eChaser: April 2012 / p3

GET A JOB

AvreaFoster, a downtown Dallas ad agency, seeks freelance junior copywriters. Applicants must have at least two years of experience (agency preferred), a college education in a writing-intensive field and proficiency with the Macintosh and Microsoft Word. Send résumé and electronic work to resumes@avreafoster.com. ...

Flexjet in Richardson is hiring a junior-level communications writer, ideally someone just out of college with a couple of years experience who wants to get her feet wet with a client-side marketing team. Apply online. ...

from Ned’s (Lundquist) Job of the Week: communication specialist, Conifer Health Solutions, Plano ... web copywriter/editor, Qualbe Marketing Group, Fort Worth ... art director/conceptual graphic designer, Aha, Austin (through Talent Zoo) ... PR manager, Datacert, Houston ... executive communications consultant, Dell, Round Rock, Texas ... services communications senior adviser, Dell, Plano ... internal communications consultant, Dell, Plano

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Allyson Cross, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

Let’s talk benefits of PRSA membership, specifically the opportunities, both local and national, for communication leadership. As April gears up, communication leadership is a common thread at GFW PRSA. Consider:

• Worthy Awards. I know, I know, you’ve heard enough about the Worthys to last you until, well, next year’s competition. But here’s a reminder that you can demonstrate leadership as a communications professional through our inaugural competition. You’ll find categories for public relations programs and tactics, and our chapter is leading the way regionally by including an academic bracket. Final entry deadline is April 6 — make sure to submit your entries.

• April is APR month. Pursuing your accreditation in public relations is an outstanding way to demonstrate knowledge to an employer and potential clients. Interested? PRSA national has several webinars that will explain the process. Contact APR chairs Gigi Westerman, gigi@strategicimage.com, or Sandra Brodnicki, sandra@brodnickipr.com.

• PRSA Board of Directors. To really demonstrate leadership, consider serving on the national board. For information on this tremendous opportunity, visit prsa.org/AboutPRSA/Leadership/Board_and_Assembly_Service/.

Many thanks to all who contributed to our fabulous March program and luncheon. This month promises to be just as riveting as Simon Salt, founder and CEO of International IncSlingers, provides an in-depth perspective on how we all can converse better with consumers. I look forward to seeing you there!

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OVER & OUT

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

The family of man lost a champion with the death of Jim Gilliland, husband of former chapter executive secretary Ann Gilliland. As I told the Star-Telegram,

Jim had a knack for knowing that you needed a little something, and no matter how crowded the room he’d glide over and make it happen for you. Quiet man, bold (OK, garish) ties, Florida Keys shirts. What a wonderful guy. ...

Even without knowing all the intricacies of your situation, let me posit that you could use a night out. We’d be honored at Fort Worth SPJ if you spend it at our awards banquet. Click RSVP above and circle your day planner for Friday, April 13. All the folks here made the scene last time. This year, put yourself in the picture. ...

NPR recently announced a shift away from “he said, she said” journalism. Presumably, this means that if an NPR newsgatherer knows the politician is lying (purely a hypothetical!), the story will present both the lie and the truth. A difficult task, but oh, so meritorious. ...

Registration has opened for the Excellence in Journalism 2012 conference. Join SPJ, RTDNA and more than 1,000 colleagues and experts in Fort Lauderdale, Sept. 20-22. Members receive a significant discount and even more cost savings by registering before the early-bird deadline, Aug. 28. ...

News spreads when people connect. That’s also how knowledge spreads, and that’s why SPJ offers a private Facebook group for journalists to meet through the SPJ Mentor Match-up. The group is open to professional, postgraduate and retired members but not to student members. More from Heather Dunn, hdunn@spj.org. While we’re on the subject, Fort Worth SPJ seeks mentors for students in the UTA chapter. Contact UTA faculty adviser (and Fort Worth chapter prez) Kim Pewitt-Jones, kim56@tx.rr.com or 817-480-1229.

Caught my eye. FDA rejects petition for BPA ban in food packaging. ... Keystone XL will raise gas prices. ... How many Americans do just 10 coal mines kill? ... In today's GOP, Nixon would be a ‘flaming radical’ for green stances: Noam Chomsky. ... Sustainable Forestry Initiative couldn’t join LEED, so now it would destroy it. ... College readiness left behind in new social studies standards. ... Federal judge rules that a blogger is not a journalist. ... Study linking cancer and diesel exhaust, suppressed for decades by industry lawsuits, finally published. ... Island nation of Kiribati considers moving entire population to Fiji to escape climate change. ... Largest geothermal system in the country nears completion at Ball State. ... Benzene in emissions near fracking sites may pose health risk, study shows. ... MIT unveils 3D solar arrays that produce 20 times more energy. ... Study shows natural gas is a bridge (fuel) to nowhere. ... Hertz launches electric bicycle rental scheme.

Closing words: “I don’t think he’s very apologetic, I think he’s doing it because people were taking their advertisements off his program.” — U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, on Rush Limbaugh’s tepid apology to Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke ... “He looked at me as if I were a side dish he hadn’t ordered.” — Ring Lardner ... “I hesitate to define just what the qualities of a true wilderness experience are. Like music and art, wilderness can be defined only on its own terms. The less talk, the better.” — Ansel Adams ... “We should treat all the trivial things of life very seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality.” — Oscar Wilde ... “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” — Michael Pollan

Closing words II, when Republicans collide: “We cannot afford to lose the Medicaid funding for low-income women to have health care services. We can’t keep turning back federal funds that every state gets and then try to find money in our budget, which is already being cut in key areas like education.” — U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, criticizing Gov. Rick Perry for his war on women’s preventive care