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MEETINGS
Back to School
Don’t believe all you hear about millennials. The IABC Fort Worth Student Chapter at
Texas Wesleyan University has broken the mold. The students will host the pros
for the April meeting and throw in Smokey’s BBQ to boot.
Wesleyan alumnus Jason Lamers, chief of staff for the Fort Worth mayor and City Council, will bring the
program on community involvement. Communication students will showcase their
projects around the room.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, April 15
Place: Wesleyan’s Bragan Fellowship Hall, 3229 E. Rosedale St.
Cost: members $25, nonmembers $30, students $20; online add $1, walk-ins without a
reservation add $5; lunch included
RSVP and pay online by noon April 11
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Accreditation in Public Relations: Defining Standards for 50 Years
Dr. Douglas Cannon, APR+M, will use examples from his career to illustrate how APR has helped set
practice standards and influenced how PR people approach their work since 1964.
Offering his 24 years working with the United Methodist Church in Texas as a
case study, Cannon will focus on approaches to prepare for public relations
activities, planning to reach objectives, implementation steps, and evaluation
of results based on criteria established in advance.
Greater Fort Worth PRSA APRs and fellows will be honored at the lunch. This is
the 50th anniversary of the Accreditation in Public Relations, the public
relations industry’s only national postgraduate certification.
Cannon, accredited since 1991, is serving his second stint on the Universal
Accreditation Board. From 2001 to 2007 he represented the Religion
Communicators Council and helped re-engineer the Accreditation Examination.
Since 2012 he has represented PRSA. A Virginia Tech assistant professor, he
helped launch the additional skill identifier for military communication
(APR+M) and a new entry-level certificate for recent college graduates.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 9
Place: Colonial Country Club, 3735 Country Club Circle, Fort Worth
Cost: chapter members $25, national members $30, nonmembers $35, students $20;
walk-ups add $5
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A night of praise and accomplishment: 11th annual First Amendment Awards and
Scholarship Dinner. Click on the invitation above to RSVP.
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STRAIGHT STUFF
The annual Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, hosted by UNT’s Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism, marks its 10th edition July
18-20 at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center in Grapevine, with a
focus on writing about science, technology, medicine and innovation. Slated for
2014 are keynote speakers David Quammen, contributing writer for National Geographic, and Pulitzer Prize-winning
authors Lawrence Wright and Sheri Fink. More at themayborn.com. ...
At the next Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting (7 p.m. Monday, April 21, Richardson Public Library), Susannah Charleson, author of the award-winning “The Possibility Dogs,” will show that writer's block can be more opportunity than impasse. Her topic: “Moving Mountains and Throwing Down Stones,” or how to make the most of what seems to be a full stop, generate fresh ideas
for a project, and bring new energy to the keyboard.
IABC local update: Weber Shandwick senior digital manager Alyssa Gardina will recap the trends from this year’s South by Southwest Interactive Conference at the IABC Dallas luncheon Tuesday,
April 8, at Maggiano’s NorthPark. Info here.
PRSA national update: Webinar reminder Thursday, April 10, 2-3 p.m., “How the APR Can Boost Your Career.” Register here.
PRSA local update: News that’s Worthy. The Worthy Awards deadline has been extended to April 11. Organizers
urge early submissions in case issues arise prior to the judging. | Entries will be accepted electronically this year, plus entrants will receive
judges’ feedback electronically. The PRSA chapter in Little Rock, Ark., will judge. | Communicator of the Year honors a community leader from outside PR who has
demonstrated exemplary communications ability with a significant issue or event
in the Fort Worth-Dallas area. Last year’s honoree was Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, who attended the gala. | Sponsorships range from $100-$500 program ad packages up to $2,500. Contact Kyndall Burroughs at kyntx1@gmail.com for sponsorship information, or co-chair Holly Ellman (h.ellman@tcu.edu) with questions about the gala, or Joe Stout (josephstout@yahoo.com, 817-308-5520) with questions about the entry or judging process. | The awards gala will be Thursday, May 29, at the Fort Worth Club. More at WorthyAwards.com.
PRSA local update II: The Masters SIG’s first event of the year, “Public Engagement and City Government: A Conversation with Mayor Betsy Price,” unfolds Wednesday, April 23, 8-10 a.m., in the pre-council chambers at City
Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St. Price and chief of staff Jason Lamers will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the city's communications program and
public engagement strategies. A continental breakfast will be served. Seating
is limited to the first 20 RSVPs. Attendees must have at least 15 years experience in PR.
PRSA local update III: GFW PRSA wants to hear from its members. Submit a guest blog on PR trends and topics, member news, etc., to be posted on the chapter blog. Likely not all submissions will be published, but all will be considered. For
more information, contact Rebekah Moore at rebekah@gfwar.org.
PRSA local update IV: BNSF corporate relations VP Zak Andersen will discuss "BNSF – Leading an Energy Tansportation Renaissance" at the PRSA Dallas monthly meeting
Thursday, April 10. Info here.
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