Produced by the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
What was your most amazing PR achievement this past year?
It’s time to take stock and be recognized…and recognize your teams too. The Summit Awards are a great way to honor the impressive work you and your colleagues have done in the past year, but the deadline is coming fast. Have your entries in by this Friday, Oct. 16, to be considered for this year’s awards.
Now, a few chapter updates for you:
-Your 2021 Board: On Thursday, Oct. 8, during our monthly webinar and meeting, we elected our board for 2021.
President: Cayce Myers, Esq., APR
President Elect: Sherry Wallace
Secretary: Jes Gearing
Treasurer: Brittany Madonna
Past President: Chris Turnbull
National Assembly Delegate: Douglas Cannon, Ph.D., APR+M, Fellow PRSA
Directors-at-Large: Jennifer Eddy; Jeremy Butterfield; Connie Stevens, APR; Lori Greiner
-Calling all Sponsors: We are looking for sponsors for the chapter for 2021. If you or your company is interested in supporting the chapter, drop our chapter administrator Allie Buth a note: Allison.Buth@gmail.com.
-Jobs? If you or your company has any communications/public relations job openings, please let us know. We’ll post on our Blue Ridge Chapter website. Send Allie Buth or me a message (Allison.Buth@gmail.com or crturnbull@carilionclinic.org).
-Speakers in the Spring. We are interested in keeping our twice-monthly virtual speakers series going into the spring, given the continuing restrictions on gatherings due to the pandemic. If you have an idea for a guest speaker, please let Cayce Myers or Bianca Pell know (mcmyers@vt.edu or biancap@vt.edu).
Have a great month!
Chris
One for the money: Our intern Bianca Pell, a VT PR student, has been busy at work these past few months lining up virtual speakers to complement our already scheduled luncheon speakers. Please stay tuned for several speakers this month and next, among them Evan Nierman who will speak on “Cancel Culture.”
Two for the show: Take advantage of these events and webinars, some of which are free to PRSA members.
10/26-29 ICON 2020: PRSA’s digital gathering of thought leaders, industry experts and partners in communication, public relations and marketing will deliver four days of innovation, insights, ideas, and inspiration directly to you at your location, no matter where you are in the world.
11/12 Getting It Right: Diversity and Inclusion in LGBTQ and Latinx Communications
11/19 Liven Up Your PR Writing
12/8 PR Measurement: How to Use Data to Engage Your Stakeholders
Three to get ready: Here are some quick ideas to help you grow professionally.
Jim Lukaszewski, veteran crisis communicator, has a valuable newsletter. Sign up here.
The quest to understand something new is a key factor to building the resilience necessary to weather setbacks and navigate life’s volatility. Here’s a great article from the New York Times about resilience.
Four to go: Each month, learn more about one of our members. Please consider submitting your profile for an upcoming feature. Here’s how it works.
This month, we have a chance to get to know Cayce Myers, Esq., APR, our incoming chapter president. Cayce is a professor at Virginia Tech.
What was your best day as a communicator?
Anytime a student comes back with a success story in public relations. I’ve been teaching public relations for nearly 10 years, and I’m always happy to hear about their success in their public relations careers. It’s the best part of being a professor.
What is the most meaningful gift you’ve ever received? What did it mean to you?
When I was sworn in as an attorney, the judge I was working for gave me my first dollar I earned as an attorney. Because the judge loved origami, the one dollar bill folded into a dress shirt. He signed and dated it. It sits framed in my office to this day.
What’s the longest line you’ve ever stood in, and what was it for?
Wimbledon in 2005. It was during graduate school when I was working at CBS News’ London Bureau. We had done several Wimbledon stories that year, but there was nothing like seeing it in person.
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