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The
monthly newsletter for the
Hampton Roads Virginia Chapter of PRSA -
April 2007
The
monthly newsletter for the |
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April
Meeting Preview You Decide: Hampton Roads Next Top Interns If you ever fantasized about being a judge on American Idol or America's Next Top Model, then you don't want to miss the April 4 PRSA Hampton Roads meeting at the brand new, upscale Embassy Suites in Hampton! Hampton
University Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) members
are extremely excited about "auditioning" for the coveted "Hampton
Roads Next Top Interns." PRSA members who have paid or unpaid internship
positions to offer this summer or next fall at their workplaces can serve
as judges. Judges must be able to attend the April meeting to choose the
Hampton Roads Next Top Interns by matching PRSSA members to available
internships. All of the students are expected to complete a 150-hour internship
as a graduation reguirement. If you can serve as a "judge" at the April 4 meeting, please contact Rosalynne Whitaker-Heck, PRSSA Chapter Advisor, at rosalynne.whitaker- heck@hamptonu.edu or at 727-5622 for details. All judges will receive a special gift and student resumes will be provided in advance. Judges from the following organizations have already expressed their participation: BCF This is a
wonderful way to connect our future "PR'ers" with PRSA members.
Let's show our support for the students who are working so hard to make
the April 4 meeting a memorable, fun and exciting event
Focus
on Leadership
- Rosalynne
Whitaker-Heck,
APR Full name: Rosalynne Denise Whitaker-Heck
Hometown: Hampton
Family/Pets: I have the pleasure of raising one 10-year-old daughter, Thea – a very sweet 50-year-old-husband, Ted, and a feisty 75-year-old mother, Evelyn. We don’t have any pets since Tyler, the Beta fish, died a few months ago. We had a very touching funeral service for him before we tossed him into the ditch in the backyard.
What brought you to Hampton Roads? My mother, who birthed me at Whittaker Memorial Hospital in Newport News.
How long have you been in the PR field? I have been in the PR field all my life. When you’re an only child, public relations is an essential skill to develop in order to maintain that “spoiled brat” image.
Current position: I am happily teaching public relations and special events courses at the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications at Hampton University. I am championing the PR cause by passing on the baton to future PR’ers.
What do you like to do on a day off? I like to catch up on stuff that I couldn’t get around to doing because I was too busy doing other stuff.
What has been your most memorable PR challenge? After only three months on the job as a media coordinator for Newport News Public Schools, I had to respond to the media about an escapee from Eastern State Hospital who murdered a middle school teacher in the school’s parking lot just before bus loads of children were to arrive for classes.
Who do you most admire? I most admire parents who have more than one child and none of them are seeing a therapist.
What is the most valuable feature of being a PRSA HR member? I love the connectedness to the profession because I can bring it back to the classroom.
Currently PRSA HR leadership role(s): I am currently a board member at large and the Hampton University PRSSA Advisor. PRSSA
conference: a great opportunity
The PRSSA Conference, titled "Make the Ascent," was sponsored by Key Bank, General Motors Corporation, 3M, Brigham Young University, Hill & Knowlton and Mozy. The conference provided students who want to pursue careers in the field of communications, especially public relations, an opportunity to interact with PR and communications professionals. The Agency and Organizational Tours, PRSA General Sessions, Résumé Enhancement Session and Career Development Exhibition were just a few workshops that served to aid students with their networking skills. The Chapter Development Sessions, presented by various PRSSA chapters, offered creative ideas on ways to further the PRSSA chapter at each college and/or university, including information on how to turn your chapter into a student-run firm. The session focused heavily on fundraising, recruiting, retention, etc. Aside from the professional aspect of each day, there was also time allotted for students to socially interact with each other. The opening social, Bring Us Something PRSSA: Expanding Your Horizon, allowed PRSSA Conference participants the opportunity to network with other public relations students in a relaxed and comfortable setting. Overall, the PRSSA conference was a great opportunity. I would recommend each PRSSA member to try their best to attend. It would be even better for the chapter to host one of the chapter-run seminars and showcase what the PRSSA chapter at Hampton University has to offer!
Hurry! Sale ends soon! Save
$65 on new memberships during final days of March! Joint
PRSSA/PRSA Associate Membership now available “Graduating seniors who obtain dual-membership will still have access to all of PRSSA’s resources, such as JobCenter and PRSSA scholarships, but will also be able to participate in PRSA Chapter activities and gain access to PRSA benefits,” said Kimberly Gouz, PRSSA national vice president of member services. “Affiliation with PRSA allows these students to begin networking with both new and seasoned professionals who can mentor them and provide valuable insight.” PRSA associate membership will be granted to applicants who are in good standing with PRSSA and are at least five months from graduating. Membership will be good for two years for a fee of $60. After two years, the PRSA associate member will be automatically upgraded to member. Students interested in applying for associate membership can contact PRSA/PRSSA headquarters by phone at (212) 460-1474 or by e-mail at prssa@prsa.org. Reminder: "Marketing
Your Mission: Creative Ways to Cultivate Donors Through Strategic Marketing!" Treasurer's
Report-February 2007 Deadline
for submissions for News
& Views is published monthly for members of the Feedback please! Your opinions are important. Please e-mail questions, comments, suggestions, story ideas or concerns about News & Views to Jennie Burge. Miss an issue? Visit our archives collection. Listings for the job bank should be sent to Karen King, APR. Changes in membership information should be made in the Chapter's online Membership Directory. |
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PRSA
Hampton Roads chapter president Becky Lawson, APR recently established
the monthly "Spirit Award." The purpose of the Spirit
Award recognizes chapter members who have truly made a difference
in the community. Nancy Harrison Parker, APR, with the law firm
of Vandeventer Black, LLP and Kevin Gaydosh, AFP Fellow with
O’Brien, etal
were recognized at the March chapter meeting for their community
service work with the American Red Cross. 
Nancy,
after meeting with the American Red Cross, recognized that the organization
needed a public poll to learn how familiar the community was with
it and its services. She called on her contacts with ODU's College
of Business and others, including fellow chapter member Kevin
Gaydosh to get the ball rolling on the poll. Over the course of
several weeks, ODU student volunteers made 1200 random phone calls,
read a 10-minute script and polled willing participants. The end
result was a thorough poll with summaries, recommendations and raw
data for the American Red Cross to use for more effective programming.
Great work Nancy and Kevin!
As
a member of the Hampton University Chapter of PRSSA, I attended the 2006
PRSSA National Conference that was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, thanks
to a generous grant from the PRSA Hampton Roads chapter to help cover
my expenses.