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PEOPLE & PLACES
Cindy Vasquez is now internal communications associate at Alcon.
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NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS
SPJ ... Erika Pribanic-Smith, UTA Communication Department ... David Russell, Verizon
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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Carol Murray, APR, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
While I’m sure there was no grand scheme behind it, I think it serendipitous that I
should take the reins as president of Greater Fort Worth PRSA in its silver
anniversary year. As a charter member (yes, that certainly dates me), I’ve been fortunate to witness our chapter’s phenomenal growth, both in size and stature within our national organization
and throughout the region.
What began with a few dozen members has grown to more than 160 of the finest
public relations practitioners in the country. Twenty-nine of our members have
earned PRSA’s Accredited in Public Relations designation (and more will join their ranks
once APR chairs Gigi Westerman, APR, and Sandra Brodnicki, APR, are done with the new recruits). Even more impressive are the five PRSA
fellows who grace our roster. And how many PRSA chapters can claim to have a
PRSSA chapter named after one of its members?
Our programs, professional development opportunities and special interest events
have grown through the years, and there’s no end in sight, as evidenced by the offerings planned for 2011. Our yearlong
25th anniversary celebration will be highlighted by a high-profile special
guest presenter and seminar in April. We also hope to incorporate some new
networking opportunities, to give current and former members the chance to
reconnect.
I look forward to this year, backed by a great team of talented, energetic and
savvy PR professionals, some of whom I’ve known for, dare I say, 25 years. Serendipitous indeed!
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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Laura Hanna, IABC Fort Worth
Jan. 1 always sparks a sense of optimism: Anything is possible, and all good
things are probable. This is especially true at IABC Fort Worth, where we
anticipate a great year of worthwhile meetings, networking opportunities and
professional development seminars.
The chapter’s Bronze Quill competition showcases the best work of area communications
professionals. The mentoring program with our student chapter at Texas Wesleyan
University provides a great way to share your knowledge and encourage the next
generation of your teammates.
During board strategic discussions in December, one fact kept surfacing: Plans
are only as good as the people who implement them. So we’re placing an emphasis in 2011 on bringing more members into the chapter
mainstream. There are plenty of opportunities to be part of the process that
makes good things happen. Let’s make the most of them together.
In this first quarter of the year, we will start forming the nominating
committee to create next year’s slate of officers, at-large directors and committee chairs. Think about where
you fit in. Perhaps it’s leading a special interest group on a subject you’d like to explore. Surely other members share the same interest. Why not create
a forum on this topic in a fun way with your fellow IABCers? I’m at 817-531-5810 or lhanna@txwes.edu. Let’s talk.
And mark your calendars for noon Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the City Club for the
first member luncheon of 2011. See you there!
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
You woudn’t believe the hate-filled e-mails pouring into SPJ national over this. Then again, maybe you would. It’s a mean world. ...
Remember former Fort Worth SPJ executive secretary Lou Brooks? She remembers you. “Sure miss all of you,” Lou writes from Houston, where she has lived for several years. “I’m still working and having a ball.” You could write her, you know — lbrooks@sfedshouston.org. ...
We noted in November the Lone Star Emmy nomination of CBS 11’s Vince Bosquez for his video essay on 10-year-old piano virtuoso William Lord, who likes to entertain diners at the Highland Park Cafeteria in Dallas. Now
here’s the link. A lot of talent here. Vince and the kid on the keys. ...
Young professionals looking to boost their career are encouraged to apply for
the SPJ Reporters Institute. Funded by the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, the
program brings 36 reporters together for three days of training, networking and
camaraderie. The June 12-15 program is geared toward video/broadcast
journalists, and the July 10-13 program is for journalists who primarily write.
More at http://spj.org/ri.asp or from Heather Porter, hporter@spj.org. ...
Now in their 17th year, the Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma
reward ethical and in-depth reporting across media boundaries — newspaper, radio, television, online, independent productions, magazines and
magazine websites. Judges will select up to four winners, each of whom will
receive $5,000. Application deadline is Jan. 25. Info here. ...
SPJ has rolled out eCampus, on-demand, online training geared toward today’s multimedia-platform journalism, taught by veteran journalists with expertise
in broadcasting and social media. From basic video and Flip-camera field
reporting to aggregating information and communicating it online, the sessions
are designed for the journalist on the go. For example, the ”Basic Video Techniques” series with broadcast/video educator Deb Wenger details beginning video capture and edit, more advanced shot composition and
framing, and how to maximize Flip performance.
Headlines that caught my eye. The “SPJ national update” feature is going away, but items that would’ve been there will now be here, right above “Closing words.” For instance, are you keeping up with net neutrality or the WikiLeaks cable dump? Here’s an additional smattering. Walk in, grab a muffin and watch a newspaper reinvent itself. ... SPJ: “Ethical journalism prevailed” in reporting of latest WikiLeaks release. ... Why WikiLeaks’ latest document dump makes everyone in journalism — and the public — a winner. ... “Students, don’t get swept up in cynicism about journalism’s future.” More next time.
Closing words: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas
in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One
should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be
determined to make them otherwise.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald, who also said, “The wise writer, I think, writes for the youth of his own generation, the
critics of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever afterward.”
Closing words II, baby it’s cold outside division: “Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.” — 15th-century poet Pietro Aretino ... “In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” — William Blake ... “One kind word can warm three winter months.” — Japanese proverb ... “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible
summer.” — Albert Camus ... “Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.” — Victor Hugo
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