Organizational Representation and Development

In 2016, I had the incredible privilege and opportunity to serve the National PRSSA Society as the National Vice President of Chapter Development. With the mission to better develop Chapters via branding, fundraising, sustainable resources, national workshops and conferences, community-building online discussions and overall assistance to "Advance the Profession and the Future Professional", I dove into my responsibilities as a leader of the 11,500 public relations students in the U.S, Argentina and Peru.

national conference workshops & sessions

Part of my responsibilities as Vice President included management of conference workshops and sessions at the PRSSA National Conference in Indianapolis and PRSSA National Assembly in Seattle. I recruited and managed 12 different professional speakers in the public relations industry, as well as four presenting PRSSA Chapters for the Conference. These workshops and sessions depended on my guidance, editing, promoting, publishing and public speaking skills. From the winning four Chapters from a national bid, creating presentation handouts, working with venue services, facilitating Q&A sessions, preparing and using technological platforms and delegating professional introductions to my Executive Board, this responsibility was by far the most encompassing duty of the team. However, as I interacted with individuals, celebrities, fellow students, Chapter members, venue management, higher leadership and the Society as a whole, I grew and accepted new challenges with excitement every step of the way.

international chapter development: peru

Traveling to various states within the U.S. in order to visit Chapters and evaluate development was a necessary and thrilling responsibility. My fellow board member, Vice President of Diversity & Ethics, Andrew Cook, shared this passion with me along with the ability to speak Spanish.

Together we reached out to the thriving PRSSA Chapter in Lima, Peru, PRSSA USMP. PRSSA USMP soon became a model Chapter for the Society, and I facilitated group chats, Sister-Chapter Skype calls and other community-building events and initiatives.

Towards the end of our terms, the PRSSA USMP Chapter officially invited Andrew and I to visit. For one week in Lima, we worked and met with the leaders of the Chapter, Department and University in order to promote public relations ethics and PRSSA. Upon our return, we presented our findings to the PRSSA body, and PRSA and PRSSA Boards. Despite cultural and institutional challenges, we successfully changed PRSSA bylaws and leadership structure in order to become a more globalized, community-inclusive, adaptive Society. To this day, ambassadors, liaisons, and more global-oriented initiatives have been developed and implemented in order to build relationships with fellow Chapters. In 2018, PRSSA USMP hosted the first-ever international PRSSA Conference session, followed by the Argentina Chapter the next year.

National Community service initiative & FUNDRAISING BOWL

One mission of the PRSSA Society is to benefit the community of the location chosen for PRSSA Conferences, directly falling under my management and position. I was responsible for assessing the community, finding a S.M.A.R.T. need to fill, and providing a solution.

Upon conducting both primary and secondary research about the community needs and audience of Indianapolis, I decided that the Society would service veterans of the Indianapolis Veterans Hospital. Of course, further steps included more research, planning, implementation (creating of logos and branding, working with hospital staff and legal, logistical preparation of supplies and benefit, promotion to Society members and event management at the Conference) and evaluation.

By the end of Conference, I personally delivered over 600 handwritten cards of gratitude and encouragement from Society members around the U.S. to veterans at the Indianapolis Veterans Hospital. The veterans were overjoyed and appreciative. This led to several other efforts to promote and guide Chapters in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and community-focused, pro-bono work.

Online Conversations and community

Twitter Chats are a wonderful opportunity for public relations students around the globe to come together and discuss relevant topics within the industry, with the leadership and management of key speakers and PR professionals. I had the privilege of hosting two National Twitter Chats, one in English focusing on Chapter and Community Development, and another in Spanish focusing on global communication.

Facebook Live: While in office, I pushed for the integration of technology in events and presentations. This resulted in the use of Facebook Live for PRSSA National events, as well as the sharing of various Chapters’ events throughout the U.S. The Society now uses Facebook Live regularly in order to engage and educate members around the world.