Our Statewide Network

While at the state board meeting in Palm Coast, Ginny and I had the chance to talk to several FPRA leaders from around the state. Among them were Association President Lanette Hart, APR, CPRC (left) and VP of Finance Jennifer Moss, APR (right).



Jennifer Moss, APR is the Southwest Florida Chapter's Executive Committee Liaison. She is excited about upcoming plans this year, and she's planning to attend PRU in January and the Image Awards Gala in April.

Chapter leaders are certainly delivering on the state Association's theme of "The Birth of New Ideas"! Through their out-of-the-box thinking and strategic planning sessions, FPRA members now have more resources and benefits than ever - each one exponentially increasing the value of their involvment with the organization. Lanette closely read all of the quarterly chapter reports submitted by chapter presidents, then made an extra point to recognize every individual chapter for their best practices and forward thinking accomplishments (see Ginny's prior post for details about how Southwest Florida stood out).

And speaking of PRU...one of the speakers in the line up will be VP of Planning and Research Chris Gent.



As the man-behind-the-keyboard for many FPRA blogs, Chris' presentation at PRU will show the Power of PR in today's social media-scape. Through his work as Vice President of Corporate Communications at Kissimmee Utility Authority, Chris knows the value of social media and has many great tips for how organizations can implement new tools in their communications plans. Save the date for Friday, January 9, 2009 and watch http://www.fpraswfl.org/ for registration details coming soon for PRU.



VP of Accreditation and Certification Jeff Nall, APR, CPRC, effectively de-mystifed the CPRC process in a special presentation to the board. He is excited about his role this year, and he encourages FPRA members to invest in themselves by obtaining valuable credentials. Learn more about becoming an APR or CPRC, and let FPRA help you take that next step. Locally, contact SW Florida FPRA Credentialing Chair Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC for more details.


View more photos from the State Board Meeting - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fpra/sets/72157608812457210/

Soon and Very Soon

We are going to attend the first quarterly state board meeting of the year tomorrow at 8:30. It's a full five-hour driveto get here from Southwest Florida, particularly when rush hour in Orlando strikes just as we're driving through the area. We arrived safe and sound at the Hampton Inn right around 6 p.m. on Friday night in Palm Coast in Flagler County. The Volusia/Flagler Chapter graciously hosted a welcome reception at the nearby Emergency Operations Center for members who arrived a little earlier. Ginny and I stopped by hoping to catch up with crowd, but we missed it by minutes. Famished from our journey and eager to check out a new city (neither of us has visited this area before), we decided to grab a bite to eat at a local dig. Where better to get local than at a restaurant that proclaims "Locals Welcome," we thought. Right next to a nearby airport tarmac sits a great sports bar named..."High-Jackers." You can even eat outside on the patio and watch the planes take off. So, in the spirit of the November luncheon meeting: turkey or triumph? Either way, the food was great and atmosphere was very laid back and friendly.

On another note, Ginny and I brainstormed some ideas about the coming year. Because there are Image Awards benchmark deadlines are already creeping up, we decided to make it official. Ginny and I will be chairing the Southwest Florida Chapter Image Awards and Gala with the help of several Leadership team members who have enthusiastically volunteered to pitch in. Plenty of committee members added to the mix will really make this a team-earned success! With that determined, she and I were up to our knees in the brainstorm that followed. Image ideas we floated included ways to carry out the theme "SuperPoweRed PR" and new ways to generate buzz to increase the number of entries for this year's awards. How does City Pier turned Gotham City with a PR symbol projected into the sky sound? Also, we tossed around the idea of offering a discount to the event based on prior event attendance and participation. Not to mention, this blog will be a great place to post ongoing progress by the soon-to-be-formed committee.

Although no specifics have been decided yet on Image, two things are for certain: 1. Ginny and I are amped up about the events to come this year, and 2. Long drives go by in a heartbeat when you have so many exciting things to talk about on the way!

Fondly,
Kathleen Taylor