Title: Senior Public Affairs Specialist
Company: Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Why do you love your job? I love my job because of the people I work with and serve – from our talented team members who I admire, trust and laugh with every day to our skilled physicians and clinicians who are working diligently to change the face of cancer to our courageous patients with inspirational stories who are amazing fighters. I am blessed to be a small part of a place that puts our patients first and thrives on restoring hope and improving quality of life. In addition, I am blessed to have a flexible work schedule, so I can maintain a good family/work life balance.

How long have you been a member of IABC? Twenty-four years and counting!

Have you ever served on an IABC Board? Yes! The exact years are a little fuzzy as time goes by, but when I first joined IABC I served on a professional development committee for the Houston chapter. In the late 1990s I helped the Tulsa chapter with professional development. And again in the mid-2000s I served as secretary.

How has IABC played a part in your professional development? IABC has been a constant in my career. I first joined the Houston chapter in 1991 when I worked for an energy company handling internal communications. I was impressed with IABC’s high caliber of professional development opportunities, the talented people and the networking opportunities. When we moved back to Tulsa in 1995, I was able to continue my membership and get involved with the board and planning committees. I’ve always worked for companies that have also valued IABC and have supported my membership and time away from the office to attend meetings. For that, I am grateful. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet many talented people who I admire, such as Melissa Carlson, Kim McLeod, John Hartman, Leon Bolen, Russ Florence, Steve Higgins, Ginger Homan, and Angela Byers, just to name a few!

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? Spending time with family above all else, watching and attending OU sporting events (Boomer Sooner!), supporting Union Public Schools (since my husband and both of our children are lifers), attending church and supporting mission work.

What’s your favorite vacation spot? I love the peaceful mountains in Colorado. We’ve had many fun and relaxing vacations there. In fact, we just spent a week in Breckenridge this past winter where I conquered Peak 6, the newest peak at the resort. Okay, so I actually made it down “Bliss” with only one major fall, but it was worth it.

Which website do you visit daily? Being a journalism major and handling media relations in my current job, I like to follow the news, especially local news. I generally visit tulsaworld.com on a daily basis.

What is your favorite restaurant? KEO. I love their Pho (Vietnamese noddle soup). For dessert, I love Napa Flats. The hot, fresh fruit cobblers are out of this world.

How will we recognize you at the next IABC function? Commuting from south Tulsa, I’ll probably be a tad late.

Complete the following: The future of the field of communications is… exciting and ever-evolving. It all comes down to knowing your audience, your anticipated goal and then communicating clearly, concisely and effectively.

What advice would you give to new communications professionals? Since almost every job I’ve ever held was initiated because of a networking opportunity, I’d say make the most of every networking opportunity you can. Getting involved with a professional organization like IABC is a great place to start. Besides the professional development opportunities, you’ll have the chance to meet some remarkable people.

by Megan Lewis, IABC/Tulsa President

Can you believe we’re nearly through the first quarter of 2016? It’s even beginning to feel like spring; although, I have a feeling it could be a trick. As the weather has warmed up, so have the IABC/Tulsa events. In February, we held a standout luncheon on the topic of inbound marketing. On March 3, we held our annual Bronze Quill Awards.

The awards ceremony was a huge success with record attendance and winners. We recognized our area’s top communicators for their outstanding work throughout the year including these special award winners:

• Shagah Zakerion, executive director, Tulsa’s Young Professionals – Communicator of the Year;
• Kendra Thompson, Cancer Treatment Centers of America – John Hartman Professional of the Year (Get to know Kendra in our Meet a Member article this month);
• Hayley Westwood, ONE Gas – Leon Bolen Service Award; and
• Keith Isbell, Williams – Best of Show Award. (See the event recap below and a full list of winners on our website.)

We also presented the first ever IABC/Tulsa Lifetime Dedication Award to John Simmons, a co-founder of IABC/Tulsa, member for more than 50 years and co-creator of Tulsa’s Bronze Quill Awards.

The impressive talent of our area’s communicators never ceases to amaze me. The knowledge, experience and love of the communications field I see every day through IABC/Tulsa is truly inspiring. Thank you to the board members who spearheaded this year’s awards. It was a very special night – we have the photosto prove it.

If you attended the event and were as inspired as I was, and if you aren’t currently a member, I hope you’ll consider joining this amazing group of communicators. March is Member Month, which means great savings for new and renewing members if you join this month (see below for additional details). Consider joining, and help make IABC/Tulsa an even stronger organization.

The way we make purchasing decisions has changed. We still use the Internet heavily to research products and services before buying, but the growth of social media has expanded our universe to find information. It also has enhanced our ability to connect with the customer by allowing them to find us.

Traditional marketing, or outbound marketing, is interruptive and attempts to grab customers’ attention through things like TV ads, spam, direct mail, circulars and telemarketing. With inbound marketing, you use media like blogs, videos and social media to capture attention more organically by providing content that brings customers to you instead of you seeking them out.

By placing compelling content online for the customer to find at their own pace, we avoid the annoyance of traditional marketing. Further, when done well, inbound marketing encourages the customer to give us their contact information so we can form the relationship on their terms — and, build a lead generation report.

About Jesse

Jesse Boudiette, founder and president of Propeller Communications, will share compelling statistics showing the value of inbound marketing while also addressing the key elements of this approach that companies need to include for success.

Certification is intended to support communicators throughout their careers and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise. The Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC) has identified roles, responsibilities and competencies for four broad career levels: Foundational, Communication Management Professional, Strategic Adviser, and Business Leader. At this time, only the Communication Management Professional (CMP) certification is available.

The Global Standard℠ was developed by IABC through research and consultation with the wider profession and states that “communication professionals around the world embrace a shared career purpose and six core principles as the building blocks of their work.” Those principles are:

• Ethics
• Strategy
• Analysis
• Context
• Engagement
• Consistency

Achieving certification from the GCCC designates that a candidate has professional competence in all these principles.

Join us on Wednesday, January 20 to learn about the certification process and what it takes to obtain the CMP designation. We are honored to have Priya Bates, provide direct insight into CMP exam and requirements.

Click Here to Register

IABC/Tulsa will host the annual Gift of Communication event as a way for professional communicators to give back to the community. This event allows IABC members and others to share their expertise with representatives from nonprofit organizations to help them achieve excellence in corporate communications, public relations, employee communication, marketing communication, public affairs and other forms of business communication.

Agencies represented this year:

• The Bridges Foundation
• Child Abuse Network (CAN)
• Reading Partners
• Ronald McDonald House Charities Tulsa

At the meeting, there will be four areas set up for the agencies. Attendees will be able to join whichever group they wish to help and feel they can make the most difference.

It’s a great time to share your skills and help resolve some of the issues facing these organizations, all while learning from other communications professionals.

RSVP for The Gift of Communication by Monday, December 7

After the Gift of Communication, come over to Mixed Company for our holiday party. What better way to celebrate the holiday season than by sharing drinks and fun at the IABC/Tulsa Christmas Mixer at Mixed Company? Get to know members and learn what IABC is all about. Free for all IABC members and potential new members. Earn raffle prizes just for attending and more for bringing a guest who might be interested in joining IABC.

Join us for an evening of hoilday cheer, complete with:

• Live Music
• Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
• Photo booth
• An appearance by the big man himself… Santa!
• Raffle prizes including bottles of wine and a $100 giftcard to Tallgrass Prairie Table!

RSVP for IABC/Tulsa’s Christmas Mixer by Monday, December 7

Everyone comes across tough messages during his or her career. Wouldn’t it be great if you were prepared well in advance to deliver that difficult message?

Join IABC/Tulsa and guest speaker Rhett Laubach, who will share strategies on how to prepare yourself and your leaders to deliver tough, inconvenient and/or emotionally-charged messages to individuals, organizations and/or the public. As you know, carefully chosen words and presentation techniques are critical in these moments. Rhett, a seasoned coach and leadership trainer, will teach us some of his proven methods to easily prepare for those tough conversations.

Click here to register

Hear from professionals inside the stories that made headline news and broke the Internet. These professionals represent both sides of the aisle – journalist and PR pros – and will give insight into lessons learned and what you can do next if you or your organization accidentally make the national spotlight.

Keynote Address: Sara Ganim, CNN correspondent

In 2012, Sara Ganim was awarded a Pulitzer Prize after she broke the story of the grand jury investigation into sexual abuse of children by Jerry Sandusky, former Pennsylvania State University football defensive coordinator. She not only reported on the Sandusky grand jury, but also the Penn State Athletic Department and Sandusky’s well-known Second Mile Charity.

Ganim will discuss her dealings with public information officers, communications directors and other PR personnel while working this story – including what she saw as failings and missed opportunities.

Other Speakers:

• Jabar Shumate, Vice President, University Community, University of Oklahoma, will present Strategies for Improving Diversity and Inclusion at the University Level
• Russ Florence, President and Chief Operating Officer, Schnake Turnbo Frank, and Chairman, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, will present Threading the Needle: Tough Conversations About Diversity and Inclusion
• Amanda Clinton, Vice President, Communications, Cherokee Nation Businesses, will present Crisis Communication: Managing the Crisis That Just Won’t Go Away

Click here to register!

Join us for a half-day event sponsored by Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas. We’ll have several development opportunities available that day – more details to come soon. The event will be from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, with a happy hour following from 4-5 p.m.

Our keynote speaker, Linda Rutherford, serves as Vice President of Communication and Outreach for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. She will provide a unique perspective on how they built their brand from the inside out – all starting with their People. At Southwest Airlines, they believe that if you to take great care of your Employees, they will take great care of your Customers and your Customers will take great care of your Shareholders. Join us Sept. 10 to learn more about Southwest Airlines’ brand journey and how they integrate their Culture into everything they do.

Click here for more information and to register for the event