A Message From Our President – April 2021
April is a time for renewal. It’s hard not to feel the extra spring in your step when the sun is shining, birds are singing and plants and flowers begin to bloom. It’s also the perfect time to look into renewing your commitment to your profession and consider taking your career to the next level by becoming accredited since April is APR Month!
Becoming an accredited member demonstrates your professional competence and expertise, but also your understanding of PRSA’s Code of Ethics and your commitment to delivering the highest quality of work to your company and/or clients. Being an APR means more than just having the know-how and ability to do great public relations work, it communicates that you are a leader and mentor in the field and it truly sets you apart as one who is willing to go the extra mile to demonstrate your expertise and high standards!
Congratulations to the more than 60 members who have already demonstrated their expertise and commitment by becoming accredited! To celebrate, we will be featuring a few of our APR pros this month on our social media channels.
Interested in becoming accredited? Our Sunshine District is hosting an information session on April 27, or you can visit our website to learn more about our spring and fall APR workshops. If you have any questions, contact our Co-VPs of Accreditation Ann Marie Varga, APR and Kelda Senior, APR.
Do you want to deliver impactful communications for your clients or organization? Of course you do! Accredited professionals do just that by employing strategic communications, exactly the process we’ll be featuring during this month’s virtual program, “Celebrating APR Month with the Power of Strategic Communications,” with Jennifer Hudson, APR, president of ThinkBeyond Public Relations. She’ll show us how to escape the “PR=Media” box and how a structured planning process can deliver greater impact. Be sure to register today!
Your volunteer board of directors is working hard to deliver impactful, insightful programming, as well as opportunities for networking and sharing ideas and best practices. Watch for opportunities for both virtual networking and some, small in-person gatherings coming soon. While we are eager to get back to in-person programming, we have to ensure we can do so safely and in a way that is economically feasible for the chapter. The good news is we are heading in the right direction. Hopefully we continue to do so by keeping safety measures in place while more and more of us are able to get vaccinated.
More good news is that we are hosting PRSA’s International Conference (ICON) here at the Marriott Orlando World Center in October. We are so excited to showcase our city and welcome world-class programming and speakers here in our hometown. Watch for more details coming very soon!
Keep shining,
Stefanie Macfarlane, APR
President, PRSA Orlando Regional Chapter
