Tag: Member Stories

Lauren Games, communications manager at DC International School, is a new addition to WWPR’s membership. She enjoys the challenge of her job that every day is different while balancing it all.

How she got started in PR
Lauren pursued a BA in International Studies and Spanish at West Virginia University (WVU) and a Master’s of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh (PITT). Shortly after school, she relocated to the Washington D.C. area and began working at DC International School, a public charter school as a communications manager.

Challenges at work
Lauren says her favorite and most challenging part of her job is that every day is different. As the only staff member dedicated to communications and marketing, she oversees everything from branding to recruitment to their digital presence. It can be hard to balance it all, but Lauren loves that she is always learning and growing.

“As the only staff member within her organization that handles PR, I felt the need to find a professional network that can help support, mentor and teach me more about the field. Don’t be afraid to jump right in!”

Outside the Office
Lauren finds that she does her best work when she sets boundaries and relaxes outside of the office. She loves to spend time decompressing by hiking with her dog, working out, reading, or trying new restaurants. Lauren is involved in the local alumni groups for PITT, WVU, and her sorority, Phi Mu. It’s been beneficial personally and professionally for her to connect with others in the DC area who have shared backgrounds and experiences. She regularly attends networking and professional development events for PR professionals in charter schools on how to utilize communications trends and best practices to her specific role and organization.

Social Marketing guru Chelsea, is a new addition to WWPR’s membership. She knew at the tender age of 13 that she was destined to do public relations.

How she got started in Public Relations

Chelsea always knew that she wanted to do public relations and stuck to it. At the age of 13, she started making pitch calls to reporters through a small PR firm her mom and stepdad owned in Maryland. She went on to attend the University of Maryland (go Terps!) and majored in Communication with a focus on PR. She then landed an internship at Ketchum in D.C. and joined the social marketing team working with health care clients in the federal government. While there, she worked to translate complex policies into plain-language materials that health care professionals could easily understand. This is when she knew that she wanted to work in health communications, but wasn’t super interested in the complicated policy. She found her passion working at The Obesity Society and then at a much larger non-profit, the American Diabetes Association. She enjoyed creating and implementing large-scale awareness campaigns to help improve people’s health. She made the switch back to agency life and now works at ICF Next on the social marketing team working for federal government clients. She is still creating large-scale awareness campaigns and happy working on such campaigns such as smoking cessation and Type 2 diabetes prevention. She loves the work she is doing helping people get healthier, even if it’s a drop in the proverbial bucket. Working at an agency can be challenging because clients don’t always want to do what you recommend, or think is best.

“Keep in touch with old coworkers, and don’t be afraid to reach out!”

Her interest in WWPR
Chelsea heard about WWPR during her Ketchum days (2011!) and had attended the Woman of the Year Luncheon. She has been to a few events over the years and recently jumped in and joined the Content Committee. Many of her friends and former coworkers are on the Board, so she didn’t want to miss out on the fun. Plus, she loves PR and Communications and knows it’s important to get involved. She signs up for a lot of e-newsletters and has regular dinner dates with old coworkers to keep up with the latest trends.

Outside the Office
Chelsea loves fitness and has run miles all over the DMV. She has taken pretty much every class there is on Class Pass. Chelsea was obsessed with Orange Theory for a while and now loves F45 in Ballston. In her spare time, she loves to cook, read and spend time with her husband and their black lab rescue, Jack.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kashanna Fair at WWPR’s Membership Recruitment Happy Hour. We made small talk over cocktails and appetizers and whined a bit about the sweltering heat of DC (because that’s what one does at a Happy Hour in May in the DC area). We also talked about how much we were both looking forward to the long Memorial Day weekend. She’s quick-witted and laid back, but also uber professional and very charming.

Her Background

Kashanna completed a master’s degree in Management with a specialization in Public Relations from the University of Maryland University College in December 2017. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in International and Global Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Her Current Position

Kashanna is currently Office Coordinator for the Center for International Private Enterprise.

Her Interest in WWPR

“I decided to research PR organizations in the DC area and that’s when I came across WWPR. I also browsed the social media channels and saw the WWPR profile on LinkedIn. My first event was Speed Networking and I thought it was great!”

Her Out-Of-Office Hours

In her spare time, Kashanna enjoys traveling, yoga and community service activities. She’s an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Her Dream Job

“My dream job would be head of corporate communications for a brand or organization that would allow me to travel around the world collaborating with other organizations. International travel gives you a new perspective on the world and to be able to combine that with fulfilling work would be wonderful.

Suzanne Struglinski’s career gives her a unique perspective and skill set that is hard to replicate. The common threads through her many roles have been relationship building, writing, and storytelling. I first met Suzanne at WWPR’s Speed Mentoring event. I found her to be warm, funny and incredibly knowledgeable. (Be sure to learn the “Suzanne Scan” on Linked In). 

Her Background

Suzanne was most recently the director of membership engagement at the National Press Club (NPC). There she worked to modernize the Club’s offerings for reporters, editors, communications professionals, and news sources. She strongly believes in increasing diversity in roles across the media industry and mentoring in the early career stages. Prior to joining the NPC, she was in business development at Baker & McKenzie, a global corporate law firm where she worked on messaging, strategy and writing client-facing proposals and other collateral. She also worked as a press secretary for legislative affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council and covered Congress and politics for eight years as Washington Correspondent for the Deseret News and the Las Vegas Sun. 

Her Current Position

While Suzanne is currently looking for work, she’s maximizing her free time by taking a Digital Marketing Course, which she hopes to leverage in promoting new and creative branding for clients and organizations across platforms.

Her Interest in WWPR

Suzanne joined WWPR to help meet other women leaders in the industry, offer advice from a journalist’s point of view (hint: reporters want news) and help with membership and outreach strategies. “I love meeting new people and figuring out ways to connect with others. I also want to learn more about how fellow members optimize different social media tools for their projects. Tools and methods change rapidly and WWPR is one more way to keep up!”

Her Out-Of-Office Hours

In her spare time, Suzanne can be found chasing her 60 lb. English Bulldog Roxie (follow her on Instagram @roxiebulldog), attempting to do Yoga and trying very hard to catch up with friends in real life versus a stream of social media posts. “I have a goal to leave the country once a year and this has taken me to Dubai (on a Groupon!) China and in 2017, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Ask me about what this taught me about goal setting!  I am at sstruglinski@gmail.com or on Linked in at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannestruglinski/

Her Dream Job

“My dream job would be Lin-Manuel Miranda’s personal assistant. But seriously, I want to lead a team of talented mid-career and early career professionals as they tie all the pieces of a communication strategy together. Different areas of communications can no longer work in extreme silos – collaboration is key to a brand’s reputation and media presence. I am eager to  hear from recruiters and hiring managers about what skills they want to see and what sets candidates apart from the rest.”

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Digital marketing communications specialist Florence Sumaray, a new addition to WWPR’s membership, is a pro at coffee dates—and it’s part of her movement to connect with more people offline.

It wasn’t quite coffee, but I had the pleasure of connecting with Florence about her background, her goals and what she likes to do outside of the office. Get to know her, too:

Her Movement

Florence has started a campaign focused on connecting with people irl (in real life) and stepping away from our devices. Back in November, she shared a post on Facebook asking to connect with her community: “Would like to Meet 50 people in 30 Days #onecup #onme #whynot.”

Now, she’s on her 116th coffee date and she said the response has been overwhelming. For her, it’s all about connecting one-on-one for conversation, inspiration, and just pure listening.

Her Work

She has been working in the nonprofit sector for over 15 years in digital marketing communications. In her experience, she’s worked on developing and creating marketing plans, managing designers, and executing campaigns.

Currently, Florence supports the the American Dental Education Association (ADEA)’s events through their marketing department. What she loves best is the team she works with—their diligence, organization, and work acumen. She calls her current supervisor a visionary who is collaborative, supportive, and ensures branding and messaging is consistent throughout the organization.

Additionally, she is also a licensed real estate professional with The Nellis Group, where she helps families in the area grow their wealth portfolio. The most rewarding part of the business is making a connection with people, keeping up with the changing neighborhoods and using various technologies that help streamline the process to better serve clients.

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“If you want to grow as an individual both personally and professionally, join a group that is consistent in building each other up and provides events and forums to learn. WWPR is a great opportunity for professional development, networking and surrounding yourself with inspiring communicators in the industry.”

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Her Interest in WWPR

Florence found WWPR through Content Marketing Chair Jenn Dunn—a former colleague of hers—and she was sold after her first event! She loves that the group is engaging, creative, and filled with women who are ambitious, inspiring, and powerful.

Florence hopes to get more involved by networking with colleagues at events and keeping up on the latest PR trends. She was also recently recruited to join the content marketing committee (see her blog post on the Edelman IP & Insights event) and is interested in joining the digital team as well.

Her Out-of-Office Hours

In addition to all her coffee dates, Florence has been a volunteer with the American Diabetes Association for the past 10 years and speaks at various health fairs around the area to share her story of reversing her Type 2 Diabetes. She also works at a gym called The WorX in Alexandria coaching members on health and fitness, and does high-intensity workouts, Jazzercise and Bikram Yoga in her spare time.

Florence is an avid fan of all Washington, D.C., sports teams, but especially the Capitals—she was downtown at all the watch parties and the championship parade after their win last year. You can also find her at the latest new restaurants, taking photos and writing reviews on Yelp.

Now that you’ve gotten to know her a little bit, care to grab coffee?

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