Message from the President

I wanted to share with you the goals the board has chosen to focus on this year.


· Provide value to members through monthly programs, professional development seminars, online resources and networking opportunities. (Success measured through annual membership survey.)

· Hold at least two engagements with outlying area members this year.

· Increase average number of members attending monthly meetings to 25 and increase student membership.


As you can tell, these revolve around ensuring you get your money’s worth regarding PRSA membership. We also hope to grow the chapter by offering opportunities to areas outside Springfield and through increased student membership, both of which will benefit the chapter in the long term.

Having an engaged and committed membership is critical to the success of our chapter, and I hope you will either volunteer to help plan and organize our key annual activities or answer the bell when called on by one of our directors. So far, several have committed to assist the three directors-at-large initiatives including:

· Claire Faucett, Professional Development Seminar

· Stacey Fender , PR Boot Camp

· Lori Marble, APR accreditation

· Becky Lucas, web site

· Angela Frizell, social media

· Melinda Arnold, communications

· Zac Rantz, scholarship

· Andrea Cramer, student liaison

· Ann Elwell, membership

We may be small (boutique!) but our expectations are not thanks to the time and energy these folks are willing to give.

Finally, the members who responded to the last survey regarding changing the day/time of the monthly meetings voted overwhelmingly to keep it where it is, so we will consider the issue closed and plan on meeting the fourth Tuesday of each month in the same location this year.

Message from the President

Look who’s sitting next to you Sept. 30 at our exciting Professional Development Conference. It just might be a student of public relations from one of our area colleges. Which just might be an opportunity for you to switch places.

Not literally, of course, but by moving into learning mode, you may discover what these top students are thinking and doing as they prepare to leap into our career field. Then you might want to borrow some of these ideas back at your own office.

Students majoring in public relations bring a certain energy to the table, no doubt. And it’s not just because they’re out there on rim, trying out the newest trends and applications. Students, particularly those involved with campus chapters of PRSA, can teach us much about what next steps we should be taking with our own strategic public relations plans.

In planning our always-stellar Professional Development Conference, we made sure to provide a breakout session for students only with Josh Stoffregen, a social media pioneer now working in New York City for Prudential Financial but who only a few years ago was sitting in PR classes at Missouri State University.

Also at the conference, you’ll meet Jaclyn Cantrell, 2010 recipient of our chapter’s Dr. Joe McAdoo Memorial Scholarship. Jaclyn is a junior at Drury University.

In Washington, DC next month, the national conference of the student organization PRSSA will be meeting concurrently with PRSA’s international conference. There’s a session bringing professionals and students together and you can be sure the brightest new ideas will be shared. I’ll let you know what I learned from these stellar students.

On Oct. 26, our monthly meeting will feature students from area colleges presenting projects and portfolios developed in their public relations courses. The tables will be turned as the professionals learn from the students.

Finally, consider how a strong relationship with our student chapters can also be a way to find interns, recruit entry-level employees and cultivate future leaders for our chapter.

Maybe this is the fabled fountain of youth: When we tap sources like these, we bring to life new creativity and talents to share with the world.

June message from the president

Professional conferences: Snooze? Or spark? If you don’t see the relevance to your particular niche in public relations, a conference can be one big yawn.


But don’t ask that question of chapter members Claire Faucett, Randy Berger, Tom Ellis and now president-elect Don Hendricks. They would tell you otherwise, having attended one of PRSA’s many top notch conferences this year. In fact, Don just returned from a PRSA Leadership Rally in New York City for chapter leaders.

However, you don’t have to go far for a top flight conference. On Sept. 30, our own chapter presents a professional development conference of the highest caliber. Planning chair Paula Ringer and her committee have already booked Dr. Joseph Trahan whose topic will be “Top Dog Barks First —The Spokesperson’s Role,” and Josh Stoffregen who has moved Prudential Financial’s global PR forward using social media. Josh is a fairly recent graduate of Missouri State University who now works in New York City.

Circle Sept. 30 on your calendars—you won’t want to miss our Professional Development Conference.

In October, I’ll be joining Melinda Arnold, our Assembly delegate, at PRSA’s International Conference in Washington, D.C. Would you consider attending, too? Leaders in social technology emergence, crisis communication, and public affairs will present keynote sessions. One of those is a panel on how health care reform and public affairs will interact.

We’re taking a break from our regular monthly meetings in June, but I look forward to seeing you in July.

Message from the President

One of our chapter’s past presidents, Melinda Arnold, is happy to tell new acquaintances that we first met when she was in high school and I was . . . well . . . older than that. We didn’t reconnect until much later, when both of us were public relations professionals in Springfield. When we both landed in PRSA, we made a point of sharing best practices and learning from one another as we served together on our chapter’s board of directors.

One of the many benefits of membership in PRSA is the opportunity to make enduring friendships. Some may argue that this is only a side benefit, but I would counter that it is often through friendships that professional careers grow.

Those of you who have worked on one of our chapter’s projects or events know how that involvement allows you to know other members in a more personal way, brainstorming ideas and achieving something new. Committee work also opens doors, their small size facilitating good discussion and an exchange of views between veteran and new members. Service on the board of directors is often where you’ll learn the most about PRSA and its inner workings, from national on down. Your service can yield lasting professional relationships and, yes, friendships as you work together toward mutual goals.

I’ll always be older than Melinda, it’s true, but we’re the same when it comes to our belief that being involved members of PRSA benefits our careers—and our friendship, too.