by Megan Patterson, IABC/Tulsa President

Holiday cards are ordered, gifts are purchased and my stretchy pants are easily accessible. Christmas prep is nearly complete. But Christmas is one thing…preparing for a new year is quite another.

Most people love the start of a new year. I’m typically one of them. But what if the current year was really great? Do we always have to be so ready to move on? Personally, I need a little more time to step back, reflect and thank the people who helped make 2016 a year to remember.

It’s been a year of firsts for IABC/Tulsa, and a year that our board and membership should be proud of. Our professional development schedule was jam packed with high-caliber events such as February’s inbound marketing luncheon with Jesse Boudiette of Propeller Communications; September’s meeting with Rhett Laubach on presentation secrets; and the November Communicators Summit focused on reputation management. In March, we held our annual Bronze Quill Awards ceremony where we received the highest number of award entries and had the highest attendance in IABC/Tulsa history. August brought IABC/Tulsa’s first Adult Spelling Bee(r) with more than 50 participants and a packed house. So F-U-N!

IABC/Tulsa also was internationally recognized for its outstanding work in communications and professional development at the annual IABC Leadership Institute in February. More recently, we held our annual Gift of Communication event and we joined forces with Tulsa’s top professional organizations at the Acronym Mixer networking event.

I could keep going, but I’ll stop here. See why it’s difficult to say goodbye to 2016? These successes wouldn’t have been possible without our IABC/Tulsa board of directors. These dedicated volunteers choose to give their time to IABC/Tulsa in addition to their already busy work, family and life schedules – and for that, I’m so very thankful.

Happy holidays from all of us at IABC/Tulsa, and cheers to many new adventures in 2017!

by Megan Patterson, IABC/Tulsa President

October is finally here, bringing with it cooler weather, pumpkin patches, football-filled Saturdays and… Member Month at IABC! If you’ve been on the fence about joining or your current membership is up for renewal, October is the perfect time to invest (or reinvest) in IABC. Join or renew during October and you’ll receive 10 percent off international dues, pay no application fee and be entered into a drawing to win one of two $500 Amazon gift cards. Are you already an IABC member? Don’t worry; there are great incentives this month for you as well! Refer your peers and receive a $10 Amazon gift card for every member you refer – no limit!

Join or renew this month and take advantage of all the amazing benefits of membership including discounts on webinars, online research materials, access to an active online job database, great local and international conferences, not to mention all of the networking benefits and fun events hosted by your local Tulsa chapter.

Check out the calendar of upcoming events and member webinars below. IABC/Tulsa’s very own Rhonda Rathje from Walmart is conducting a multi-session online workshop beginning Oct. 20 – The ABCs of Strategic Communications. Learn more about Rhonda below in our “Meet a Member” feature.

If an in-person workshop is more your style, we have a great line-up of those as well. You won’t want to miss our upcoming professional development events including our half-day Communicator’s Summit – Rumor Has It – co-hosted with Tulsa PRSA. Early-bird registration ends Friday, Oct. 14.

There’s no better time to join or renew with IABC/Tulsa. Gain access to the area’s top communications professionals and receive discounts and membership benefits that will help you fine-tune your communications skills, no matter where you are in your career.

If you have questions about membership or Member Month incentives, click here or contact Hayley Westwood or Natasha Mitchell.

Presented By

Platinum Sponsors

Join IABC and PRSA at the annual Communicators Summit to learn all about successfully managing rumors and your reputation. Our experts have weathered the rumor mill and will share their insights, tips, tricks and lessons learned.

Speakers:
Mayor-Elect GT Bynum 
G.T. Bynum was elected the 40th Mayor of Tulsa on June 28, 2016. He will be sworn in to that office on Dec. 5, 2016. During his presentation, Bynum will share his experiences during the political campaign, including his winning strategy to stay positive. He will discuss some of the PR and communication challenges his team faced along the way and how they managed them. He will also share ways companies can educate their employees about candidates and their issues, without violating ethics.

Vision Tulsa Team

• Nick Doctor — Director of Government Relations, Tulsa Regional Chamber
• Trebor Worthen — Senior Partner, AH Strategies
• Jesse Boudiette — President, Propeller Communications
• Barrett Waller, APR — President & CEO, Waller & Company Public Relations
• Sheila Curley, APR — Principal, Owner, SixPR

On April 5, 2016, voters throughout Tulsa County approved a renewal of the original Vision 2025 funds. The new Vision Tulsa package will address Tulsa’s needs for public safety, streets and transportation, while also generating jobs and economic impact. Meet the campaign team who successfully convinced voters to say “yes” by wide margins. The campaign was a huge success, but it certainly wasn’t easy. The team will explain how they used research, paid advertising, social media, special events, earned media and employee communications to educate Tulsans about the vote and manage misinformation and rumors.

Bonnie Caver
Whether you are running a campaign, gaining support for a major initiative or managing a company, your reputation with stakeholders can make for smooth sailing or an uphill battle. In this session, we’ll learn about what you can do every day to improve your reputation and make the reputation you have positively impact the bottom line. We’ll also look at how to insulate your reputation so you survive the daily hurdles of business and come out even better on the other side of crisis.

Ticket Prices:

• Members – $50
• Non-members – $60
• Students – $25
• Journalist – $25 (Must be currently employed by a media outlet)

Click Here to Regsister

Sponsored by Williams

Are you ready to submit a winning Bronze Quill – one that can also win Silver and Gold? This session will cover what you need to consider when writing your work plan. Understand what the judges are looking for and how to structure your submittal for success.

Ginger D. Homan, ABC, is founder of Zia Communications, a firm specializing in changing behaviors, building communities and transforming thinking. Her award-winning communication model has been used by foundations and corporations to grow brands and align cultures. Ginger serves as secretary/treasurer on IABC’s International Executive Board. Her work has been honored with Bronze, Silver and Gold Quills. She is a recipient of the IABC Chairman’s Award, Tulsa Chapter’s John Hartman Professional Communicator award and Leadership Tulsa’s Paragon Award for her board service with nonprofits.

Click here to register

by Megan Patterson, IABC/Tulsa President

In August, your IABC/Tulsa Board of Directors held our annual planning session to review chapter goals and objectives, plan for the year ahead and discuss how to make IABC/Tulsa event better. The current board is now in the final year of our two-year board term, which ends in August 2017. With one year under our belts, we’re even more prepared and excited to go to work for you and to help you get the most out of IABC.

We’re excited to welcome new board member Aliya Hargrave, senior training and development specialist with Direct Energy. Aliya joins Kim Kuehler as co-vice president of awards, responsible for all planning and coordination of our annual Bronze Quill Awards. Aliya and Kim are already hard at work planning for 2017. Watch your email for additional details and be sure to attend our October professional development event where Ginger Homan, founder of Zia Communications and winner of numerous bronze, silver and gold quill awards, will share strategies for writing a winning award entry.

The board also tallied your votes for our next chapter president. I’m excited to announce that Hayley Westwood, communications consultant with ONE Gas and current vice president of recruitment for IABC/Tulsa, was elected unanimously. Thank you to everyone who voted. Hayley will continue in her current board role for the remainder of this term, and move into her role as president in August 2017. Hayley’s energy, creativity and leadership are a huge asset to our board and will make for an incredible president.

Your IABC/Tulsa board is excited for the year ahead. We’re focused on enhancing professional development opportunities, expanding networking events, increasing membership diversity and keeping you informed of the many benefits of your membership. Don’t hesitate to provide us with feedback and let us know if you want to get move involved.