In honor of Marilyn Potts, APR

The Marilyn Potts Endowment Fund was created in 2007 by the PRSA San Antonio Board of Directors to support communications students by providing scholarships and offering professional development opportunities tailored to meet the needs of young practitioners.

 

As a formal chapter of the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) San Antonio has set as its vision to advance the ethical practice of public relations and the professional. In order to realize this vision, PRSA San Antonio founded the Marilyn Potts Endowment Fund to provide education, knowledge and ethical training to individuals who are employed in or studying public relations.

 

As such, the fund will help to mentor the next generation of leaders in the San Antonio public relations community, an honor befitting Marilyn, who cared so deeply about this goal.  The fund is housed at the San Antonio Area Foundation, a 501(c)3 corporation and all contributions are tax-deductible.

 

PRSA is still growing the fund to enable the organization to offer scholarship opportunities to future professionals.  Members are welcome to show their support by donating to the Marilyn Potts Endowment Fund online or at any PRSA function.

April is Accreditation month at PRSA, a time to learn how Accreditation in Public Relations can take your career to the next level.  According to a recent CNN.com article titled “Does your resume need new acronyms?” and I quote, “Especially in today’s business climate, anything that differentiates you from the crowd and emphasizes your commitment to your profession is career critical.”

If you are interested in learning more about accreditation, here are a few things you should do:

• Visit the PRSA Accreditation web site and explore the resources available.
• Set some goals and deadlines to get it done!
• E-mail your Accreditation Chairperson and let them know that you are interested.

Happy Accreditation Month!

Monica Faulkenbery, APR

2010 Accreditation Chairperson

monicafaulkenbery@nisd.net

If you’re interested in becoming more involved with the chapter and want to further develop your skills utilizing PRSA, a few positions have opened on the Board.  You must be an active PRSA member to serve on the Board.  We’re looking for people interested in filling the following positions:

            Ethics Chair (Anyone interested in filling this spot must have an APR certification.)

Secretary (Attends monthly board meetings and records meeting minutes)

Sponsorship Chair (Helps garner corporate support for the October Professional Development workshop)

 

Please contact Clarissa Rodriguez at (210) 476-4490 or crodriguez@ssfcu.org.

Centuries of Coping with Information Overload

By Christie L. Goodman, APR

 

Major advancements in technology have many of us worried about information overload, the decline of literacy skills and even damage to brain development. In the acclaimed movie, “Doubt,” Sister Aloysius Beauvier admonishes students for using ball point pens, claiming students were becoming lazy.

 

Slate recently published an article by Vaughan Bell pointing us to earlier days when similar worries were prevalent. He goes as far back as Socrates, who said that putting pen to paper would "create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories."

 

The invention of the printing press brought about worries of the psychological strain that would be caused by the production of so many books. In the 18^th Century, when newspapers entered the scene, people worried about social isolation. Later, a few warned about the mental health risks of a schoolwork. And the list goes on. Click the headline above for the full article.

 

Your Network is Your Net Worth

The PRSA Oklahoma City Chapter is proud to host your 2010 Southwest District Conference on April 15-17 at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Hotel.  This year’s conference focuses on networking.  Your network is your net worth, so do you know how to increase it? Whether through personal interaction or online via social media, your company’s reputation impacts the bottom line. Attend the most dynamic and cost effective conference of the year. You won’t want to miss experiencing the four dynamite keynotes and 14 incredible breakout speakers. Let them show you how to make your network, and your net worth, even more valuable. Register before March 25 for the special early-bird reduced rate. Consult the conference website for the latest news. Register now.

Grow Your Business, Grow Your Brand

As a communicator and/or business owner, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about certain aspects of your business: Do we have enough cash? How can we get more business? As a business owner who works with other business owners, Ed Howie of Brand-True knows first-hand how the present economic turmoil has made those questions even more perplexing. Join us as we explore basic solutions to help you grow your business while increasing your brand value. History shows leaders who invest in telling their story reap the benefits faster when customer spending revives. Plus, we’ll collectively explore your own company’s relevance and differentiation. Come prepared to consider the power of branding for yourself…and your clients.  For more information, please visit the invitation.

 

Members Note: Early bird price ends the Friday before the luncheon. Due to the luncheon planning cycle, we cannot accept walk-ins on event day.  Don’t miss the cut-off; register today!

By Randy Escamilla

 

Anamaria Suescun-Fast

Director of Public Relations & Public Affairs

Guerra•DeBerry• Coody Marketing & Communications

 

Anamaria Suescun-Fast’s career in public relations began 20 years ago as a secretary working at Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme park. “It was still two months before its grand opening and they were looking for a secretary in the public relations department. The rest, as they say, is history,” said Suescun-Fast.

 

Her ability to speak Spanish and Colombian heritage proved valuable at the park where she soon served as spokesperson to the Spanish-language media as well as representing the theme park during trips to Mexico. “I have had the opportunity to be put in situations where I had two choices; figure it out and excel or freak out and fail.  I guess you can say I rose to the many challenges, look back, and say that after all these years I still love it,” she said.

 

She credits PRSA with enhancing her career.   To continue the article, please click the headline.

March Luncheon Review

By Millie DeAnda

PRSSA Vice President

UTSA PRSSA Chapter

 

On Thursday, March 4th three UTSA students and I attended the PRSA luncheon.  We were delighted to hear what Evan Smith, Tribune CEO Editor In Chief had to discuss regarding his privately funded newspaper.  His manner and eloquence captivated all students and professionals alike.  His lecture covered the evolution of the newspaper industry towards a more digital system and the methods, he, along with his staff implore to stay in operation.  The lunch provided by the Bright Shawl was delicious as always, and the staff was pleasant.  We also helped collect donations for the Marilyn Potts Endowment Fund prior to the lecture.

 

Thank you again for this opportunity and we hope to see you at the next PRSA luncheon. 

PRSA’s new national Website includes more career tools

Check out PRSA.org. It’s sporting a new look and it’s very user friendly as well. Job seekers will be please with the new resources offered at the Jobcenter.

Some of the highlights include:

• Job Seekers can post a resume FREE, find a mentor or ask the experts for advice (the PRSA Jobcenter Mentorship Program was featured on CBS’ The Early Show), subscribe to “job alerts” or even receive “job feeds.”
• Employers have the opportunity to post positions with discounted rates for nonprofits and other categories, opening the job hunt to thousands of prospective PR professionals. The job ad will also appear on PRSA’s Facebook and Twitter page.
• Salary information is available from the Spring Associates' Salary Report

           Tip: Obtain access to PRSA San Antonio’s Job Bank and you can link directly to the PRSA national Jobcenter site.

Get the best of both PRSA national and your San Antonio chapter for a discounted price! Receive a free one-year chapter membership when you join PRSA National in March or April. This is a $40 savings for those of you interested in joining PRSA.