PRSSA 2008 National Assembly

This past weekend I had the privilege of representing my school, the University of Houston, at the 2008 PRSSA National Assembly in sunny San Diego. When I was chosen by my chapter to be their delegate, I was so excited. But, as the date approached and the stress of midterms, my job and my many other commitments began to wear on me, I developed a bad attitude. I was paranoid about sharing a room with three complete strangers. I knew it would be a beneficial, once in a lifetime experience, but the idea of spending up to nine hours in a room with 102 delegates and numerous non-delegates worried me. I've never been the best at sitting still for long periods of time, and I get anxious and claustrophobic in such situations. My attitude instantly changed the moment I made it to my hotel room and met my roommates face-to-face. Shortly after, I got to know not only the people running for a leadership position, but delegates like me that just wanted a hand in shaping the next generation of PRSSA, and more importantly the future of the public relations field as a whole.

I won't go into detail about the many amazing people I met that I hope to know and work with for a long time. You can only imagine the fun a group of people can have when they share common interests and passions. I will touch on the fact that not having members from my chapter there forced me to branch out and make deeper connections than just a simple exchange of business cards.

Let’s dive straight into the purpose of my being there— Choosing our future PRSSA National Committee members and most likely the future leaders of our industry. The Assembly was conducted under the guidelines of the parliamentary procedures. I did brush up on the process, however reading about it and seeing it in action are two completely different things. It was an amazing lesson in how such elections should be held. Although not every delegate acted in an appropriate manner and a few seemed to be out of line, there was organization to the process.

The first order of business was a bylaw to extend the Affiliates Program, which allows students from schools that don't have an accredited PR curriculum access to PRSSA resources, and connects them with local chapters. They are not eligible for scholarship opportunities or leadership positions, but they can attend professional development sessions and access the immense knowledge that PRSSA has to offer. For me, this was a no brainer. Why wouldn't we want to reach out to other students, and help them further their education? The bylaw passed overwhelmingly.

Since this blog would be quite lengthy if I told you about every candidate, I will only elaborate on the elected members. First was National President, Brandi Boatner. Brandi didn't just explain in detail what she would do for PRSSA and its members. She conveyed who she truly is—Hurricane survivor, diversity advocate and someone who wanted to call me family. And, I believed her with all my heart. I met Brandi a few nights before when I was wandering the resort at night looking for my room. I introduced myself to her as Katie. The next day, even though my name badge said Katherine, she remembered I preferred Katie, and that told me that she did care about me and wanted me to be a part of her PRSSA family.

The next position to be decided was Vice Presidents of Internships and Jobs. Cecilia Marie Hughes was so energetic and passionate about public relations, and really wanted to help members succeed and "bridge their success from academia to a professional career." I have full confidence that she will help anyone interested do just that.

Vice President of Member Services went to Rebecca Timms. I first met Rebecca in Philadelphia at the 2007 National Conference when she served as Director of Logistics on the Conference Committee. I remembered that her involvement with PRSSA began when she was still in high school, and I was more than impressed. I imagined where I would be if I had realized my dreams at that age. She is leaps ahead of most, and will be an excellent representative for our society. We were running ahead of schedule and decided we would elect one more position before lunch.

Courtney Olsen would take the position of Vice President of Advocacy. Courtney is a specialist in the Army National Guard, and has served in Iraq. I believe that her experiences will help her make the right decisions and encourage others to behave in an ethical manner.

My opinion may be biased on our incoming Vice President of Chapter Development, as she was my amazing roommate. My first contact with Tiffany Riggs was through Facebook. I sent her a message introducing myself and within minutes she wanted to chat on the phone. We talked for quite a while, and she made me so energized. Her speech was incredible, and she made me, and many people I talked to, feel like we could get the "gears" going and improve our chapter and our leadership. I look forward to seeing the fresh ideas she will bring to the table.

Vice President of Professional Development began with one candidate, but a couple nominees that weren't elected trickled down and ran off the floor. After an intense run-off Tyler Page was elected. I was very impressed by his professionalism and couth. I thought the position fit him well. He wanted to focus on building mentorship programs and improving the chapter's relationship with their local PRSA chapters. My chapter has worked with the PRSA Houston Chapter, and the partnership has given us awesome speakers, employment opportunities and sponsorships.

Things got sticky when it came time to vote for the Vice President of Public Relations. When asked to define public relations, neither of the candidates really hit it on the head, and that surprised me. Any delegate can decide to abstain from voting, and if a candidate does not receive 50 percent of the vote the position is left open. Neither candidate met the said requirements, so the position will remain open for three weeks.

Jena Johnson took Vice President of Regional Activity, and she did it with half a voice, but a full heart. A few minutes into her speech she put her note cards down and conveyed how much she loves public relations and her involvement with past regional activities. The competition was stiff, but she really seemed to have done her homework, and knew what it would take to increase participation and help guide chapters as they obtain experience and knowledge.

Every candidate inspired me in some way. Not two minutes into the first speech, I began writing what would be the debut of this blog. I have wanted to start one for a longtime, but I didn't know where to start. I became inspired to write down exactly how I was feeling, and absorb the adrenaline in the air. Every time I surround myself with people who are just as enthusiastic about public relations, I re-ignite my PR flame. It becomes a domino effect that motivates me to share my love and my passion for what I do. A special thank you goes out to all the delegates and candidates for making me feel at home and sharing my passion for public relations.