Meet IABC’s newest chapter, y’all!
Located 90 miles east of Dallas and less than 200 miles north of
Houston, Tyler, Texas, is home to IABC’s newest chapter, IABC East
Texas. Kicked off in January 2016 with its first chapter meeting and
officially approved as a developmental chapter by the international
executive board at World Conference in June, the IABC East Texas
chapter is off to a running start, with a fully seated board and a year of
meetings and activities already on the calendar.
The East Texas chapter has a broad mix of communicators representing industry, nonprofits and
education from a geographic area that includes the cities of Tyler (population 100,223), Longview
(population 81,400) and Kilgore (population 14,500).
Nicknamed the Rose Capital of the World for the abundance of roses grown in the area, Tyler is also
home to the Tyler Rose, former NFL running back Earl Campbell. The late Sarah McClendon, White
House correspondent for over half a century, also hails from Tyler.
How did the local chapter get off the ground so quickly?
In 2015, a small group began meeting regularly to discuss organizing a professional communicators
group. While Tyler is the energy, health care, educational and retail center of East Texas, serving as
a major medical hub and supporting three higher educational institutions, no professional
organization represented the diverse mix of communication professionals in the area. Several initial
organizers were already at-large members of IABC and understood the value of the organization and
the broad range of communication professionals that IABC represents.
The group built an email list of more than 100 area communicators. More than 40 responded to an
online survey seeking input into building an IABC chapter, and the entire list was invited to a chapter
kick-off lunch in January 2016. More than 50 people attended the inaugural meeting, during which a
representative of the Southern Region board shared the benefits of IABC as an organization, and a
member of IABC Houston, who had recently relocated to the area, shared the personal benefits of
being a member of IABC for more than 30 years. The luncheon meeting was underwritten by
sponsoring companies.
At the second chapter meeting in March, again underwritten by members, more than 40 people had
roundtable discussions to brainstorm and share suggestions for future meeting topics. The board and
programming team used these suggestions to shape professional development programming for the
coming year.
Other meetings in 2016 have featured a speed networking exercise, a presentation on social media
privacy and risk management, and a lunch and afternoon workshop by a content marketing expert
from Houston.
Our meetings have attracted a wide range of public relations officers, writers, editors, marketing
directors, development directors, internal and external communication professionals and business
owners (advertising, branding and graphic design).
What’s next?
IABC East Texas is presently 20 members strong, with a goal of reaching 25 active members in 2017.
Because our meetings continue to be sponsored by members, the chapter has a positive financial
balance. We have planned our professional development lunches and social networking mixers for
the coming year. The chapter gives a special shout-out to the Southern Region Board and the IABC
Brazos Valley Chapter’s Jennie Lamb for their support and advice during this initial year.
A number of plans are on the drawing board to continue sharing the value of IABC with area
communicators, including a mentorship program with local universities and a member newsletter
promoting job openings.
Three of our board members were pleased to attend the World Conference in New Orleans in June.
We look forward to participating in the upcoming Leadership Institute in Dallas and World Conference
in Washington, D.C.
We’re proud to be the newest members of the IABC family.
