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In This Issue...
  • A Chapter Past President Gives a Report on the National Assembly
  • President's Report: Lessons in Volunteer Recruitment
  • Member Anniversaries
  • Welcome New Members
  • Triple Play Promotion
  • Moving Veterans Forward Initiative
  • Career Postings
  • Training Calendar
A Chapter Past President Gives a Report on the National Assembly
Thank you for the opportunity to represent the Greater Kansas City chapter as your delegate. As a past-president of the chapter it was an honor and a privilege to represent Kansas City.
 
Take PRSA forward was the message at the 2018 General Assembly. And, what an exciting year we have ahead with Kansas City’s own Deb Peterson, APR!
 
Despite the oftentimes-rancorous online comments and debate this year regarding governance and ethics reform, the onsite assembly was respectfully conducted by all parties.
 
Chair Toni D’Angelo, APR, Fellow PRSA delivered a well-received speech with the hashtag  #takePRSAforward regarding the afternoon’s bylaws amendments – a call for the Society to refocus on the important issues at hand both in our profession and within the Society, in particular what we need to do to retain and grow millennial membership which will be the largest segment of the workforce in seven years.
 
Speaking of Deb Peterson, she was appreciative of the Chapter’s presence at the Assembly and as usual delivered poised and positive remarks regarding the PRSA strategic plan.
 
Technology rocks, not! There were significant technical issues with the voting devices, which at one time called for head counts and paper votes. Ultimately, the issues were resolved by turning all cell phones and laptops off – seems we can’t resist our tech crack in assembly. No surprise! Despite these issues there was no voiced objection to the vote results.
 
The board thanked all that brought forth the bylaws amendments. Final assembly vote results were in full alignment with the PRSA Governance Committee recommendations.
 
1801 - Yes to define a member in good standing. 
1802 - Yes to establish a grievance procedure. 
1803 – No to specify leadership assembly powers, rename BEPS, etc. 
1804 - No to add an ethics rep to NomCom. 
1805 – No to eliminate role of national board in officer nominations. 
1806 - No to add nonpartisan to bylaws.
 
Town Hall comments were primarily focused on governance rather than national dues and financials as has been the case in years past. Many questions why wasn’t the time spent in assembly used to discuss issues in the profession, a question of the importance of district, a comment was raised why wasn’t board diversity discussed in more depth. The Chicago chapter raised the question why wasn’t the vote taken online (noting this as they are from our district) and why were we focused so much on it when even the assembly time itself could be better used. #takePRSAforward as we move into 2019 sounds great, and I look forward to seeing you in Kansas City!
 
Respectfully submitted,
 
Lea-Ann Germinder, APR, Fellow PRSA
GKC-PRSA 2018 Assembly Delegate, Past President
President's Report: Lessons in Volunteer Recruitment
This past year as president has been tremendous, though I must admit it has had its challenges. I hope our stakeholders, both members and non-members, have enjoyed the events we’ve held throughout 2018. All were well-attended and well-received, including a successful Student Summit, a PRISM Awards program, several professional development luncheons and one networking event. We’ve posted a couple of surveys for feedback on future activities, so we hope to gather useful information in planning a robust calendar of events. I have also had some outstanding conversations and feedback of late with a few members and look forward to more discussions such as those.

Barring any new developments, it looks like I will be continuing on into 2019 due to the absence of a president-elect. The good news is that I now know so much more than I did a year ago and look forward to doing everything I can to make it that much easier for the 2020 board. The most important thing I’ve learned is that there is an art and science to recruiting volunteers. It takes a great deal more networking and one-on-one than I realized. My understanding from other chapters and districts that this is a common issue for everyone in PRSA, so we are not alone, but we will have to be more creative going forward.

As of now, we have most of next year’s board roles filled, but we are still seeking individuals to get involved with the chapter either as chairs or committee members. By joining us now, you will have a great deal to do with the future of our chapter, not just the coming year. Call me or email me to find out more.  [email protected] or 816-519-3703.

Norita Taylor , APR
GKC-PRSA - President
Member Anniversaries
Congratulations to our members celebrating November anniversaries. Thank you for your continued support and involvement with GKC-PRSA. We're excited for another great year with you!
  • Brian J. Agnes
  • Charles M. Arnot, APR
  • Liana Colvin
  • Lawrence W. Crawford
  • Melissa Gall
  • Gene A. King, APR
  • Joseph Webster McBride
  • Priya Nibert
  • Chelsea Rice
  • Melissa Sturges, APR
  • Stefanie Voth
Welcome New Members
  • Donna Mandelbaum
  • Robb Yagmin
  • Sierra Bonney
  • Jennifer M. Rusch
  • Emily Biegelsen
  • Chris Clark
  • Melissa Reeves
  • Jim Suhr
  • Mary Young

FREE Chapter plus FREE Section and NO initiation Fee Ends on Nov. 30.
 
If someone joins PRSA in the month of November at the full member price of $260, they’ll receive three memberships for the price of one!
 
In addition to PRSA National membership, which connects members to more than 21,000 public relations and communication professionals, new members also receive a free  Chapter * membership  (get to know your local peers) AND a free  Section * membership  (to connect with industry colleagues). Plus, we will also waive the $65 initiation fee.
 
Use promo code  FALL18  to take advantage of this once-a-year deal and save up to $225!
 
RESTRICTIONS :  The Counselors Academy and New Professionals Sections are not included in this offer. Chapter dues are covered up to $100. N/A for Associate member categories ($200 or less annual dues) and current or renewing members. Refer to  https://www.prsa.org/membership/membership-categories  for details.
On Veterans Day, we are proud to honor those service members who have fought for our freedoms. As an organization,  PRSA  understands the difficulties that transitioning veterans may face when searching for a job, accessing educational opportunities and networking with peers. 

Therefore, PRSA is offering the  Moving Veterans Initiative  program, granting free one-year National Membership to more than 50 transitioning military veterans with communication and public affairs experience. We owe it to our veterans to help them succeed in their careers, and what better way to do that than by giving them access to professional development along with the chance to network with their peers.

For more information on the  Moving Veterans Forward program  or ways your company can get involved in sponsorship, please contact John Kesaris at  [email protected]  or 212-460-1406.

This program is made possible by Bell, ScoutComms and West Virginia University, Reed College of Media.
Be PR-fit with PRSA Training 
Check PRSA's calendar for on-trend webinars and workshops. (Some are free to members). More