PRAM

Scholarship Winners Recognized
PRAM-MS Beach recognized its 2008 scholarship recipients during its October meeting.
Carmelita Hanshaw, recipient of the chapter’s $1,000 Thomas V. Fredian Memorial Scholarship, is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in public relations at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast campus. Hanshaw earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Dillard University in 2004.
Hanshaw is currently employed as a program officer for Enterprise Corporation of the Delta and HOPE Community Credit Union, where she is responsible for outreach in the lower three coastal counties, developing partners and providing financial literacy. A dedicated volunteer in the community, Hanshaw serves as treasurer for the Biloxi Branch of the NAACP, entertainment committee chair for Coastal Women for Change, member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., member of the National Council for Negro Women, Urban Coast Connection and the National Alumni Council.
Jace Ponder, recipient of a $500 scholarship, is a student at the University of Mississippi working toward a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Currently, Ponder serves as a staff reporter and photographer for the Daily Mississippian, the campus newspaper. Among many other accomplishments and activities during his undergraduate years, Ponder is a former AmeriCorps member, completing more than 1,700 community service hours during a 10- month commitment. While serving with AmeriCorps, Ponder handled media relations for the National Civilian Community Corps service group based out of Denver, Colo.
Upon receiving the scholarship, Ponder said “having this scholarship would ease the stress of working long hours part-time to pay rent, tuition and book fees. Money for tuition would allow me to focus on my studies and afford me time to work with the Daily Mississippian.”
“Jace and Carmelita are outstanding examples of the next generation of public relations professionals, and we are pleased that we can support their studies as they pursue degrees in the field,” said Kristie Aylett, APR, chapter president.
The PRAM-MS Beach chapter has awarded scholarships to Southern Miss students since 2001 and established a second scholarship for students attending Mississippi universities and residing in Hancock or Harrison counties in 2006.
The chapter established the USM scholarship in memory of Thomas V. Fredian, a founding member, senior practitioner and chapter president who died in 1999. In honor of the chapter’s 15th anniversary this year, the chapter doubled the amount of the scholarship given in his memory to $1,000.

Lunch ‘n Learn Teleseminar Focuses on Cause Marketing
The final in PRAM’s 2008 series of Lunch ‘n Learn teleseminars will focus on “Social and Cause Marketing: Creating Value, Building Relationships.”
Kristian Darigan, APR, of Cone, Inc.; Melanie Miller, APR, from the Sugar Association; and Cassandra Miranda, APR, from the American Heart Association, will discuss how nonprofits and associations are implementing social marketing and cause marketing campaigns to develop new relationships with key publics and encourage deeper engagement and loyalty. They’ll examine best practices and share how to apply these evolving techniques.
The seminar will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21.
The Lunch ‘n Learn seminars are provided free of charge to PRAM members and Tulane students. The fee for non-members is $5.00. Participants are welcome to bring a lunch to the seminar. Tulane University’s School of Continuing Studies is co-sponsoring the series, and all sessions take place at its Biloxi campus located in Edgewater Mall.

Ed Schipul, of Schipul – the Web Marketing Company, presented the following presentation during a three-hour seminar to more than 70 PR professionals Nov. 10, 2008 in Gulfport, Miss.  The Mississippi Beach chapter of PRAM sponsored the seminar.

Weaving the Social Web - Social Media Marketing with a PR twist

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

He also presented an abbreviated version of this presentation on Mobile Marketing during the lunch portion of the  meeting.

The Mobile Web for PR Pros

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: mobile web)

The Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama bypasses the mass media and uses a text message to announce Joe Biden as his VP pick. Facebook now boasts 100 million active users. Technorati is tracking over 112 million blogs, and your boss is asking your opinion about starting one.
Confused by the ever-evolving social aspects to Web 2.0 and wondering about the role PR practitioners are playing in it? Then clear the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 10, on your calendar and plan to attend a half-day seminar sponsored by the Mississippi Beach chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi.  “Weaving the Social Web” will follow the chapter’s regular luncheon meeting at the Great Southern Club, One Hancock Plaza in downtown Gulfport, Miss.
The seminar will be led by Ed Schipul, founder and chief executive officer of Schipul – The Web Marketing Company . His presentation will focus on how public relations professionals can adopt the latest technologies, such as RSS, blogs, podcasting, social networking sites and wikis, to engage in a conversation with their audiences and outpace the competition.
Seating is limited so please register today.  Simply download the registration form and mail it in to reserve your seat.

The Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) honored two members of the PRAM Mississippi Beach chapter among its 2008 class of 21 professionals named “Senior Practitioners.” They are Lauren Thompson and Kevin Drum.
The Class of 2008 was announced during SPRF’s annual conference July 27-29, 2008, in Sandestin, Fla.
Lauren Thompson joined the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources as its Public Relations Director in June 2000. She is responsible for public information, media relations, community relations, educational outreach and special events. Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is a past president of the Rotary Club of Edgewater Sunrisers and has 25 years of combined experience as a journalist and public relations professional. She is the 2008 Community Service Chair for the PRAM MS Beach Chapter.
Under her direction, the DMR Public Affairs Bureau has received 17 public relations awards: nine awards from Southern Public Relations Federation Lantern Awards competition, including a Lantern Award in 2006 for the DMR’s 2007 Marine Information Calendar and one in 2004 for the 2003 Mississippi Coastal Cleanup event, and eight awards from the National Association of Government Communicators’ Blue Pencil Awards Competition.
Kevin Drum has been in public relations for over 20 years, specializing in Golf Destination Marketing. After attending Newberry College and the University of South Carolina, he was recruited for a “once in a lifetime position” at the 1984 Olympics and became the PR representative for Tenneco Corporation on site in Los Angeles for the games.
After four years of developing successful marketing, public relations and sales programs for Tenneco, he started his own firm – Drum Marketing & PR – and moved back to Pinehurst, N.C. His company worked for some of the top golf brands and the top golf resorts and destinations in the country. In 2001, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association asked Kevin to help it create a strong public relations and marketing program to increase golf tourism and promote the area’s great golf, coastal climate and gaming. Shortly afterward, the Golf Association hired him full-time to serve as its first executive director.
Kevin has received 10 SPRF Awards, eight PRAM Awards, and three ADDY Awards for his work, and one project was honored as the “Tourism Promotion of the Year” by Governor Barbour and MTA in 2005. He also served on the board of the PRAM MS Beach chapter in 2007.
With these new honorees, PRAM MS Beach now counts 19 Senior Practitioners among its membership.
SPRF established the senior practitioner designation to recognize its members as veteran public relations professionals with high ethical standing. Nomination and selection is made by each local chapter based on criteria set by SPRF.
To receive the Senior Pracitioner designation, a recipient must qualify in three of the following four criteria: have 15 years of full-time public relations experience; hold the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation by the Universal Accreditation Board; serve or served as an officer or board member at the chapter, state and/or SPRF level; and/or receive recognition of professionalism as evidenced by a SPRF Lantern Award, practitioner of the year award, or similar peer-reviewed, competitively selected, public relations-related recognition or honor.

PRAM Announces Seminar Series

The Mississippi Beach chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM) is presenting a special series of seminars this year to expand professional development opportunities for PR students and communications professionals in south Mississippi.

PRAM’s Lunch ‘n Learn series addresses a variety of issues being faced by public relations practitioners, including branding, social media, and evaluation of communications efforts. The sessions use presentations recorded at an international conference on public relations last year. 

Tulane University’s School of Continuing Studies is co-sponsoring the series, and all sessions will take place at its Biloxi campus located in Edgewater Mall.  Each seminar will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on a Friday.  The seminars are provided free of charge to PRAM members and Tulane students. The fee for non-members is $5.00. Participants are welcome to bring a lunch to the seminar. 

The next seminar, “The Importance of Protecting Your Brand,” will be held Friday, March 28.  Presenter Teresa Rivera, APR, from the U.S. Department of the Interior, will provide practical tips that can be put to use immediately to protect one’s brand.

The series began Feb. 22, with a session on “Connecting with Nexters.”

Future sessions will be held:

• May 2 — New Media, New Metrics: How to Survive in the New Consumer-Driven Media World
• June 27 - Building Leadership Style
• August 15 — From Surviving to Thriving: Restoring Your Brand and Reputation in a Media-Centric World
• September 19 — ROI and Proof-of-Performance Metrics That Demonstrate Success
• November 21 — Social and Cause Marketing: Creating Value, Building Relationships

Nearly 100 area public relations professionals are members of the Mississippi Beach chapter of PRAM.  The group offers numerous networking and professional development opportunities.  Its next monthly chapter meeting will be at noon on Monday, April 7, at the Great Southern Club in downtown Gulfport. 

Tulane University’s School of Continuing Studies offers bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees, pre-and post-baccalaureate certificates, and the master of liberal arts degree. For information, visit the school’s Web site at http://www.scs.tulane.edu/ or call 228-388-5769.

For more information on PRAM, visit the chapter Web site at prambeach.org or call 2008 president Kristie Aylett, APR at 228-826-5650.

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PRAM Mississippi Beach Chapter Names 2008 Board

The Mississippi Beach chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi has announced its 2008 board of directors.

Serving as president will be Kristie Aylett, APR, of The KARD Group PR/Marketing consulting firm.

Other officers are Vice President Joey Lee, of GodwinGroup, and Secretary/Treasurer Hannah Bell, of the American Cancer Society.

Also serving on the board are Ron Barnes, past president; Melissa Bryant, programs; Jim Collins; hospitality; Keith Guillot, website coordinator; April Jordan, publicity; Susan Perkins, APR, accreditation; Stacy Simon, programs; Leah Snyder, scholarships; Lauren Thompson, community service and Charmaine Williams, newsletter.

More than 90 area public relations professionals are members of the Mississippi Beach chapter of PRAM.  The group offers numerous networking and professional development opportunities for employees of the public relations and communications industry.  Its next monthly luncheon meeting will be at noon on Monday, March 10, in the Sunset Room at the Great Southern Club located at One Hancock Plaza in Gulfport.  For more information, visit the chapter Web site at http://www.prambeach.org/ or contact Kristie Aylett, APR, PRAM Mississippi Beach president, at 228-826-5650.

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It’s going to be a great 2008 for the Mississippi Beach chapter of PRAM.  We’re celebrating our 15th Anniversary and we’re hoping to make it a truly special year.
In December, board members from 2007 and 2008 met for a three-hour strategic planning meeting. We came up with a long list of ideas – big and small — related to membership, professional development, communications, and giving back to the community and the profession. Some are now being implemented while others will take time to develop more fully.
Please join us at our monthly meetings, our new Lunch ‘n Learn teleseminars or any of our other activities. You’re always welcome.

Yours in PRAM,

Kristie Aylett, APR
President, 2008
PRAM, Mississippi Beach