April 2021
Kansas City's PR & Communications Resource
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A Letter from GKC-PRSA
By Lea-Ann Germinder, APR, Fellow PRSA
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As PRSA celebrates APR Month, the GKC-PRSA chapter celebrates our rich history of supporting the APR program. Since 1997*, dozens of colleagues have achieved the prestigious accredited in public relations (APR) credential through the GKC-PRSA chapter. Today, 30% of our members are APR. Here’s what our current board members have to say about achieving APR:
"Earning my APR was one of the best things I could have done for myself related to my career. As communication professionals, it is so important to understand the concepts and strategy of good communication plans. I am thankful for those who surrounded me and encouraged me to earn my APR. The process of earning the accreditation helped me broaden my knowledge and skills in strategic communications. I use those skills every day. If you are thinking about earning your APR, reach out to me. I will tell you all about my experience."
-- Celeste Burks, APR GKC-PRSA VP, Membership
“Since my formal education is not in public relations, it was extremely important to me to earn my APR for a couple of reasons. Going through the process to learn the history, principles and foundation of PR provided background information in a field I was already working in, and boosted my confidence as a practitioner by learning standard practice.”
-- Erin Barnham, APR, GKC-PRSA Treasurer
"As a public relations practitioner in higher education, I firmly believe in the benefits and power of lifelong learning. Helping others achieve their educational goals has been, for me, the foundation for a rewarding career. In earning and maintaining my APR, I believe I’m walking the walk by making a commitment to continue my own professional and personal learning and growth."
-- Katherine Frohoff, APR, MBA, GKC-PRSA VP, Student Relations
“Accreditation for me meant having a more structured approach when talking to leadership or clients. Everyone talks about being more strategic but before going through the APR program, I could never get anyone to tell me what that means. Or, I'd get a dozen different answers. Now, I can confidently define it and articulate it myself along with what it truly means within a relevant framework of planning effectively.”
-- Norita Taylor, APR, GKC-PRSA VP, Mentoring; GKC-PRSA President, 2018-2019
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This event is the first in a series of Inez Kaiser GKC-PRSA events to tell the story of Inez Kaiser, the first Black person to join PRSA and one of Kansas City’s hometown chapter’s legends. Rick Kaiser, Inez Kaiser’s son, will introduce Shelley Spector, Executive Director of the Museum of Public Relations who will introduce Cheryl Procter-Rogers. A Q&A will follow the Procter-Rogers presentation. This professional development event takes place virtually on Tuesday, April 27 from 12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m.
Cheryl Procter-Rogers, APR, Fellow PRSA, MCC, MBA, MA will address how storytelling underpins how historical moments are remembered. As public relations professionals, this art is an essential skill in our toolbox and creates a pathway for putting any big moment into historical context. She’ll address how the art of storytelling, when used masterfully, can connect us to our own humanity and root us in our passion with purpose. History plays an integral role in our lives personally and professionally and this presentation celebrates our role in historical moments with a focus on how to become a masterful storyteller.
About Cheryl Procter-Rogers
An award-winning PR and business strategist, Procter-Rogers is currently senior consultant and executive coach for her firm, A Step Ahead PR Consulting and Coaching. She develops, implements strategies and counsels clients in the areas of crisis and executive communications, strategic planning, change management, leadership effectiveness and business strategy. Procter-Rogers has been an executive coach to more than 300 C-Suite executives over twenty-five years.
For more than 40 years, Procter-Rogers has worked with an impressive portfolio of executives and Fortune 100 companies as an executive for DePaul University, Home Box Office (HBO), Nielsen Marketing Research and Golden State Mutual. As a consultant and coach, she has worked with Coca-Cola, Nissan, Allstate, McDonald’s, McCain Foods, Valparaiso Law, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority and Magellan Corporation.
She was the 2006 national president and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the profession’s premier organization with more than 30,000 members. She remains the youngest person inducted into its 350+ member College of Fellows. She is PRSA’s 2011 Gold Anvil recipient, the Society’s highest award presented to one professional each year whose work significantly advances the profession and sets high standards for the practice of public relations.
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Save $120 When You Become a GKC-PRSA Member |
Here's your chance to save big when you become a new PRSA member now through May 7!
Save $120 off your membership fees by using the Promo Code: PLAYBALLKC.
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New Pros and Mentorship Event |
It's the New Pros & Mentorship first event of 2021! Getting back in the game with GKC-PRSA New Pros & Mentorship -- hosted by Mentorship Chair Norita Taylor, APR and New Pros Chair Adam Burns.
What: New Pros & Mentorship Meetup
When: Friday, May 7, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Where: Online!
Cost: Free for members, $5 for non-members
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Inez Y. Kaiser GKC-PRSA Memorial Scholarship Fund Advisory Committee Approved |
The GKC-PRSA Board approved the Inez Y. Kaiser GKC-PRSA Memorial Scholarship Fund Advisory Committee. The group will meet for the first time later this month.
Committee members include GKC-PRSA members Alex Miller, Lea-Ann Germinder, APR, Fellow PRSA, Carrie Stapleton, Shayla Wilkinson, Katherine Frohoff, APR, Darius Lane, Anita Parran, and Sheba Clarke.
Inez's son, Rick Kaiser, her granddaughter, Richylnn Kaiser Bailey, and former GKC-PRSA member Dr. Dean Kruckeberg, APR Fellow PRSA, who was an academic colleague of Dr. Kaiser, are also members of the committee. Donate to the fund here.
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Upcoming PRSA Webinars – Free for Members!
Coming up:
Calendar Alert: More Webinars Worth Your Time
In this competitive marketplace, it's more essential than ever to keep your strategies and perspective fresh in order to advance your career. Take advantage of these upcoming opportunities:
May 11: Webinar, Diversity & Inclusion: Uncovering Implicit Bias to Achieve PR Success. In this judgment-free zone, we’ll step outside our comfort zones to discreetly uncover our own unconscious biases, confront mistaken assumptions and work together to achieve PR and communication goals. Presented by Jaron M. Terry, APR, Fellow PRSA, president, Jaron Terry Communications Ltd.; Gayle Saunders, APR, founder, CEO, The Saunders PR Group and Shanikka Flinn, consultant, Precise One Marketing LLC.
May 13: Webinar, Humanizing Communications: How To Create Thoughtful and Inclusive Narratives. Whether you’re looking for practical ways to make your campaigns more inclusive, or to find better ways to communicate with diverse audiences — this webinar is for you. Presented by Natalia Flores, APR, president, Inspire PR; Nathalie Santa Maria, APR, CEO, Sunnyside Communications; Loán Lake, strategic communicator and freelance journalist; and Matthew French, assistant director for employer relations and partnerships, University of North Carolina: Charlotte
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Carrie Stapleton
Joy Elizabeth Bailes
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