FPRA, SWFL Chapter Names 2010 Chapter Award Recipients

The Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Southwest Florida Chapter has named the three recipients of its annual chapter member awards.

Danielle Flood, Public Relations and Communications Manager at Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) has been named the 2010 Rising Star. Ms. Flood joined ECHO in December 2007 after serving as a missionary in Niger, West Africa for two years. She is responsible for ECHO’s public relations and communications, including the web site and social media campaigns. She currently serves as the FPRA chapter’s Special Projects Co-Chair.

The recipient of the Rising Star Award must be involved energetically and enthusiastically in many chapter projects; seize opportunities to develop his or her career; exhibit a desire to pursue leadership opportunities in FPRA; support of fellow public relations practitioners; and display professional attitude and conduct.

Victoria B. Moreland has been named the 2010 Chapter Member of the Year. Ms. Moreland joined the Lee County Port Authority as the Department Director of Public Affairs in May 2007, where she is responsible for the promotion of Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field General Aviation Airport. Her career spans more than 34 years in the aviation industry. She has served as the FPRA chapter treasurer, and co-chaired the local Image Awards in 2009-2010.

The Chapter Member of the Year must give time and energy in the areas of creative thinking and participation in chapter projects; support the chapter in raising the level of professionalism in our community; exemplify a professional attitude and standard of conduct; and support fellow public relations professionals.

Pamela L. Nulman, APR, CPRC, President of Nulman PR and Marketing has been awarded the 2010 PR Professional of the Year distinction. Ms. Nulman is an independent public relations consultant offering strategic and creative marketing and public relations solutions for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. She has been a member of FPRA’s Southwest Florida Chapter since 2001 and is the incoming Chapter President for 2010-2011.

The PR Professional of the Year must display a professional attitude and conduct; cooperate with and support fellow public relations professionals; and be concerned with raising the professional standing of FPRA.

Established in 1938, FPRA is the oldest public relations organization in the country. FPRA is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners, who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida.

For more information about the SWFL Chapter of FPRA, click here.

Bridging Yesterday with Today: Lessons Learned from a Rutbuster

The Florida Public Relations Southwest Florida Chapter will welcome Myra Janco Daniels, founder of the Philharmonic Center for the Arts and Naples Museum of Art at its luncheon meeting on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers. Mrs. Daniels will discuss the evolution of public relations and share her personal experiences as featured in her new book Secrets of a Rutbuster: Breaking Rules and Selling Dreams.

Myra Janco Daniels is a former Chicago-based advertising executive, who served as president of Draper Daniels Inc. and before that was executive vice president of the firm Roche, Rickerd, Henri, Hurst, Inc. She also ran her own agency, Wabash Advertising, in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was the first woman in the country to head up a major national advertising firm and became the youngest person to be honored as National Advertising Woman of the Year by the Advertising Federation of America (now known as the American Advertising Federation). Daniels earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business and communications from Indiana State University. She held a six-year associate professorship in marketing and advertising at Indiana University, where she pursued doctoral studies in marketing management. Mrs. Daniels is a former member of Florida Arts Council and has won numerous honors, including a Jefferson Award for community service and honorary doctorates from the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Allegheny College. More information about Mrs. Daniels can be found at ww.myrajancodaniels.com.

Mrs. Daniels’ book Secrets of a Rutbuster: Breaking Rules and Selling Dreams will be available for purchase and signing following the luncheon.

The cost to attend the luncheon meeting is $18 for members, $25 for non-members and $10 for students. Walk-ins are welcome for an additional fee. For reservations or information, visit http://www.fpraswfl.org/.

President's Word: When putting it off is no longer an option

By: Kathleen Taylor

FPRA SWFL Chapter President

As the sun streamed through the afternoon rain, Josie the PR gal gazed out the window, ignoring the afternoon deluge of email. "I'll deal with that tomorrow," she said.

Josie sank in her chair and bemoaned the mound of work looming over her left shoulder. The contents of far too many individually labeled ivory manila envelopes bulged from all of the clippings and notebook papers full of scratch drawings and notes stuffed inside. She pulled out a folder from the back labeled "great ideas" and sighed at the irony of all those shiny new thoughts crammed in a dusty, forgotten folder. "When am I ever going to find the time to get to this?" she cried. "I'm so booked up with meetings and phone calls and daily duties that I'm too exhausted to actually go through all those ideas or even think about adding another project."

Josie felt so overwhelmed with possibilities that even simple routines had begun to feel monumental. She yearned for inspiration, yet dreaded the day a new project would come along. Her headache throbbed in her temples like a skipping CD track as a reminder of all the other things that she hadn't finished. This pile of work is taking over my life, she thought. My husband jokes that he should send out missing-wife flyers, my dog barks at me when I walk in the house, and my mom keeps waiting for me to call her back. I wish I had the first thought on how to balance all this.

Sound familiar? Josie's story is one that you may have shared time and again with an empathetic friend. Sometimes in our efforts to do it all, we get into this self denial-driven, vicious cycle of the I-would-if-I-coulds, and it can hold us back from getting anything done.

Delaying that phone call you keep meaning to make or holding back on delving into a new exciting project can be so easy when we're already overwhelmed. The good news is that sometimes it only takes a single line through a to-do list item to start a new rhythm.

When we buckle down and focus on one task, finish it, then pick up the next piece and repeat, we can boost ourselves back into a cycle of accomplishment. As we struggle to make it in this multi-task-oriented world, we can lose both our focus and our motivation. Putting off big tasks or delaying new challenges just makes the stack bigger for tomorrow. As Josie might say, who has time for that? Finding time to realize your passions means deciding that putting it off is no longer an option.

Whoa! Totally rad, BIG 80s Sunset Social planning gets a move on

Like we are SO sure, that you will want to be in the mix for all the adventures in FPRA at the Sunset Social at Annual Conference this year. Our version of the Breakfast Club amped up at First Watch in June to divvy up duties and brainstorm bombdiggity details for this year's event. The Sunset Social (formerly known as the Scholarship Fundraiser) is where FPRA conference attendees chill out from business duties to have dinner, mingle with colleagues and friends, and have some wicked fun bidding on silent and live auction items.

The 2010 Sunset Social is going to be a blast from the past, 80s style, with totally rad costumes, games of awesomeness and, like, fantabulous prizes.

Here are the dude-licious deets (you know, the details?):

What: BIG 80s Sunset Social
Where: FPRA Annual Conference, Naples Grande Resort, ballroom
When: Sunday night, August 8, 5-7 p.m.
Why: Networking and silent/live auction fundraising event for Florida Public Relations Education Foundation (FPREF)
Cost: $40 (separate from conference registration), includes dinner

Register and pay ahead: http://www.fpra.org/

*Conference attendance is not required to attend Sunset Social.

Whoa! Worried that your kicks aren’t rad enough for this bodacious bash? Don’t have a cow…check out these 80s flashbacks for ideas: http://www.inthe80s.com/glossary.shtml

*Breakfast Club posse above from left front: Tiffany Esposito, Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC Carla Ulakovic, Event co-chairs Sharon Arnold and Cheryl Garn, APR, and Pam Nulman, APR, CPRC.

What to Do When the Media Call (And the News Isn’t Good)

Media Training for PR Professionals
Wednesday, July 14
9 a.m. – 4:35 p.m.

A very special opportunity has been brought to FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter members, thanks to Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC! On July 14, spend an action-packed day at The News-Press and Waterman Broadcasting learning hands-on interview techniques that will sharpen your media relations skills. For full details, click here. This is a MEMBERS ONLY event and will be limited to a total of 25 attendees – first come, first served.

You’ll spend the morning at The News-Press, where you will:

• Learn effective interview techniques from Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC
• Participate in the morning news meeting with The News-Press editors
• Tour The News-Press
• Discuss ethical dilemmas faced by The News-Press editors and how you would respond to them

Then travel to Waterman Broadcasting to spend the afternoon with NBC-2 and ABC-7 executives, where you will:

• Enjoy a working lunch with NBC-2 Executive News Director and Manager of Marketing and Promotions Darrel Lieze-Adams and Florida Weekly Publisher Pason Gaddis
• Practice what you’ve learned about effective media techniques in on-camera interviews with NBC-2 Anchor Jamie Yuccas
• Tour NBC-2 and ABC-7 with Waterman Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Pontius
• Watch the 4 p.m. News live in the NBC-2 Studio

Best of all, you get an entire day of media training for only $9.25, which includes a boxed lunch from Jason’s Deli. We will also offer a Chapter t-shirt at a discount if you purchase in conjunction with this event. Attend the media training day, get lunch and a t-shirt for only $20! Shirts will be distributed at the event.

Registration for this event is now full, but please email Angie Strait to join the wait list!

2010-2011 Board of Directors Proposed Slate Announced

It is that time of year again when we present to the full membership, a proposed slate of officers for the FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter 2010-2011 Board of Directors.

Listed below you will find the recommended slate for the 2010-2011 Board of Directors. The chapter will officially present this slate for a vote of approval by the membership at the member meeting on July 13, 2010, at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater at 11:15am. Register now by clicking here!

The Officers as approved, as well as appointed Committee Chairs on the Leadership Team for 2010-2011, will be officially inducted at our member meeting on September 7, 2010. If you have any questions, please feel free to Jessica Clark.

President: Pam Nulman, APR, CPRC

President Elect/Membership: Carla Ulakovic

Immediate Past President: Kathleen Taylor, APR

Secretary: Laura Puerto

Treasurer: Erin Comerford

VP Member Relations: Julia Babair, APR, CPRC

VP Professional Development: Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC

VP Communications: Jessica Clark, APR

VP Community Relations: Tiffany Esposito

Conference Update

Fantastic New Speaker Joins FPRA's Annual Conference Line-up!

Hear and learn from the Publix Super Markets Media and Community Relations Manager, Shannon Patten as she shares the research and strategies behind building the Publix GreenWise Market Brand

To learn more about this talk and others click here now!