Volume 2 | October 2021
Letter from the President
A post-conference and member survey reveals great suggestions for 2022.

Did anyone else have a sigh of relief as the general session of the 2021 TAMIO Annual Conference got underway in August? After 18 months of COVID messaging, executive orders, Zoom calls, and more, TAMIO members were finally able to reconnect in person to do what we do best: network, share, and learn. It was great to be together again.

And when we were finally together in one place, there were many new faces. Almost half of the attendees at this year's conference were first-timers. Some because they were new to the job of government communicator and some just new to TAMIO. It was refreshing to see all the new ideas and perspectives.

We appreciate everyone who came to Round Rock and enthusiastically embraced what TAMIO had to offer: keynote speakers offering expert advice, sponsors supporting our conference financially and educating us on new services and technology, and colleagues sharing their knowledge and experiences.

We asked members in our annual post-conference survey to tell us what they liked - and didn't like - about the conference and to give feedback and suggestions on ways we can improve the most important benefit we offer our members. Many thanks to those who completed the survey.

And we heard you. The survey revealed important feedback and some terrific suggestions. Here's some of what you told us:

  • Session topics and speakers remain the most important factor in determining conference attendance. You're looking for experts who can speak on issues pertinent to your daily work and offer specific solutions and tips. You also occasionally like speakers who can entertain and engage you.
  • When it comes to sessions, you want to see some topics that focus specifically on one-person shops, maybe even creating tracks throughout the concurrent sessions that would benefit members in one person or smaller departments.
  • Sponsors are important, and not just for their financial support of TAMIO. You would like more time outside of the sessions to connect with them.
  • Pre-conference sessions, while not always heavily attended, offer great opportunities for a deep dive into specific topics, especially hands-on training.
  • The Film Festival is still a favorite among members. But you also want to see more videos, and not necessarily videos from TAMI Award finalists. A wider representation of work from cities across the state means more ideas for you. You'd even like to see multiple videos grouped into categories like public safety, budget, etc. Also, you'd like to see the TAMI Award video finalists presented "Oscar style," with a snippet from each of the finalists shown during the awards ceremony. We think that's an outstanding idea.
  • And when it comes to the TAMI Awards, you'd like to see population breaks narrowed so that smaller communities have more opportunity to participate.

These suggestions, and many others, will be the board's framework for planning next year's conference in Houston. Our goal is to provide our membership with the best conference experience across the board - networking, sessions, sponsors, and keynote speakers. And you play a big role in that through your participation. If you're a TAMIO member in the Houston area, we would love to have you join us as part of the local annual conference planning committee for Houston 2022.

Now more than ever cities are learning the value of communicating and providing transparency, as well as discovering the critical role professional communicators play in refining their messages and creatively engaging their residents. The number of first timers we saw in Round Rock was exciting. It speaks to the sustainability not only of our profession but this organization. 

TAMIO offers a safe and nurturing space for communicators to learn from each other and from experts from across the country. The annual conference is the best place for that experience to happen. We look forward to seeing everyone next June at the Four Seasons in Houston.

Jay Warren
President, TAMIO
TAMIO Annual Conference
Save the Date – 2022 Annual Conference

Thanks again to everyone who attended this year’s conference and made it such a huge success! Be sure to save the date for next year’s conference, which will take place June 8-10, 2022, at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston. 
TAMI Awards
See Your Peers’ Award-Winning Work

The conference has come and gone, but you can incorporate ideas from the amazing presenters and award winners all year long. This year, our new awards platform also provides the capability to allow everyone to see the winning entries. View the list of winning entries and their amazing work at https://texastamio.org/2021-tami-winners. To see the winners in each category, just click on the category you’d like to view. Please note, some categories have multiple population breaks and/or ties so there may be more than three winners per category/division.
Teammates Needed 

If you are passionate about government communications and enjoy exchanging ideas and innovations with your peers, you should be a TAMIO Teammate!

We currently have a group of Teammates who love to share their insights in their area of expertise, such as social media, website design, video programming, marketing and graphic design, and media relations.

Here is the criteria for being a Teammate:
1. A strong interest in a particular discipline with desire to share and learn more yourself
2. Demonstrate experience in that discipline
3. A commitment to post conversation-starters on your topic in our TAMIO Facebook group and to respond to questions from our members
4. A willingness to propose blog posts (TAMIO Thoughts), and participate in conference sessions and webinars as expertise and your schedule allows

If you’re interested in becoming a TAMIO Teammate, please email Dorothy White and include the area of expertise you’d like to represent.
October Webinar
Don’t miss the October 27 webinar.

The October webinar is coming up. “Video From A to Z!” will his webinar cover everything you want to know about video production but have been afraid to ask. Hear from our TAMIO Teammates about production techniques, technology tools, tips for fun and effective videos, and much more.

The webinar is complimentary but you must register to attend. For more information on the panelists, check here. To go directly to registration, click here.
Development and Education Committee

During the past year, TAMIO has offered frequent webinars on a variety of topics. We need member input to continue to plan for meaningful presentations. If you are interested in serving on a committee to help develop these sessions, please email Dorothy White, vice president for development and education. Committee members will collaborate to identify topics and presenters for webinars, blog posts, and annual conference sessions. The group will meet via zoom three to four times per year. 
TAMIO Constitution Changes - Voting Extended to November 5

Earlier this year and in accordance the TAMIO Constitution, TAMIO held elections for the regional directors on the Board of Directors. One of the positions ended in a tie vote that was ultimately resolved with a coin toss.

The current Constitution does not provide guidance on how to handle tie votes, and the Board recently approved changes to codify the method of a coin toss for resolving ties. It is now time for the members to vote.

If you would like to see a marked-up copy before voting, please click here.

We need a majority of members to approve the changes (approximately 200). Voting will take a couple of minutes.  

Voting ends at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 5.

Welcome to our newest members!
Lauren Adams - City of Lubbock
Joel Archer - Videotex Systems, Inc.
Ari Avilla-Arango - JPW Communications
Ashleigh Babbington - City of New Braunfels
Kayla Baez - City of La Porte
Kat Balbi - City of Garden Ridge
Lora-Marie Bernard - City of Lake Jackson
Monique Breaux - City of Brenham
Marina Bustillo - City of Grand Prairie
Andrew Clark - City of Mansfield
Shannon Craft - Town of Fairview
Kerri Craig - City of Horseshoe Bay
Bianca Cuccerre - City of West University Place
Ashly Custer - City of Edinburg
Alicia Dean - City of Austin
Christopher Decker - City Granite Shoals
Melissa Demmit - Town of Flower Mound
Christia Derr - City of Springtown
Mai Dinh - Trinity River Authority
Jennifer Fitzgerald - Tripepi Smith
Lindsay Francis - City of Temple
Evelin Garcia - City of Buda
Elizabeth Gray - City of Garland Power & Light
Candice Griffin - City of Belton
Cara Harting - City of Frisco
Jenny Hoff - City of Bee Cave
Katie Klein - Town of Shady Shores
Cynthia Lemus - City of Arlington
Janell Lewis Ford - City of Killeen
Cesar Manzanera - City of Georgetown
Victoria Maranan - City of Lockhart
Judie Mattocks - City of Georgetown
Danielle Mavridis - City of Mansfield
Jenny McCann - City of Highland Village
Gretchen Mercer - City of Canyon
Dustin Miller - City of Lewisville
Jamie Milstead - City of Lewisville
Amanda Moran - City of Pittsburg
Megan Nelson - City of Canyon
Kiara Nowlin - City of Temple
Tara Olson - City of Austin
Bianca Ortiz - City of Pearsall
Elaine Ortolani - City of Denton
Tom Peine - Bexar County
Suzanne Pharr - City of Mount Enterprise
Angie Pike - City of Winnsboro
Sterling Randle - Town of Northlake
Thomas Reeves - City of Baytown
Maria Rentrop - City of Brownsville
Natalia Reynolds - Harris County Flood Control
Todd Rice - Town of Prosper
Anna Sabana - City of Austin
Daniel Seguin - City of Jacksonville
Nadia Sixiengmai - City of Amarillo
LaMarriol Smith - City of Buda
Kristi Soto - City of Allen
Christopher Stoltz - Williams County
Allison Strupeck - City of Hutto
Brent Taylor - City of Houston
Robert Taylor - City of Boerne
Jeremy Thomas - City of Arlington
Matthew Thornbury - City of Lewisville
Tenishea Turner - City of Princeton
Aly Van Dyke - City of Georgetown
Roland Waits - City of Georgetown
Elizabeth Walters - Harris County Flood Control
Jess Washburn - City of Fulshear
Payton Weidman - City of Tyler
Lya Yilades - City of McAllen
Heriberto Zuniga - City of McAllen
Member Retirement Recognition

Are you or a coworker retiring? TAMIO would love to recognize them with a small gift and certificate. Find the requirements and the form here.
Who’s Hiring? 

TAMIO now has its own job board. The listings from the TML Career Center that are communications-specific go directly to the TAMIO Career Center.