb Fiscella, Center Stage Marketing Margaret Ferry, MAF Global Communications Elizabeth Stuckle, Consultant Lauren Anderson, Fifth Estate

Interested in joining or renewed your membership? Simply complete the online membership form. To learn more, please contact Leslie Rutledge, Membership Chair, at membership@wwpr.org. Top Sponsor Spotlight: Go Back to School with Central Michigan University’s Global Campus in D.C. September means back-to-school time. Keep your professional career going by signing up for adult classes at Central Michigan University, located in the Metro DC/Baltimore area. No matter where you are in the Metro DC/Baltimore area, CMU has onsite and online programs to fit your busy lifestyle. All of their degrees, whether at the bachelor's, master's or doctoral level, are quality, career-focused programs that can help you earn the credentials you need to succeed in these hard economic times. Classes are:
  • Designed for adult students
  • Evening and weekend classes
  • Compressed terms so you finish in less time
  • Seven local centers for face-to-face classes
  • Online options for many degrees
  • Quality degrees taught by distinguished faculty
  • CMU even offers an online Undergraduate Certificate in Social Media!
For over 40 years, CMU has been serving the needs of the military and DoD civilian community in the Metro DC area through its centers at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Ft Belvoir, Ft Meade, Joint Base Andrews, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and The Pentagon. Security and military installation access issues often preclude private sector, non-DoD public sector and non-profit agency employees from accessing classes on military installations. The newest CMU Global Campus civilian center in Alexandria resolves the military installation access issue and was chosen for its friendly community atmosphere and convenient location across from the King Street Metro Station, with easy access for those who want to take face-to-face classes and meet with their academic advisor.  

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