QuickStart Conference, ECD Board Annual Retreat & More!

September 2023 Message from Kaylin Staten, ECD Board Chair

Dear PRSA ECD community,

I hope this monthly message finds you well, as summer officially comes to a close this month. Many of us have experienced the first days of school and are settling into the routines of another school year, work and project deadlines, and other commitments that comprise our days. 

I know many of us love this time of year, from sweater weather and pumpkin spice lattes to our favorite fall activities and watching the leaves change color. We experience a beautiful display of reds, oranges, and yellows here in West Virginia. I have already started noticing the changing leaves and breeze in the air to signify my favorite time of the year! 

I hope you will add the QuickStart Leadership Conference to your pre-autumn event lineup on Sept. 16 in Columbus! I would like to thank our Chair-Elect Jennifer Kramer, APR, for leading the way and planning for this year’s in-person conference. I also want to thank PRSA WV President Jordan Ferrell for all of her contributions to this year’s QuickStart and for serving on the committee! We also greatly appreciate our sponsors: Epic Web Studios, Fielding Graduate University, Fahlgren Mortine, and others that will be revealed in the coming days. I am excited to hear from our speakers and to bring back what I learn to my own PR practice and roles. It’s shaping up to be an experience you won’t want to miss! This conference is open to everyone, from seasoned PR pros to young professionals, and I truly know there will be something for everyone at this year’s QuickStart! Learn more and register here. 

Our Board of Directors will also meet on Sept. 15 for our annual retreat, which will be composed of our standard board meeting and a strategic planning session. I am excited to dig into the strategic planning process for 2024-2027 and am confident PRSA ECD will continue to serve its members. (I also love a good planning session and the feeling of accomplishment that comes along with it!) I hope you’ll also consider joining us for the Happy Hour event at Fado Irish Pub from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. if you find yourself in Columbus the day before QuickStart! As a reminder, too, we won’t have a virtual board meeting this September but will return with virtual board meetings from October to December.

August was a busy month, with meetings, planning, and implementation of a few of our major programs and initiatives. Please consider entering your campaigns and tactics for this year’s Diamond Awards. Our regular deadline is Sept. 15, with the final deadline on Sept. 29. Don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your work! Learn more and enter here. We will also announce our 2024 Board of Directors slate soon as well. Chapter leaders, please fill out your 360 Survey by Sept. 8. As we prepare for the next year and for our strategic plan, your feedback is incredibly valuable. We want to hear what works and what doesn’t! 

I want to thank PRSA Pittsburgh President Robin Rectenwald for her insightful presentation during our first revamped Leadership Forum at our August board meeting. Robin discussed how PRSA Pittsburgh members have executed a pro-bono public service project to support a local nonprofit. It was a lively discussion for our ECD board members and the Chapter leaders on the call. If you are interested in learning more, respond to this email, and I can connect you with Robin. If you are interested in presenting a success story or moment of learning for your Chapter, too, please reach out to Brandy Jones at [email protected] or Mark Pompilio at [email protected]. 

As a reminder, please keep up with everything PRSA ECD on our social media channels and www.prsaecd.org. This newsletter, too, has a wealth of information about everything happening around our District!

I am exceedingly thankful for our outstanding Board of Directors. I appreciate each one of you. Together, we have accomplished so much, and I know we will continue to move PRSA ECD forward for the rest of this year and into 2024. I look forward to seeing what else we can achieve together in these last four months of my tenure as ECD’s Chair. (Where does the time actually go?!)

I hope you have a lovely September and start to autumn. I hope to see you in person in the middle of the month!

Warmly,

Kaylin

Kaylin R. Staten, APR

2023 ECD Board Chair