NAPRCA would like to officially welcome the following new members from 2011:
- Maggie Clark
- Sarah Collison
- Cheryl Davis
- Pamela Donald
- Rachel Fears
- Kristi Forrest
- Lori Light
- Karen Petersen
- Brandi Quick
- Wendy Reeves
- Michele Solomon
- Mary Anne Swanstrom
- Thom Tingle
And a special welcome to our 4 newest members who joined in October:
- Anne Burkett
- Melissa Debolt
- Laurie Heard
- Amanda Terry
Congratulations to the 2012 Board! They were officially introduced at the monthly meeting Wednesday, November 16. The new board is as follows:
| President | Kristina Hendrix, APR |
| President Elect | Abby Guasti, APR |
| VP of Programs and Professional Development | Leah Gradl |
| VP of Membership | Margie Evans Morrow |
| VP of Students | Beth Garfrerick |
| VP of Accreditation | Marianne Higgins, APR |
| VP of Projects and Fundraising | Sarah Collison |
| VP of Communications | Eli Harper |
| Treasurer | Will Hoffpauir |
| Secretary/Historian | Melissa DeBolt |
| Immediate Past President | Sonia Robinson, APR |
| 2012 State Conference Chair | Lori Miller |
| Members at Large-Conference | Tracy Cieniewicz |
| Lisa Darnell, APR | |
| Dawn Speegle |
State of the Chapter Address
Date: Wednesday, 16 Nov 11 Location: Redstone Federal Credit Union on Wynn Dr Cost: $15 for members, $17 for guests, and $12 for studentsThe November meeting will be a State of the Chapter Address. NAPRCA has had a great year and we want to share our accomplishments with our members! We will review the SPRF Chapter of Distinction honors, and the 2011 Annual Membership Survey. Introduction of the 2012 Board of Directors will occur, followed by a Q&A time with them and the 2011 board. Last but not least, there will be a raffle to win door prizes.
Come and join us as we reflect on another great year and look forward to 2012!
We have almost finished compiling the NAPRCA board of directors for 2012. These nominees will be inducted at the next membership meeting Wednesday, November 16.
| President | Kristina Hendrix |
| President Elect | Abby Guasti |
| VP of Programs and Professional Development | Leah Gradl |
| VP of Membership | Margie Morrow |
| VP of Students | Beth Garfrerick |
| VP of Accreditation | Marianne Higgins |
| VP of Projects/Fundraising | * |
| VP of Communications | Eli Harper |
| Treasurer | Will Hoffpauir |
| Secretary/Historian | Melissa DeBolt |
| Immediate Past President | Sonia Robinson |
| 2012 State Conference Chair | Lori Miller |
| Members at Large-Conference | Tracy Cieniewicz |
| Lisa Darnell | |
| Dawn Speegle |
*Nominations have been made, waiting on acceptance
Have you filled out the short NAPRCA annual membership survey? The NAPRCA board would like to know more about you and your opinion of NAPRCA. The time isn’t much, but so very worth it because the board will use the survey responses to better plan for the 2012 year — and make our chapter better.
NAPRCA Members, it’s that time of year again! Time to renew your North Alabama chapter PRCA membership!
Early renewal for 2012 continues through December 31, 2011. Renew now and you will automatically be registered to win a scholarship to the 2012 PRCA State Conference in Huntsville!
Click here to download a PDF of the 2012 renewal invoice and credit card payment form for Active Renewal ($105). Complete the form and mail the invoice and payment to:
NAPRCAP.O. Box 598
Huntsville AL 35804
*Please make checks payable to PRCA –or—fax/mail credit card form with a copy of your invoice directly to the State PRCA office.
If you’re not a member, now is a great time to download an application and join. Not sure? Here’s are some great reasons to consider membership.
Active members ($105) are full-time PR practitioners or those who have responsibility for organizational PR activities. Associate members ($125) are persons with an interest in PR but whose duties exclude them from the direct practice of PR. Sustaining members ($25) are those who have retired from a PR career.
Membership questions? Contact Tracy Cieniewicz by email tracyc@ucphuntsville.org or phone (256) 859-4900.
Watch for information on speakers, networking and discounts!
NAPRCA Wins 2nd Place at SPRF Chapter of Distinction Awards for 2nd Year
For the second year in a row, NAPRCA earned 2nd place overall in the SPRF Chapter of Distinction Awards held during the Southern Public Relations Federation annual conference in Point Clear, October 2-4, 2011.
NAPRCA beat out competing chapters across four states with three 1st place finishes, including Chapter Management for the second consecutive year. The awards, which are announced at the annual SPRF Conference, are for the following categories:
- Accreditation – 1st
- Chapter Management – 1st (tie with Mobile chapter)
- Membership – 1st
- Communication – 2nd
- Public Service – 2nd
- Programs – 3rd
- Projects – 3rd
- PR Education – 3rd
Each chapter may compete in up to eight categories: Accreditation, Chapter Management, Membership, Communication, Public Service, Programs, Projects, & PR Education. The submissions are evaluated by SPRF’s Senior Leadership Council based on four criteria (situation analysis, goals/objectives, execution, and evaluation). The full guidelines for each category can be found on the SPRF website.
The SPRF Chapter of Distinction awards were created in 2009 and the NAPRCA chapter took 1st place for Programs that first year. In 2010, NAPRCA increased its stature with four 1st place finishes (PR Education, Projects, Chapter Management, and Communication) and two 2nd places (Programs and Membership), which earned a second place standing overall within SPRF.
The chapter’s honors are small steps toward even greater success
SPRF honors the chapter that excels in the most categories by awarding the Jamie Palmer Chapter of Distinction Award. For three years, that distinction has gone to the Mobile Alabama Chapter.
Kudos to all who contributed to the chapter’s success!
Huntsville, AL – Abby Guasti, Community Relations Coordinator for Crestwood Medical Center, has successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations, entitling her to use the APR professional designation. The announcement was made by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), a consortium of nine professional communication organizations that directs this competency certification program.
The Accreditation program aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessing competence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the profession. The Examination is designed for public relation professionals with five to seven years of job experience and/or a bachelor’s degree in a communication field. Candidates who successfully complete the rigorous process, including presenting his/her portfolio to a Readiness Review panel of three peers and sitting for a computer-based Examination, are granted the APR.
“Earning the APR reflects a mastery of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to succeed in our increasingly complex profession,” said John E. Forde, APR, Fellow PRSA, co-chair of UAB in 2011. “Practitioners who achieve the designation are demonstrating their commitment not only to our profession, but also to a strong code of ethics and to the betterment of their organizations and clients.”
The computer-based portion of the Examination is administered throughout the year at more than 300 Prometric Testing Centers. The Readiness Review is conducted prior to the computer-based portion of the Examination by a panel of three Accredited members of one or more of the nine organizations participating in the UAB. Professionals earning the APR must maintain their credential through continuing professional development, providing leadership to the profession and serving their local communities.
About the Universal Accreditation Board
The UAB was established in 1998 by a coalition of public relations professional organizations that today includes the Agricultural Relations Council. AsociaciÓn de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico, Florida Public Relations Association, Maine Public Relations Council, National School Public Relations Association, Public Relations Society of America, Religion Communicators Council, Southern Public Relations Federation and Texas Public Relations Association. Each organization contributes resources and senior-level volunteer members who represent all segments of the public relations profession.
Sonia Robinson, Director of Marketing with Appleton Learning, has successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations, entitling her to use the APR professional designation. The announcement was made by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), a consortium of nine professional communication organizations that directs this competency certification program.
The Accreditation program aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessing competence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the profession. The Examination is designed for public relation professionals with five to seven years of job experience and/or a bachelor’s degree in a communication field.
Candidates who successfully complete the rigorous process, including presenting his/her portfolio to a Readiness Review panel of three peers and sitting for a computer-based Examination, are granted the APR. “Earning the APR reflects a mastery of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to succeed in our increasingly complex profession,” said John E. Forde, APR, Fellow PRSA, co-chair of UAB in 2011. “Practitioners who achieve the designation are demonstrating their commitment not only to our profession, but also to a strong code of ethics and to the betterment of their organizations and clients.”
The computer-based portion of the Examination is administered throughout the year at more than 300 Prometric Testing Centers. The Readiness Review is conducted prior to the computer-based portion of the Examination by a panel of three Accredited members of one or more of the nine organizations participating in the UAB. Professionals earning the APR must maintain their credential through continuing professional development, providing leadership to the profession and serving their local communities.
About the Universal Accreditation Board
The UAB was established in 1998 by a coalition of public relations professional organizations. Each contribute resources and senior-level volunteer members who represent all segments of the public relations profession. They include:
- the Agricultural Relations Council
- AsociaciÓn de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico
- Florida Public Relations Association
- Maine Public Relations Council
- National School Public Relations Association
- Public Relations Society of America
- Religion Communicators Council
- Southern Public Relations Federation
- Texas Public Relations Association