President Sends: February 2017

The President Sends:
What a great start to 2017! 
Over 50 PR professionals were in attendance at our January Luncheon that featured the Gazette Editor Vince Bzdek discussing “The State of the Gazette.”  And we presented our first 2 Pikes Peak PRSA “Caught in the Act” Awards to the City of Colorado Springs PIO Team Jamie Fabos and Kim Melchor. 
Feb. 8 Luncheon.  Let’s continue this enthusiasm into February as we explore “Communications Lessons Learned from the 2016 Election.” 
You need to be a this luncheon… this will be an academic and critical look at communications.  We will unpack how traditional media, social media and other PR activities created the environment for the unlikely outcome. 
***Warning*** No politics.  No “Facebook Fallouts.”  This is a professional examination of “what in the world just happened?”  Please join us!
The panel will include:

-  Corey Hutchins, Reporter at The Independent (replacing Adrian Stanley)
-  Lauren Hug, LL.M., J.D. (Founder of HugSpeak): 
http://www.hugspeak.com/about-hugspeak/lauren-hug-founder/     
-  Dr. Elizabeth Viall (CSU-Pueblo Communications Professor)
https://www.csupueblo.edu/mass-communications/contact-us/liz-viall.html
Corey’s Bio:  I cover state and national politics for The Colorado Independent and write about media at the local news level for Columbia Journalism Review's United States Project. 

March 3 Breakfast.  Just $5.00 will create new experiences and conversations at our first-ever breakfast to be held at The Warehouse, Friday, March 3 from 7:30 – 9 a.m.  There will also be a professional development component that will surely heat up your skill sets like a hot coffee!  We hope to see you there!
March APR Workshop.    PRSA members interested in seeking accreditation in public relations will have another opportunity to participate in a Pikes Peak Chapter-sponsored preparation workshop in March.
Taught by Chapter Accreditation Chair Fred Morgan, APR, Fellow PRSA, and other accredited chapter members, the workshop is normally offered after work for two to two and one-half hours for six consecutive weeks. But the workshop’s final design will depend upon the needs and desires of participants. A fee of $50, payable to the chapter, is charged those who participate in the APR workshop. 
Members interested in learning more about earning their APR should check out the Universal Accreditation Board website at www.praccreditation.org. Those interested should then contact Fred Morgan at 488-8352 or fredmorgan2@mac.com. The deadline to sign up for the March workshop is February 15.
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve our Pikes Peak PRSA Chapter. 
Take care,
JP Arnold, APR
President, Pikes Peak PRSA Chapter