PR Day 2009 | Oct. 7 | Delivering Value: Maximizing the Role of PR

 

For photos of the 2009 event, click here.

Guide

PR Day Program

Registration Information

Sponsorship Opportunities

PR Day 2009 Contacts

PR Day 2009 Documents - Student Scholarships Available - Apply by Sept. 23!

 " src="/tresources/en/cuteeditor/CuteEditor_Files/Images/anchor.gif">PR Day Program

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m	Registration
8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m	Media Roundtable: Social Media’s Role in Newsgathering Moderator: Garth Jowett, professor of Communications, University of Houston   How have the online community and social media changed the way the media do their jobs? Is it really necessary to join Facebook or Twitter just to pitch a story? Learn firsthand from journalists what role the Internet has played in how they do their jobs.  Like past Roundtables, this one will offer tips on the best way to get your client's messages out but will also incorporate the latest trends with social media and newsgathering. Panelists: Roger Hudson Hudson is the news director for one of the most listened to, most successful news talk radio stations in the country. As the leading creative voice of KTRH, he creates both news topics and assigns the news stories of the day to his staff. Before transferring to Houston, Hudson was an award-winning reporter at news talk KOA in Denver. There he covered diverse national stories such as the Columbine high school shootings and massive wild land fires. Hudson grew up and attended college in Anchorage, Alaska. It was while living in Alaska that Roger began a love affair with all things outdoors. His passion continues to be camping, fishing and skiing.   Jonathan McElvy McElvy is the general manager and editorial director for Houston Community Newspapers, a group of 34 newspapers in and around the greater Houston area. A native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., McElvy has worked as a consultant to community newspapers in Texas and Alabama, while serving as a journalism instructor at the University of Alabama. After earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama, McElvy began his newspaper career at The Eufaula (Ala.) Tribune as a sports editor. A year later, he became editor of publications at the Alabama Policy Institute, a political think-tank. In 1999, he returned to the newspaper business as news editor of The Selma (Ala.) Times-Journal. Less than a year later, he was named managing editor of the Times-Journal. In 2001, McElvy accepted a position as metro editor at the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser where he managed the local news coverage of the state’s capital newspaper. One year later, McElvy returned to the Times-Journal as editor and general manager and, in late 2002, was named publisher and president of the Demopolis (Ala.) Times. During his tenure as publisher, McElvy converted the twice-weekly Times to a five-day daily newspaper. He joined Houston Community Newspapers in 2006. Daniel Morales Morales is a reporter for the Telemundo Production Center, where he covers general interest stories and features for “Conteo de Noticias,” Telemundo’s statewide newscast. A native of Talca, Chile, Morales began his journalism career with the Galveston County Daily News, Texas' oldest newspaper, while a student at the University of Houston. In 1999, Morales took on a range of positions with Telemundo Houston, including news writer, assignments editor and weathercaster. He graduated from the Mississippi State University Broadcast Meteorology Program, in 2006, becoming the sixth certified meteorologist in Spanish-language television in the U. S. and one of only two working in the Texas TV market. Morales is also an accomplished still photographer whose work on Charros was exhibited at the 2005 State Fair of Texas.   Miya Shay Shay is a government and politics reporter for KTRK, ABC 13. You will often find her chasing after politicians at Houston’s City Hall or at the State Capitol in Austin. Born in China, Miya graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She has worked as a television reporter in New York, Alabama, Kansas, and Michigan, where it snows from November to May. Since joining the Eyewitness News team in 2002, Miya has covered a variety of stories. She followed both the Houston Rockets and Mayor Bill White to China. The resulting reports garnered an Emmy Award. Miya travelled extensively during the 2008 Presidential campaign, and is currently spending a lot of time covering Houston’s mayoral candidates. Besides her TV reports, Miya also writes a weekly column for Houston Community Newspapers, and a daily blog. Away from work, Miya loves to travel and look for the next great scuba diving location. She’s got a super cute dog, and spends way too much time on Facebook and Twitter. Dwight Silverman Silverman is the computing columnist, techblogger and interactive journalism editor at the Houston Chronicle and its Web site, chron.com. He writes a weekly column about personal technology and blogs daily on tech news and products. He also manages the staff and community blogs and social media initiatives on chron.com. Dwight co-hosts Technology Bytes, a weekly computer call-in show on KPFT-FM, and he is the author of two books about computing. You can read his blog at and follow him on Twitter. Return to Top
10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	Breakout Session #1 The Media Minefield: Do’s and Don’ts for Communicating During a Crisis Terri Ammerman, president & chief executive officer of The Ammerman Experience   When it comes to communicating during a crisis, there are at least a thousand ways to get it wrong. But by developing and sharpening your communication skills, you can minimize negative or inaccurate news coverage, and help ensure your key messages are delivered, heard and understood. This presentation will analyze several high-profile crises and shows you how to prevent ruined reputations, customer anger and sinking investor confidence by knowing what to do and say under pressure.     PR: Forget About 44% of What You Know Peter Shankman, founder, CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc. Sponsored by El Paso Corp. The majority of what you've learned is still applicable. But you need to ask yourself if there are better/faster/smarter ways to implement. This session will touch on that for PR, Marketing, Social Media, and Customer Service.
11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.	Breakout #2 Why You Deserve a Big Piece of the Advertising Budget Angela Jeffrey, vice president of editorial research, VMS New research reveals how a small investment in media relations yields giant returns from improved advertising effectiveness. In this session, Ms. Jeffrey will review the research findings and mini case studies, showcase effective and ineffective sample TV spots, and share ‘how to’ steps for measuring these elements on your own. There’s a whole new way to demonstrate PR’s value, which has resulted in big bucks for those “in the know.” New ways of looking at integrated communications teaches us that PR makes paid advertising work harder and better and directly influences business outcomes.   Panel Discussion: Diversity: A Business Imperative Moderator: L.M. Sixel, business reporter, columnist, the Houston Chronicle Sponsored by Comerica Bank Does your company have a diverse culture? To understand what makes a company truly diverse, the meaning of diversity should be clearly defined in the workplace, community and among partners and suppliers. This can be challenging and complicated as times change, but there is a lot to be learned from companies that have successfully fostered diversity. Effective communications is key. A panel of DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® will present some of the initiatives their organizations are managing and answer audience questions to provide insight for improving corporate and organizational diversity communications.   Panelists: Jaya Koilpillai Bohlmann Bohlmann, is vice president for Public Relations at Sodexo, Inc., based in Gaithersburg, Maryland and is responsible for external visibility for Sodexo’s operating divisions and functions across North America. In this role, she leads media relations, executive visibility, corporate social responsibility communication, crisis communication and management, media and message training, brand visibility for clients on a high level and overall guidance for enhancing and protecting Sodexo’s brand. Her background includes award winning communication for the public and private sectors across a range of industries.   Emilio Egea Egea has served as Prudential Financial’s vice president of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer since 1998. There, he is responsible for developing strategies, tools and interventions, including a strategic data capability to leverage equal opportunity, diversity and employee surveys ensuring this work is an integral part of business planning and implementation. Egea began his career with New Jersey Bell. He later moved to AT&T, where he worked in various sales, marketing, operations, information systems, labor relations and human resources assignments, including director of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Diversity. Egea is a nationally-recognized expert and leader on diversity issues and an experienced lecturer. He has been featured in The New York Times, Advertising Age, Hispanic Business, Diversity Factor, Workforce Diversity, HR Executive, Diversity Inc. Egea is Vice Chair of the Board of the American Conference on Diversity, on the Editorial Board of The Diversity Factor, a member of the Diversity Collegium and a member of the Conference Board’s Council on Workforce Diversity. Egea has also served on a U.S. Senate Task Force on Education and Employment, as Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Equal Employment Advisory Council, on Catalyst’s Taskforce on Women of Color in Corporate Management and as Chairperson of the Eastern Business Council for Service Employment Redevelopment Jobs for Progress. Leslie Sabbath Sabbath serves as the Senior Vice President, Human Resources Director for Comerica Bank – Texas Market. She serves as a member of the Texas executive management team and co-chair Comerica’s African-American Market Segmentation initiative.  Leslie serves on the Board of the Center for Non-Profit Management, the North Texas Business for Culture and the Arts (NTBCA) and the advisory board for the Dallas Blueprint for Leadership Program. She has a B.A. and M.A. degree from Western Michigan University and a law degree from University of Detroit Law School. She is a 2007 Leadership Dallas graduate. Sheryl Sellaway As executive director for Public Relations at Verizon Wireless, Sellaway is responsible for overseeing public relations, including media relations, employee communications, community affairs and promoting the company’s products and services for 11 states in the South. With more than 20 years of telecommunications and communications expertise, Sheryl has received numerous professional awards from Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Texas Public Relations Association (TPRA) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Sheryl is also an active member of PRSA and IABC. Sheryl is a mentor and serves on the several boards, including Partnership Against Domestic Violence the University of Georgia Graduate School The Ron Clark Academy and an ambassador for Dress for Success-Atlanta. She is also a 2007 graduate of Leadership Atlanta. Return to Top
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Luncheon Keynote Address: It’s Not Web 2.0. It’s Not Web 3.0. It’s Simply Life Peter Shankman, founder, CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc. Sponsored by Verizon Wireless We have more technology than ever before. We can reach more people than ever before, in shorter amounts of time. But that doesn’t mean we should do it. You can have all the tools in the world; it doesn’t mean you know what to do with them. The beauty of social and viral technology is that it allows us to reach many, many people in nanoseconds. The danger of it? The exact same thing. Shankman will show you how marketers, businesses, publicists, and everyday humans are:    •  Using social media (or a facet thereof) to spearhead new marketing campaigns and initiatives •  Realizing that just because it exists, doesn’t mean you have to use it •  Getting smarter about social networking every day
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Breakout #3 Social Media: The New Realities of Crisis and Emergency Response Communication Gerald Baron, founder, G. R. Baron & Company and PIER Systems Social media sites have become key components of crisis and emergency response communication planning. In 2008, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s use of a micro-blog site to communicate about regional wildfires set the emergency communication world a-Twitter. How are corporations and government agencies using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites for crisis and emergency communications? What’s working well? What’s not? What does the future hold? This presentation will explore these issues. As new technologies and communication channels evolve, how communicators and their leaders adapt to meet the new realities will greatly impact reputation and trust.   Social Media: It’s Kind of Like Trying to Befriend a Rabid Monkey… Peter Shankman, founder, CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc. Sponsored by El Paso Corp. How do you handle someone who's hell-bent on taking your company down? How about the rabid tweeter or Facebooker who won't stop until he's amassed an army to attack your company? Some tips and tools to work with the rabid monkey and turn him into a house cat.
2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Breakout #4 Panel Discussion: Proving PR’s Value to the Executive Suite Moderator: John Sousa, vice president for communications and community relations, El Paso Corp. Sponsored by El Paso Corp. Activity reports and ad equivalencies. Media hits and impressions. Volunteerism hours and in-kind contributions. These have been some of the traditional metrics communications pros use to prove PR’s value to those in the C-suite. But proving PR’s power is a journey, not a destination. In today’s economic climate and information-overloaded society, it’s more important than ever to find new ways to link PR programs to business objectives. This panel of PR professionals will share their unique tips for demonstrating PR’s positive impact on company and client performance. Panelists: Lynn C. Brown Brown is vice president of Corporate Communications at Waste Management, Inc., where she and her team support internal and external communications and reputation management. She came to Waste Management from Greyhound Lines, Inc. in 2005, where she served as vice president of Corporate Communications for five years. Prior to Greyhound, Brown spent 18 years with Texas Instruments, Inc. and the Raytheon Company, where she held various operations and support roles in the defense and electronics business. While at Raytheon, she was appointed vice president of Communications for Raytheon Systems Company, managing internal and external communications, advertising, and community relations. Brown earned her bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Duke University and her MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. Her recent community involvements include the Community Advisory Panel and the Leadership Houston Board of Directors, 2006-2008 for the Junior League of Houston, the American Leadership Forum Class XXVI and the Board of Directors of the Institute for Public Relations. Michael Cinelli Cinelli is associate director for public relations at the international law firm Baker Botts L.L.P. During his 30-plus years as a journalist and media relations executive, he has worked with senior management in the airline, banking and academic fields to develop, implement and execute effective strategic communications programs. At Baker Botts, he is constantly consulted by firm management and lawyers on public relations and media issues.   Linda Thrane Thrane has been vice president for Public Affairs at Rice University since 2007. She is charged with developing active support for the university among its broad base of stakeholders. Thrane served as vice president of University Relations at the University of Minnesota from 2005-2007, where she led the university’s internal communications, public relations, government relations, communications services, marketing, community outreach and alumni relations. She was executive director of the Council for Biotechnology Information, a $135 million communications initiative to inform the North American public about agricultural and food biotechnology from 2000-2004. Prior to her service at the University of Minnesota she was vice president of Public Affairs at Cargill, editorial writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, associate director of the Minnesota Petroleum Council and political reporter for the United Press International. Thrane has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Arizona State University.   Return to Top He Stuck Cheese Up His Nose? The Brand Impact of Web 2.0 and Social Media Robin Tooms and Stephen Banks, Savage Branding +Corporate Design PR professionals know the negative impact of social media. (Remember Domino’s rogue employee video or the “Motrin Moms?”) But don’t fear! When planned strategically and executed consistently as part of a company’s total approach to communications, companies in any industry can drive results and build positive online reputations. In this session, you’ll learn how to leverage your company and employees to yield better communications and search results and generate ideas for your social media strategy and monitoring practices.
3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	New Pros Roundtable: The Changing Face of PR: Understanding Generational Differences Moderator: David Casey, PR Consultant & PRSA Houston New Pros Chair Ever get annoyed by your co-worker who e-mails you from her cube that’s three feet away? Or do you know what ‘ROTFL’ means and get anxious about phone calls and face time? In today’s PR offices, it’s common for Veterans, Boomers, Gen-X’ers and Gen-Y’ers to share the same work space. These differences can cause conflict and impact business objectives. This moderated panel discussion will explore how teams with broad generational differences can work together in harmony despite varying values, ethics and communications styles. Panelists will include an intern, a newly-hired professional, a mid-level practitioner and a seasoned veteran. Panelists: Catherine Burch Graham, APR For 25 years, Graham has served in a variety of communications fields. Graham joined Houston-based LifeGift in 2001 as the organ recovery agency’s first-ever director of communications, implementing media relations, publications, special events, and community outreach across the state. Graham’s career began at CNN in the 1980s. She found her true calling in PR serving The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and Harris County Medical Society. Graham’s for-profit work included Houston’s Pierpont Communications, and she directed a media relations program for Texas Instruments. Graham is former president of Houston’s Women In Communications and is an accredited member of PRSA. She has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston, despite bleeding orange as a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. Her most significant achievement came in 2003 when her son, Duncan, was born.     Ariana Montelongo Montelongo is the public relations and minority outreach coordinator for LifeGift Organ Donation Center, managing minority outreach, Spanish-language media, internal relations, corporate communications and social media in four Texas cities. She is also LifeGift’s chief communications liaison with the Texas Medical Center. A graduate of the University of Houston’s Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, Montelongo interned with the American Heart Association and worked on the Go Red for Women campaign and the Go Healthy campaign, a co-op with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the William H. Clinton Foundation. Prior to LifeGift, she worked in marketing at Ameri-Forge Group. Montelongo is active in the Public Relations Society of America, Houston Chapter, the Public Relations Foundation of Houston, where she is the public relations chair, and the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals, where she is student activities chair and student mentorship program chair. She was recognized by the Houston Chamber of Latino Entrepreneurs for promoting health and education issues affecting Latinos and was recently named one of Houston’s Most Admirable Hispanic Women of 2009. Graham B. Painter Painter has been executive vice president of Corporate Communications at Sterling Bank since 2002 and is responsible for the bank’s public relations, community relations, advertising and employee communications. From 1996 until 2002, he was vice president of Public Affairs for CenterPoint Energy, where he was responsible for electrical and natural gas related communications as well as international consulting.   Diane Sager Sager is an interactive marketing and communications consultant, specializing in helping organizations build enduring relationships with stakeholders in a "digital ecosystem." She recently earned her master’s degree in Instructional Technology from Mississippi State University (MSU) and a bachelor’s degree in communication from MSU. As a master’s degree candidate, Sager taught undergraduate application labs for Introduction to News Writing and Reporting as a graduate teaching assistant. She also earned competitive internships positions as a digital media and new business intern with Cohn and Wolfe Austin and as a public relations intern with MSU’s Academic Outreach and Continuing Education and the Starkville Downtown Business Association. Abraham Silva Silva is an assistant account executive with Hill & Knowlton. He has worked with clients such as Deloitte, Wood Mackenzie, America’s Natural Gas Alliance and StatoilHydro. Silva began his public relations career with Lopez Negrete Communications, where he served as an intern for its corporate public relations, marketing and advertising divisions. While there, he conducted research to identify and evaluate potential communications strategies to secure a greater share of the Hispanic market. During his internship, Silva also worked on various community outreach efforts for clients such as Maseca, Reliant and Wal-Mart. Silva holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Houston.

Return to Top

• Full Day
• Half Day 
• Lunch Only

Primary sponsors
Program Sponsors & Scholarships
In-kind Sponsors
Exhibitors

If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring PR Day 2009, contact Chairs Lisa Dimond Vasquez or Margot Dimond at 713-426-4111 or info@doubledimondpr.com.  

 Committee Chairs
Margot Dimond: 713-426-4111 or 713-825-0006; info@doubledimondpr.com
Lisa Dimond Vasquez: 713-426-4111 or 713-828-5825; info@doubledimondpr.com

Communications Chair - promotions, media
Erin Schwartz: 713-563-4920; epschwartz@mdanderson.org

Sponsorship Chairs - sponsorships, vendor exhibits, donations
Priyanka Agarwal: 832-892-3762; priyankag77@gmail.com
Lauren Heflin: 936-414-6904; lauren.heflin@gmail.com

Programming Chair - speakers, program
Marvin Brown, APR: 713-420-6330; marvin.brown@elpaso.com

Venue/ Logistics Chair - exhibits, logistics, speaker travel
Meagan Stangle: 713-243-8879; meagan@HopkinsPR.com

Questions? Contact PR DAY 2009 Chairs Lisa Dimond Vasquez or Margot Dimond at 713-426-4111 or info@doubledimondpr.com.

Return to Top

" src="/tresources/en/cuteeditor/CuteEditor_Files/Images/anchor.gif">PR Day 2009 Documents

 PR%20Day%202007%20Lineup%20(For%20Website).pdf    0 KB (0 bytes) 

E-mail this page to a friend (requires login).

Comments for :

Total Comments: 1

• 
  Erin on 27-May-09 9:29 AM permalink

  This looks like a great program! I'm looking forward to the workshop on becoming part of the management team and the Shankman presentation. Thanks for providing this opportunity to the Houston chapter!

Post a Comment

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Website:

Comment:

0 / 500 characters