Continuing to Reach for the Stars in 2017

 

PRSAPresidentJK
Josh Kauffman, APR         PRSA-CI President

Dear PRSA-Central Illinois Chapter members and guests,

As we concluded our March 9th event in Peoria titled Effective Media Relations in a Social Media World, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you, loyal supporters of PRSA-Central Illinois (PRSA-CI), for your continued commitment and participation in the professional development, networking, and career opportunities we offer.

Based upon our board’s annual planning meeting and your feedback from a recent survey, I’ve learned a lot from you this year, and from the countless conversations we’ve had at our events. I’ve learned that many of you are leaders in your industries, and that streamlining or leveraging your company’s communication efforts is a high priority along with forging deeper relationships with reporters. I’ve also learned that our programming last year was widely commended and has appropriately set the bar high for years to come. Thanks to your involvement and feedback, the PRSA-CI board was able to recruit some of the most influential agency, health care, tech and higher education PR speakers across the nation.

To leverage this momentum and increase value for you, we plan to unveil chapter-run webinars at discounted prices for members this year, and have also partnered with national conference organizers in Chicago to bring unprecedented discounts for PRSA-CI members to attend additional industry-specific educational venues in Illinois.

I hope that our services have improved your skill set and exceeded your company’s goals, and have significantly expanded your network. I hope that our progressive board of directors have impressed you with its level of friendliness, customer service, and the increasingly high number of services we provide. I hope that you’ve taken advantage of all the benefits PRSA National, the largest PR association in the U.S., and PRSA-Central Illinois have to offer. If not, I hope you’ll become involved more this year, and I look forward to discussing these options with you more at upcoming events.

For the latest news, please follow us on Facebook@CentralILPRSA.

Thanks for a great year thus far.

Sincerely,

 

Josh Kauffman, APR, MBA                                                                                                 President, PRSA-Central Illinois

 

 

Summer Sets the Tone for Planning, Volunteerism and Reflection

PRSAPresidentJKOur summer season is often associated with barbeques, family outings, vacations, watching the kids at home, finalizing the budget for a new fiscal year, or starting the first chapter of the book you’ve wanted to read for some time. But, often, we could use the warm season to learn a new technical skill, perfect graphic design or video production, enhance  our social media proficiency or analytics, blogging, or to set aside time to volunteer at your favorite nonprofit organization. As we consider the plethora of options for the season, let’s recap the many popular events that already took place in our Public Relations Society of America – Central Illinois chapter and highlight new opportunities for our members and guests to become more involved.

April 28 Event in Peoria on Organizational Change Management

In the Embassy Suites in Peoria, our chapter learned from keynote speaker Jack Modzelewski, global president, business development and partnerships, and senior partner of FleishmanHillard. Without a doubt, we were inspired by his perspective and insightful stories on organization change management throughout Fortune 500 companies. With a packed room, our attendees had the unique opportunity to obtain hundreds of takeaways, and answers to their most pressing questions. We are grateful for Jack’s wisdom, and the invaluable experiences he graciously shared with us that evening.

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Free Chapter Membership Through Summer

Have you considered joining our PRSA-CI and were waiting for a membership promotion to help lower your annual costs? Now is the time! I want to personally extend an invitation for you to seriously consider becoming a member, as our free chapter promotion runs through the summer months after individuals become a national member and access hundreds of benefits and a network of more than 21,000 PR professionals across the world. To learn more about this promotion and to join today, please click here.

Chapter Progress & Opportunities

As we progress further into the summer, our chapter has experienced continual growth in membership, programming, and value added opportunities. Our chapter launched a new comprehensive website, which expands new features and information for members, and also introduced a new mentorship program to help PRSA-CI members and professionals excel in their chosen industries. To access and bookmark our new PRSA-CI website, please click here.

New PRSA-CI Mentorship Program

We have recently initiated a value-added program for PRSA-CI members to either serve as a mentor or mentee. Mentees are matched with experienced mentors who are available to coach, guide and assist other PRSA-CI members through calendar year 2016. If you are a PRSA-CI member and are interested in becoming a mentor or mentee, please complete the brief form on https://centralillinoisprsa.org/contact-us/ and describe what you are looking for in a mentor or mentee.

Communications and Social Media

Our chapter continues to offer publishing opportunities, in our newsletter, for members to summarize our events, describe what they learned and how they plan to apply it in their career. Our chapter also unveiled our new PRSA-CI LinkedIn Group page for members to share best practices, learn about new career and development opportunities, and ask questions in a forum style or share contacts.

As a chapter, our membership numbers and influence continue to rise, and we continue to partner with communication and marketing groups throughout the Midwest. In addition, I’m very pleased to report that we have reached more than 110 followers on our PRSA-CI Facebook page! If you haven’t done so yet, please “like” our Facebook page to learn more about industry news and upcoming events, and members can also join our PRSA-CI LinkedIn Group page to share best practices, contacts and opportunities. Our next chapter event is anticipated to occur in September with planning already underway. More details will be posted to our Facebook page in the weeks ahead.

Thanks again for your continual support and involvement in our chapter, and we look forward to seeing you at our event in September!

 

Warmest regards,

 

Josh Kauffman, MBA, APR

PRSA-CI President

System Director of Communications and Public Affairs

Hospital Sisters Health System

President’s Message: Calendar Year 2016 Brings Inspiration, Change and Growth

PRSAPresidentJKWith spring 2016 among us, our chapter has experienced continual growth – both in membership, programming, and on our board -and via new value added opportunities. It’s an affable time for communicators –all the way from the south suburbs of Chicago to the St. Louis Metro East area (in Illinois) to join our PRSA- Central Illinois (PRSA-CI) chapter to learn, network, and volunteer.

In February 2016, PRSA-CI had the opportunity to expand our knowledge of social media analytics and crisis communications through speakers Joe Yun, leader of social media analytics for Technology Services at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and Nate Hartmann, chief creative strategist for Yellow Box. Yun leads the team that collects and analyzes social media content that involves UIUC and social media content produced by university employees. Hartmann worked as a consultant for the university, and has extensive expertise in combining earned, social and paid media in campaigns. Our chapter continues to recruit speakers in the digital arena, and we look forward to maximizing professional development opportunities for our event attendees.

Last month our chapter also introduced a new mentorship program among PRSA-CI members to help students, graduates or new Central Illinois residents better understand their chosen industries, to serve as a sounding board to navigate our career path and unanticipated challenges. We’re excited that several experienced and seasoned PRSA-CI members, including many of our board members, volunteered to support chapter members and become mentors. Furthermore, our chapter introduced publishing opportunities, in our newsletter, for members to summarize our events and describe what they learned and how they plan to apply it in their career. Our chapter also unveiled our new LinkedIn Group page for members to share best practices, learn about new career and development opportunities, and ask questions or share contacts.

Our chapter board has also grown in size and geographic reach. The PRSA-CI board has added three new members this year, including Stefanie Santos McLeese, CEO of Santos McLeese, L.L.C. as our chapter’s new membership chair, Elizabeth Kerns, assistant professor of communications and public relations at Olivet Nazarene University as our new communication chair, and John Wirtz, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign as a new board member.

As a chapter, our membership numbers and regional influence continue to rise. In fact, I’m very pleased to report that we have reached more than 100 followers on our PRSA-CI Facebook page! If you haven’t done so yet, please “like” our Facebook page, and learn more about industry news and upcoming events. I’m also very proud to announce our next chapter event on April 28 in Peoria will feature Jack Modzelewski, global president, business development and partnerships, and senior partner of Fleishman Hillard. You won’t want to miss this rare opportunity.

Thanks again for your continual support and involvement in our chapter, and we look forward to bringing you the best programming, speakers, venues, networking environment, and professional development opportunities throughout 2016.

Warmest regards,

Josh Kauffman, MBA, APR
PRSA-CI President
System Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Hospital Sisters Health System

President’s Message: Winter 2015

It’s hard to believe that we are approaching our final meeting of the year and it is time to elect new officers and board members for 2016. Our nominating committee has selected some very qualified candidates to lead the chapter in the coming year and beyond. We hope you will join us on December 3 and participate in the election.

We are excited to have Jim Flynn, CEO of Hult Marketing in Peoria, as our speaker for the December meeting. Jim will share his expertise about branding. See more details about his presentation and how to register in the above article.

In the past, we have heard from some members who say they have difficulty attending meetings because of the distance. If you have that issue, please let me know. I will be happy to help connect you with others who are coming from your community, so you can arrange to car pool and hopefully make the trip easier.

As a chapter, we are very proud of Kendra McClure, who recently earned PRSA accreditation, and now can use the “APR” with her name. The APR distinction demonstrates knowledge and abilities in the public relations profession. I am sure Kendra would be happy to talk with you about how you, too, can earn the APR.

Congratulations also go to the ISU PRSSA chapter on their two awards which were presented at the national conference. (See article below.)  Our chapter supports several student chapters in central Illinois by providing professional advisors as well as offering networking opportunities.

As we move into the New Year, please know that the chapter board is looking for volunteers who are interested in being part of the chapter planning and activities. Feel free to contact any of the board members to discuss your interest and learn how you can participate.

Happy holidays.
Ruth Slottag, APR
President
rslottag@aol.com