Tag: Member Stories

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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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WWPR’s Melinda Tolliver had the opportunity to learn more about new WWPR member Jennifer Passey’s role at Girls on the Run of NOVA and why she joined WWPR.

Jennifer Passey, engagement manager at Girls on the Run of NOVA, is one of WWPR’s newest members and brings with her a varied background.

As an issue advocacy and communication specialist, Jennifer has nearly 20 years of experience—including almost 10 years working in South Asia. She is also a passionate advocate for local government and looks forward to getting more involved in WWPR.

Here’s a little bit more about her:

Her Background

Jennifer started her career as a legislative associate for the Entertainment Software Association representing computer and video game companies before seeking work abroad.

In 2007, she switched gears and relocated to New Delhi, India, to work for a non-governmental organization (NGO) where she advocated for spouses of expatriates and built relationships with multinational companies, other NGOs, and foreign governments. She later moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh, for a position at the American International School Dhaka as the communications and publications coordinator before moving back to the United States.

Her Current Position

Since moving back to the DMV-area in 2016, she has been the engagement manager at Girls on the Run of NOVA, a nonprofit delivering physical activity-based, positive youth development programs for pre-adolescent and adolescent girls in the area.

Jennifer loves that she gets to work for an organization that envisions a world where every girl knows she has the power to be her best and teaches value. She especially enjoys communicating with stakeholders, inviting new supporters to take part in the program, and developing creatives that speak to current and new audiences.

Her Involvement in WWPR

Her commitment to lifelong learning and WWPR’s reputation is what led her to becoming a member. She loves that WWPR includes smart, professional women of all ages to learn, share, and collaborate together. She looks forward to finding ways to use her skills to strengthen WWPR, including assisting with membership and highlighting emerging leaders.

Her Out of Office Hours

Jennifer lives in the City of Fairfax with her husband and four sons, where she is now serving her second term as a councilmember. She considers it an honor to serve her community and teach her sons about the importance of local government.

When she’s not in the office or at council meetings, Jennifer enjoys golf, grabbing coffee with company, and playing tourist in the city.

Meet our newest WWPR member: Erika Dyer! Erika has a substantial background in state and local politics homegrown in nearby Virginia and has recently put her public affairs skills to work at a PR firm.

Her Experience
Erika serves as an account associate for Ketchum, Inc., in the public affairs. She loves that Ketchum has allowed her the opportunity to further develop the skills she learned on the campaign trail and recently celebrate her one-month anniversary! In her new role, she also appreciates being surrounded by so many smart and talented women after working in a male-dominated field for most of her career.

Before joining the PR firm, we spent eight years in politics, working on numerous Republican campaigns throughout Virginia and as the communications director and legislative aide to Springfield District Supervisor Patrick H. Herrity in Fairfax County.

Her Reason for Joining WWPR
Erika first learned about WWPR a year ago through the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, but she was initially hesitant to join since it was based in D.C. Then she attended the Women of the Year Awards Luncheon on an invite from her PR firm and signed up on the spot.

WWPR seemed like a natural fit for the next step in Erika’s career and a great way to embrace the PR world. She is excited to soak up as much knowledge and advice as she can and expand her network! She’s even hoping to put her event planning skills to good use by joining the Awards Luncheon committee where it all started, or with another event committee.

Her Out of Office Hours
In addition to WWPR, Erika is a huge advocate of giving back to the community. She is the marketing chair of the Make-A-Wish® Mid-Atlantic Community Leadership Council, serves with the Junior League of Northern Virginia, and holds a variety of leadership positions in Virginia political organizations.

When she’s not at the office or giving back, she loves experiencing what DC has to offer. Despite growing up in Northern Virginia, she’s rarely ventured into the city so she’s been steadily exploring the hidden treasures and touring off-the-beaten path locations. At home, she’s a huge fan of Agatha Christie’s mysteries and cuddling with her two rescue cats, Ronnie and Poppy.

She’s a PR strategist and writer with nearly five years’ experience in the industry.
Plus, she recently earned her Master’s in public relations
from Georgetown University. 

Her Experience
Kandis’ current position is with Adventist HealthCare, where she executes communications strategies for their medical centers and offices in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. The variety of her role is what thrills her the most: one day she could be writing blog posts to help people understand medical conditions, and the next she could be organizing an event to raise breast cancer awareness. The variety has helped her learn more about her strengths and how to manage deadlines.

In addition to recently finishing her advanced degree, she’s also started to engage in some PR consulting for socially responsible organizations. Speaking of socially responsible, her first position was working in media relations at The Humane Society of the United States—just think of all the pets!

Her Involvement in WWPR
WWPR is the first professional organization Kandis has joined since starting her career (woo!). She first learned about WWPR in graduate school, which inspired her to join after hearing it was a positive experience for many of her peers. Through WWPR, she hopes to connect with other passionate women and honing her consulting skills by networking with other entrepreneurs.

She’s considering joining the Content and Pro Bono committees, which most align with her career interests, and looks forward to attending the mixers.

Her Out-of-Office Hours
Outside the office, Kandis’ favorite activities allow her to be creative, eat great food and unwind. She especially enjoys paint bars and food and drink festivals with her friends and fiancé, as well as nature hikes and reading. She also owns a two-year-old spaniel mix!