Hoosier PRSA Blog

October Luncheon and Hoosier PRSA Annual Meeting

Join us for our October 14 luncheon, featuring prominent community member and chairman/CEO of locally based Emmis Communications, Jeff Smulyan, a national expert in media trends. Is all traditional media dead? Join us for a lively discussion on new media vs. old media.

Register here: http://prsa.eventbrite.com

Attendees will also vote on the 2010 slate of officers as part of the chapter's annual meeting.

Monthly luncheons for Hoosier PRSA take place on the second Wednesday of each month. Registration and networking begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch and announcements at noon. Presentations begin by 12:30 p.m. Please join us!

Announcing (Earlier) Annual Meeting and 2010 Slate of Officers

The Hoosier Chapter of PRSA bylaws state that the annual meeting is to occur in November. However, in order to distance the business of the annual meeting from the already-busy Half Day with a Pro luncheon and to allow the new board to have more transition time before the holidays, the 2009 Annual Meeting will be held on Oct. 14, 2009, during the regularly scheduled luncheon at the Hilton.

At the annual meeting, the members will be asked to vote on the following slate of officers for 2010.

President: Jamaison Schuler, APR
President-elect: Becky Moore, APR
Past President: Jennifer Mahoney, APR
Director, Operations & Research: Cindy Dashnaw
Director, Communications*: Chuck Gose
Advocacy Officer**: Kay Millar, APR
Director, Member Services: Andrea Farmer 
Director, Professional Development: Jeremy Ecenbarger
Director, Membership: Amy Kraft
Director, Finance: Ryan Puckett
Ethics Officer: Bobbi Simmons, APR
Assembly Delegates: Rick Nelson; APR; Myra Cocca, APR; Sonja Popp-Stahly, APR; Chris Bias, APR
Assembly Delegate - Alternate (Non-voting): Bob Schultz, APR

*Formerly known as Director of Internal Communications
**Formerly known as Director of External Communications

The nomination committee convened on Aug. 31 to choose this slate of officers. While the number of voting board members remains the same, the evolution of our chapter has prompted a small adjustment to the titles associated with the communications area of the board. After the national PRSA bylaws have been adopted and our chapter has received proposed template bylaw language for local chapter adoption (estimated timing is early Q2 2010), we will amend our bylaws as appropriate and bring those proposals forward for the membership's vote.

According to the chapter bylaws, additional nominations shall be accepted from the members at the annual meeting provided such nominees have been consulted and agree to serve if elected. In that circumstance, balloting shall be by secret ballot. Please notify a member of the nomination committee in advance if a write-in nomination is planned so that proper accommodations can be made.

If you have any questions or comments about the slate of officers or the election process, please contact Jennifer Mahoney at president@hoosierprsa.org or Jamaison Schuler at presidentelect@hoosierprsa.org .

Respectfully submitted by the 2009 Nomination Committee: Jennifer Mahoney, APR; Jamaison Schuler, APR; Dan Millar, APR, ABC; Ryan Puckett; Kristen Fuhs Wells

Check out the latest PRPM Hot Tactics Webinar

Hoosier PRSA will continue its new educational series, PRPM Hot Tactics, in September with a FREE webinar, Exploring Versatility Through Web-to-Print.

Chris Hutson, president of DCG Digital Color Graphics, will cover the benefits of a Web-to-Print solution. By using a personalized Web site, organizations are now able to narrow down the details of printed materials to one centralized location and easily maintain branding identity standards.

This program is being offered at two different times for your scheduling convenience!

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Time: 12 to 1 p.m.
Registration/Details: http://prpm1.eventbrite.com

OR

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009
Time: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Registration/Details: http://prpm2.eventbrite.com

Please contact Jeremy Ecenbarger with any questions about this PRPM Hot Tactics.

About PRPM:
Hoosier PRSA has launched a new educational series that provides practical training on current public relations tactics and measurement tools in a convenient, remote environment. Held via Webinar, the FREE classes are ideal for the busy professional who is always on the go, yet eager to be educated on the latest news, trends and how-to information regarding the practice of public relations.

To download a list of all upcoming events in the PRPM Hot Tactics series, click here.

Diamond Award Entries Now Being Accepted

Don't miss the chance for recognition (and savings!).
The East Central District of PRSA is recognizing shining examples of public relations campaigns and tactics through its 32nd annual awards competition. The Diamond Awards competition is open to any public relations professional, including members of the 15 chapters in the East Central District or any nonmember whose place of business is within the district boundaries.

The EARLY BIRD deadline for entries is Friday, September 18, 2009.
The FINAL deadline for entries is Friday, September 25, 2009.

More information, including the entry brochure, can be found at:
http://www.ecd-prsa.org/events/diamond.html.

Please contact eastcentraldistrictprsa@verizon.net if you have questions.

Ethical Public Relations - Join us on 090909

I recently attended a bloggers conference in which one individual asked the presenter, "If PR isn't about spin, then what is it?"

That question could open up a whole can of worms, but what it implies is that PR professionals lack ethical standards. As a member of PRSA and a board member of the Hoosier Chapter, I pointed out to this individual, and the rest of the audience, that we have a code of ethics that the Society takes very seriously.

Unfortunately, there are some practitioners out there there giving PR a bad name because of their flawed ethical standards (or lack thereof). Perhaps you've been following the debacle around Sigg and whether its older-model water bottles contain BPA, or maybe you've heard about the PR agency that was having its interns post positive reviews of client apps on Apple's App Store. There was also a kerfuffle recently about a small PR firm's handling of accidentally CC-ing a pitch to several bloggers, journalists and industry leaders--the firm's reputation was shattered in minutes. 

With these thoughts in mind, you are invited to attended the Hoosier Chapter's monthly luncheon meeting on September 9 (090909). The luncheon will star some of our own member professionals posing ethical dilemmas – real problems they have faced.  The presenters will include Shari Morey of Batesville Casket Company, Inc.; Erik Johnson, APR, Fellow, from Borshoff; and David Shank, APR, Fellow, of Shank Public Relations Counselors.

The audience will be the ethics evaluators at each of your luncheon tables. Together, you and your colleagues will discuss the cases presented and create solutions to the problems posed. 

PR educators Debra Worley, Indiana State University; Ray Begovich, Franklin College; and Jim Bright, Indiana University, will facilitate the table discussions.

Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Location: Hilton Indianapolis, 120 W Market St (map/directions)
Parking: There is free parking at the Hilton on Market St. Parking vouchers will be available at the registration desk. Note: If the Parking Garage says, "FULL" please pull up and tell them you are with PRSA and you will be able to park there.
Time: Registration and networking -- 11:30 a.m., lunch -- 12 p.m., program -- 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Cost: Member, $25; Guest, $40; Student, $18
Note: Each attendee will receive an official copy of the PRSA Code of Ethics.

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE