APR Month – ECD an Accreditation Leader

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April is APR Month, an important time to both encourage members to pursue Accreditation in Public Relations as well as celebrate our APRs in the East Central District. And we have some room to boast! The ECD is home to an impressive 384 APRs, or 20 percent of our members. That’s above the national average of 18 percent of all PRSA members!

If you’re thinking about pursuing your APR, PRSA offers many resources to prepare you for your journey. Consider these upcoming programs:

The best source to encourage you to take the APR leap may be your own chapter and ECD colleagues who have their APR. Below are perspectives from three of our accredited ECD board members.

ECD CHAIR JENNIFER KRAMER, APR (Earned APR in 2010)

What is the biggest benefit to earning your APR?

Pursuing your APR is a journey that signifies a commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in public relations and a dedication to personal and professional growth.

What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing their APR and why it matters?

Approach it with both passion and strategy. Embrace the process as an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the field, to reflect on your practice, and to enhance your strategic thinking skills. Earning your APR distinguishes you as a field leader committed to lifelong learning and ethical practice. It’s a testament to your expertise and dedication to advancing your career and the profession as a whole.

What aspect of earning your APR is the most rewarding?

The journey to APR is as rewarding as the destination, offering invaluable insights into your capabilities and the impact you can have. The APR is not just about where you stand today; it’s about where we, as a profession, are headed tomorrow.

ECD BOARD MEMBER RISA RICHARDSON, APR (Earned APR in 2019)                                    

What is the biggest benefit to earning your APR? 

As a former journalist, I used to find myself being called on primarily for tactical work – writing and editing. It was my comfort zone and I was most confident in that space. Studying for my APR taught me to move beyond the tactical and into the counselor/strategist role. Being more active on the front end of planning has put me at tables that I wasn’t invited to sit at before and given me the opportunity steer our teams away from making communications – and research and analytics – an afterthought and instead making it part of the overall strategy. My APR studies also helped me understand the theories behind many of the practices I was taught by experienced practitioners during my early transition from journalism.

What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing their APR and why it matters? 

Speak to APRs in your chapter and community to learn how having the APR benefits them. Talk to your employer and explain to them why you are pursuing your APR and how it will benefit the company, and they may be willing to invest. My employer covered the cost of an APR prep course and my exam, and my director, who also has an APR, was my biggest cheerleader and accountability partner. After I earned my APR, I was granted a rank promotion and raise.

Anything else about why to pursue your APR and why yours has mattered to you?

On the less serious side, there is one benefit that everyone can relate to but not everyone talks about — seeing those three letters beside my name gives me an immense feeling of pride and accomplishment.  That APR says I did that, I earned that, so in the words of rapper Birdman, put some respect on my name.

ECD BOARD MEMBER KIM SKELTIS, APR (Earned APR in 2001)                                                

What is the biggest benefit to earning your APR?

The biggest benefit is the chance to immerse yourself in the PR planning process and brush up on the strategic communications elements of our craft – something we may not have studied since college. The prep work for the APR itself is one of the biggest benefits. Even if you don’t pass on the first try, the process is as much the reward as the accreditation.

What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing their APR and why it matters?

People often talk themselves out of the APR because they are afraid of failing the test. Try to put the test out of your mind and focus on the learning you will gain. And of course make time to do the prep work and studying.

Anything else you’d like to add about why to pursue your APR and why yours has mattered to you?

In our industry, APR is the gold standard/seal of approval that can set you apart from your peers. Those three letters after my last name on my business card have been a great conversation starter over the years when people ask about it. It allows me to educate them about our industry and what it means to be an accredited practitioner.