Tag: Member Stories

By Melinda Price, Member of WWPR and WWPR’s Marketing Communications Committee

WWPR’s August Member Spotlight features Anna Stallmann, director of communications at Nahigian Strategies and active member of the Woman of the Year (WOY) Committee.

Stallmann shared her journey as a communications professional and her role as a committee member with WWPR.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in communications?

I have always been an inquisitive person and have enjoyed opportunities to learn as much as possible about the situations around me. I’ve always been intrigued by the various manners audiences absorb and process information and how some messages are “stickier” and more memorable than others. Communications at its core is about collecting information, then sharing a story in a strategic manner to solve a problem, drive a perception or influence an outcome.

My career in communications allows me to learn something new each day – and then spread that information through a variety of manners, with written, vocal and even visual cues. I believe the tactics and techniques to communicate messages will constantly be changing as we continue to embrace new digital and social media platforms – and this aspect excites me. I love being able to constantly learn in my career and tell stories in a manner that is memorable and translatable to diverse audiences regardless of the communication medium (print, television, social media, blogs, etc).

What do you feel is your biggest professional accomplishment?

That’s a tough one! I think my answer has to include something that could also be viewed as a personal accomplishment. While working full-time at Atlantic Media, I was simultaneously pursuing a Masters degree in political communication at American University full time. This meant I would leave work at 6:00 PM and head up Massachusetts Avenue three to four times a week for classes often lasting past 10:30 PM. I did this for two years, with a plethora of support from family and friends along the way. Juggling both was certainly an accomplishment and taught me the importance of prioritization and balance.

Why did you choose to be a part of the WOY Committee and why do you think WOY is so important to WWPR’s mission?

The WOY Committee has an incredibly important task of planning for one of our biggest tentpole events of the year. The WOY luncheon is a great community-building event where our members and guests across diverse fields in public relations come together to celebrate our peers and colleagues’ accomplishments. Moreover, it is a great reminder for us to all take a pause in our busy days to remember the importance of this community and how we can all help each other, both professionally and personally. I’ve had experience planning a variety of events in my career – and jumped at the chance to join the WOY Committee.

What advice do you have for members wanting to get more involved in the organization or WOY specifically?

Your involvement can come through a variety of manners. Most of the women in WWPR have incredibly busy days and we all know public relations is not always a 9-5 job. If you feel you can only dedicate a few hours each month – those few hours collectively make a big impact and can be made to fit within your own schedule. Additionally, instead of only getting involved with areas of WWPR that best fit your current skill set, I’d encourage members to use WWPR as an opportunity to learn about other skills and areas of PR that they would not naturally be able to do in their job.

For WOY, the easiest way to get involved is by doing what we all do best – spreading the word! Invite your colleagues, share the invitation on social media and drive awareness of the event.

What is your favorite way to unwind?

A few years ago I became hooked on heated yoga sculpt classes. It’s a great workout, brings instant endorphins, warms me up in the colder winter months and forces 60 minutes of time away from my phone and laptop, to just work hard for me.  Also, a glass of pinot noir is a favorite, too!

By Melinda Price

This month’s Member Spotlight features an interview with WWPR Member and Past President Hillarie Turner, Vice President of Van Eperen.

Here is her insight on how WWPR impacted her career and her advice for WWPR members.

How did you become involved in the field of communications, specifically health communications?

I have a psychology degree, so I entered the workforce already with an interest in health and science.  I ended up in the communications department at a trade association and started to learn about PR. I left there and started at the American Chemical Society (ACS) with Denise Graveline (a past WWPR WOY). 

I remember very clearly one of my first days there she brought me a stack of abstracts to read – their national meeting was in one month – and together we ended up arranging a press conference at the meeting. The result was an “above the fold” story in the Boston Globe! Being in the press room at that first meeting was like a media boot camp and I was hooked.

That was the first in a long line of medical and scientific meetings during my career. Reading abstracts is still one of my favorite things to do, in addition to working with the researchers behind the science – telling not only the research story but the researcher’s as well is truly rewarding.

How has being involved in WWPR impacted your career?

I first heard about WWPR while at ACS, way back when there was no website and no social media. Instead, the WWPR newsletter was printed, on pink paper from what I recall. Mind you, those were the days when we faxed our press releases and thought that was high tech. 

I joined the pro bono committee first, then joined the board and was president for two years. It was a great experience and I am still involved to this day.  There is not just one thing that WWPR did to enhance my career: it combined networking, friendships, professional growth opportunities, and more, right from the start.

What advice do you have for members wanting to get more involved in the organization?

I always tell people to at least join a committee and, if they can, be on the board. While going to a few events throughout the year is great, nothing compares to volunteering with the organization.

Bonus: you get to know all of the amazing people so well!

What do you feel is your biggest professional accomplishment?

I think it is my desire and ability to work as a team with my colleagues or clients. While one person may have a great idea or strategy, I have found that your greatest success is when everyone is working together to reach the goal.

My latest adventure in communications is with a fantastic team at Van Eperen, including getting to work again with Karen Addis.

This month’s Member Spotlight interview features WWPR Member and Woman of the Year honoree Lauren Lawson-Zilai, Director of Public Relations and National Spokesperson, Goodwill Industries International.

Q: How did you get started in communications?

A: I started off as a publicity assistant at Penguin Putnam after an internship at Simon & Schuster. I had just graduated from the Denver Publishing Institute in an intensive graduate level course focused on all aspects of book publishing. I had taken on a minor in communications after quickly realizing my initial career decision as a high school English teacher wasn’t the right career for me. My love of reading plus my interest in PR led me to my first career. As a publicity assistant (Think of Bridget Jones in the Bridget Jones’ Diary), I was responsible for writing press materials, preparing press kits, coordinating author mailings, executing launch parties and book lectures, and facilitating author tours and book signings. This was in the days before social media. I was there for six months before finding a better opportunity at Time Warner Books (now Hachette Book Group). I had the opportunity to meet and work with numerous celebrities and authors including, David Baldacci, Charlotte Church, Don Knotts, Robert Kiyoski, Cybil Shepherd and others.
Q: What inspired you to get involved with WWPR?

A: I joined WWPR after moving here from NYC. I had an interest in transferring to the nonprofit sector and thought WWPR would provide me with the right opportunities to expand my skill sets and introduce me to people with relevant expertise. The WWPR community is intimate, so there are many ways to build your network and find colleagues to brainstorm with as well as build your friend base. My first assignment with WWPR was as chair of the pro bono committee, providing strategic communications counsel to two local nonprofits, Safe Shores and Doorways for Women and Families. My team provided public relations services valued at nearly $290,000 to Doorways, enabling women and their families to create pathways out of homelessness and domestic abuse. I then served as vice president, president and past president. It was during my tenure as WWPR’s past president that I launched the Emerging Leaders Awards, a program specifically designed to recognize up-and-coming women in the PR field.

I am very appreciative to the role WWPR played in my life as it was the stepping stone to garnering a PR job at the Children’s Defense Fund and beginning my nonprofit career path. It was also an honor to be recognized as a finalist for WWPR’s 2014 PR Woman of the Year award.

Q: What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment professionally?

A: The ability to align my calling with a cause and serve as a voice for people with disabilities and disadvantages in order to enhance their quality of life has been my biggest accomplishment. For instance, in my role at Goodwill Industries International, I worked on the launch of an initiative to serve women veterans, which was both a timely and critical effort, as the number of women in our armed forces is increasing, and they face challenges such as homelessness, abuse, and lack of credentialing and childcare. As part of this, I had the opportunity to sit in the First Lady’s office and strategically plan with members of her Joining Forces team. While the goal of our initiative was to serve 3,000 women veterans in two years; we tripled it in the first year by serving 4,700 women veterans, and that number is still growing. I’ve also been part of a collaboration called MyFreeTaxes, a joint initiative of Goodwill, National Disability Institute and United Way, and funded by the Walmart Foundation. That initiative provides free tax filing, both online and in-person, for people in a certain income bracket. Last year, more than 1.5 million people were able to get their taxes done in-person for free, enabling them to use that money to invest in their families’ future.

However, my biggest accomplishment has been receiving the following awards: the 2014 PR News PR People Awards: PR Professional of the Year: Nonprofit/Association and the PR News’ 2014 Top Women in PR. Work is an important part of human identity and knowing that my colleagues in the PR industry are inspired by my work, passion and engagement is a true honor, and has been the biggest accomplishment of all.

This month’s Member Spotlight interview features WWPR Member and Emerging Leaders Awards honoree Danielle Hagen, VP of Communications at Nahigian Strategies.

Q: How did you get started in communications?

A: Like many communications professionals, I was interested in pursuing a career in journalism because I loved how the media could capture a great story and educate a captive audience. But my dreams of being a journalist shifted after taking my first communications class in college. I was enamored at how our words could shape every aspect of our reality – from professional to interpersonal communications. From that moment on, I was hooked. I began my career in my hometown of Cincinnati, working at a public relations firm and also teaching at the University of Cincinnati. I had the fortunate opportunity early in my career to work on a wide array of communications from corporate branding and media relations to crisis communications and digital media which gave me a toolbox of skills that I still use everyday in my current position. Every project, every situation is an opportunity to grow and expand your knowledge, which is one of the reasons I love PR so much. It’s an ever-changing world where I get to learn everyday.

Q: What inspired you to get involved with WWPR?

A: There are so many wonderful practitioners that are members of WWPR, including mentors that have been so influential on my career in D.C. A friend of mine encouraged me to attend a WWPR lunch event and I was not only blown away at the network of wonderful communications professionals that attended but also the quality of the program where we actually walked away with information we can use in our jobs. After that event, I wanted to become a member of this great organization that coalesced so many impressive members of our profession and enhanced our growth.

Q: What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment professionally?

A: There are a lot of accomplishments that I’m proud of – from winning the first Congressional campaign I ever worked on to being tapped to be the Deputy Communications Director for a presidential candidate in the 2012 election. But the biggest accomplishment for me was taking my dream job in Washington, DC. While that may not seem like significant accomplishment, it was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. I moved away from my family and left my personal life behind to pursue a dream. Fast forward four years later – I’ve never regretted a single moment and can’t wait to see what the future will hold.

This month’s Member Spotlight interview features WWPR member Tahira L. Christmon of Goodwill Industries International/WWPR Emerging Leaders Awards Committee member.

How did you get started in communications?

My elementary school had a morning telecast that aired all of our school announcements from a makeshift television studio.  In the fourth grade I began volunteering as a camerawoman and producing anchor scripts. The following year I became the lead anchor.  In middle school I wrote feature and news articles for a weekly online publication that centered around educating children and teens on U.S. and world news.

Communicating and telling compelling stories have always come natural to me.  I continued my interest in broadcast journalism at Syracuse University and interned at nearly every local and major news station this side of the Mason Dixon.  When I graduated, I was offered a job at the NBC News Washington bureau as an assignment desk assistant and field producer for “Nightly News with Brian Williams.”  I went on to do general assignment and beat reporting with Verizon FiOs 1 and CTV News, a local news network in Maryland.

Ironically, I lost interest in journalism within a few years and became really interested in building a career in public relations.  I wanted to focus on nonprofit PR because I wanted to tell the compelling human interest stories that rise out of philanthropy and social enterprise.  I landed a job at Goodwill Industries International in their PR department and realized that I had instantly found my dream job.  Not only am I doing what I love, but I’m serving as a voice for individuals and families facing disabilities and disadvantages.

What inspired you to get involved in WWPR?

I had my job at Goodwill® for less than three weeks before my supervisor and past WWPR President and Vice President Lauren Lawson- Zilai told me about the organization and said it would be a great opportunity for me to build upon my existing skill sets.  Lauren is also past chair of the Pro Bono committee and founder of the Emerging Leaders Awards… I literally work for a WWPR All-Star!

Lauren knew that I wanted to build relationships with PR professionals and gain a greater understanding of the industry.  I became an active WWPR member a week later, just in time for the holiday party.  Within a few months I became the sponsorship liaison for the Emerging Leaders Awards Committee and an active member of the Professional Development Committee.  The relationships I’ve built and the industry knowledge I’ve gained is invaluable.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment professionally?

My biggest accomplishment is landing a PR job at a leading nonprofit social enterprise.  In just under a year I’ve built my skill set to include strategic planning, media relations, content management, partnership building and crisis communications.  Every day I’m challenged in a new way and I’ve finally found purpose in my career.