President’s Note: August

Time flies! Not only are we more than half way through the year, I’ve discovered that I’m in my sixth year of membership with WWPR.

I remember my first event, a professional development brown bag panel during lunch, and anxiously entering a room where I didn’t know anyone. In a blink someone greeted me and I quickly found myself in conversation, followed by an interesting panel discussion. Not only did I leave invigorated by new insights about the communications profession, I had made my first WWPR friends.

During my first couple years as a WWPR member, I really enjoyed the networking and professional development events. Everyone was so friendly and supportive—it was a culture that really made me feel welcome.

But it wasn’t until I started volunteering for WWPR (on the professional development committee) that I felt the most reward for my involvement. Every month I met new people, learned from speakers, and brought information back to my work. I not only found solutions to communications problems I encountered on the job, but also new tools and resources for making my work easier.

As I grew in my involvement with WWPR, I also grew in my career. I met people who helped me and also had the pleasure of being able to help others. While I have given my time and energy to this organization, I have reaped the benefits of engagement ten-fold.

So if you are at a crossroads in your career or just feeling stuck, consider volunteering your time and raising your involvement. It may seem counterintuitive to give more of yourself in order to receive help. But I have found the more I give to a group of people I care about, the more I receive in growth and support.

We look forward to seeing you at upcoming WWPR events, like the Emerging Leaders Awards on September 12! And we hope that you will nominate an industry leader for the Woman of the Year award coming later this fall. It’s a great pleasure to celebrate some of our fantastic women communications leaders in DC!

Best,

Kelly