Minnesota to Host APR Boot Camp April 11-14

Are you seeking Accreditation this year? You’re in luck! Our Minnesota Chapter is hosting an APR Boot Camp course in Minneapolis this spring. The chapter has even arranged a block of rooms (available through March 12 or until sold out) at a special rate.

The APR Boot Camp is a four-day intensive course for candidates to prepare and advance though the Readiness Review™ and take the computer-based Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) or Accreditation in Public Relations + Military Communication (APR+M). This course is designed to provide a setting that will meet the needs of busy professionals whose schedules don’t permit extensive preparation time.

More information and registration instructions are available at PRSA.org > Learning.

2012 District Conference Dates Announced, Call for Presentations Now Live

The PRSA Midwest District is pleased to announce its first District-wide event in many years, the 2012 Midwest District Conference, which will be held July 19-20 at Loyola University in Chicago. All public relations professionals from across the District and beyond are invited to attend the event, which will focus on Reestablishing the Value Proposition: Trust and Transparency in PR.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to connect with colleagues, get new ideas and learn best practices that can immediately be implemented in your day-to-day work, the Midwest District Conference is for you!

Call for Presentations

We are now accepting proposals for keynote and expert presentations from senior public relations practitioners in agency, corporate and non-profit settings, solo practitioners and experts in related fields, such as management, human resources, legal issues and digital communications. If you are interested, please visit our call for presentations.

If you have questions about the conference, please contact Jim Streed, 2012 Midwest District Chair.

Call for 2012 Volunteers

It’s that time of year again! We’re starting to plan for 2012 and need volunteers for the PRSA Midwest District board positions below. To ensure our District meets the needs of all chapters, we’d like to have involvement from each of our 15 chapters. If you are interested, please contact Renee Robinson, 2011 District Chair.

District Officers

• Chair-Elect – The Chair-elect presides at meetings of the District Board of directors in the absence of the Chair, attends the annual leadership rally in New York City, and assumes the role of Chair if the position becomes vacant. Will become chair in 2013. Must have chapter board experience, as well as prior involvement with the Midwest District.
• Treasurer - The District Treasurer will handle dues collection (when approved), propose the District budget, set up the District bank account, and provide financial reports to the District Board at each monthly Board meeting. When we begin collecting dues, the Treasurer shall annually file tax statements with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as required.
• Secretary – The District Secretary keeps and distributes minutes of all meetings of the District Board of directors. Will lead development of the District bylaws.

Directors-at-large (one per chapter)
Ideally, those representing chapters will have chapter board experience. Many chapters appoint their past-president, president, president-elect or assembly delegate as their representative. The time commitment is approximately 1-2 hours per month for conference calls.

Nominating Committee Representative
Will represent the Midwest District on the National Nominating Committee. Must be an accredited member of PRSA.

2012 District Conference Planning Committee
Additionally, thanks to Jim Streed and Herb Ritchell, we are moving forward with plans for a 2012 District Conference and need a strong committee to make it happen. We’ve already had quite a few people interested in helping, but have room for a few more. If you or someone from your chapter is interested in joining the committee, please contact Jim.

Hope to See You in Orlando!

The Midwest District will have a couple of activities at Leadership Assembly and International Conference in Orlando, and all Assembly Delegates and conference attendees from the District’s chapters are invited to attend.

We will have a casual dinner on Saturday, Oct. 15, after the Diversity Mixer. We have a reservation at 8:30 at the Big Fin Seafood Kitchen, which is a 10-15 minute drive from the hotel. We will meet in the hotel lobby and take cabs over. If you plan to join us, please let Renee Robinson (district chair) know if you haven’t already.

We also will have a District breakfast/business meeting on Sunday, Oct. 16, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in Palazzo Salon D/E. A continental breakfast will be provided.

Hope to see you there!

Next Midwest District Call & Leadership Assembly Updates

The Midwest District will have its last pre-Leadership Assembly call on Wed., Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. Agenda items include: national updates, the proposed dues increase, 2012 district conference planning, September affinity call recap and chapter updates. As always, all Midwest District chapters are encouraged to have a representative on the call.

For those that are traveling to Leadership Assembly or International Conference in Orlando, the Midwest District will be having an informal networking dinner on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. after the Diversity Mixer. If you plan to join us, please RSVP to Renee Robinson, district chair.

We also will have a District breakfast/business  meeting on Sunday, Oct. 16, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in Palazzo Salon D/E. All Assembly Delegates and conference attendees from the Midwest District’s 15 chapters are invited to attend both activities. Hope to see you in Orlando!

PRSA International Conference Early-Bird Registration Ends Tomorrow

For Midwest District chapter members planning to attend this year’s PRSA International Conference, the deadline for early-bird registrations is tomorrow, Aug. 26, at midnight. Tomorrow also is the deadline to submit a name for the conference mascot for a chance to win a free registration.

Sign up now to save $200 on registration and visit the conference website for more information on the scheduled professional development sessions, networking opportunities, travel details and more.

Additionally, the Midwest District will be having a dinner on Saturday, Oct. 15, and a District breakfast meeting on Sunday, Oct. 16. All Assembly Delegates and conference attendees from the Midwest District’s 15 chapters are invited to attend. For more details, please contact Renee Robinson, district chair.

Listen up! Network. Get engaged.

It’s a new era for PR and marketing professionals. Learn from the best at the 2011 professional development conference presented by the Southwest Missouri chapter of PRSA. The conference will be held 8:30 am to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, 202 S. JQ Hammons Parkway, Springfield, Mo.

Members of PRSA enjoy a discounted registration fee: $75 until Sept. 9. After that, the fee is $85. Register at www.swmoprsa.org

Speakers include David Grossman, APR, Fellow PRSA, and CEO of The Grossman Group, Chicago. He is one of America’s foremost authorities on communication and engagement inside organizations. Mike Koehler, president and chief strategist of Smirk New Media, Oklahoma City, will share new trends in online brand monitoring through social media. Etiquette for business professionals, online and in professional settings, is the topic for Sheri Hawkins, owner of 2balance, a Springfield (Mo.) PR and communications agency.

For more information, contact PRSA member Claire Faucett, claire@springfieldchamber.com or 417-862-5567. She is chair of the conference planning committee.

August District Council Call Scheduled for Wed., Aug. 24

The next PRSA Midwest District call will be Wed. Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. Central and we have a jam-packed agenda. In addition to the regular national, district and chapter updates, we also will discuss the proposed national dues increase. Philip Tate, PRSA treasurer, will join us for this discussion to address feedback and questions from chapter representatives.

Time permitting, we also will discuss the district’s plans at the 2011 Leadership Assembly, which will be Oct. 15 in Orlando, Fla. Plans include a Saturday night dinner and Sunday morning meeting for all Midwest chapter delegates and interested 2011 International Conference attendees.

Other agenda items include 2012 District conference planning, September and November affinity calls. Each Midwest District chapter is encouraged to have a representative on our monthly calls. Please contact Renee Robinson, Midwest District chair, if you need call-in information.

National Director-At-Large positions available, deadline extended to June 29

Are you an exceptional, passionate PRSA or PR industry leader who wanted to run for the National PRSA Board, but missed the deadline? If so, you have a second chance at this wonderful opportunity to help lead PRSA and advance the PR profession.  Several Director-At-Large positions are still available and the application deadline has been extended to June 29.

To learn more about running for office, as well as the qualifications and application procedures, visit “Board and Assembly Service” on PRSA’s website. Also, feel free to contact Renee Robinson, Midwest District chair, if you have questions or if you’d like to discuss the opportunity further.

Next District Council Call March 23, 10 a.m.

We will be having our March District Council call on Wednesday, March 23, at 10 a.m. All Midwest District chapter leaders are invited to call in and we’d like at least one leader from each chapter to participate. We will be discussing updates from National, the upcoming District survey, Chapter successes/challenges/needs, 2011 chapter visits and the District speakers’ bureau.

Please contact Renee Robinson, District chair, if you need call-in information.