Each month, IABC/Tulsa features one of its members in the “Meet A Member” section of the newsletter. In this issue, we learn more about IABC’s 2011 Chapter Leader of the Year – and our chapter president – Steve Higgins.

IABC/Tulsa: Tell us about your job – you know, the other one besides being chapter president.
Steve: I am a senior communications specialist for Williams. While it sounds trite, I really love my job because of the people I work with. 

IABC/Tulsa: How long have you been a member of IABC?
Steve: It’s been 18 years.

IABC/Tulsa: Rumor has it that you have served our chapter as president not just once, but twice.
Steve: It’s true. In addition to my current term, I also served as president in 1994-95. I’ve also held other board and committee roles over the years.

IABC/Tulsa: What is the best meeting/seminar/conference you have ever attended?
Steve: The district conference that our chapter staged in 2000. We knew we had a challenge in making Tulsa an attractive conference destination. Through creative programming, excellent planning and fun social activities, we succeeded in putting on a great conference that people still talk about today.

IABC/Tulsa: How has IABC played a part in your professional development?
Steve: Getting involved with IABC led directly to my being offered a position at Williams, where I’ve been for 16 years.

IABC/Tulsa: When you’re not working at Williams or fulfilling your chapter duties, what do you like to do?
Steve: My wife Linda and I enjoy cooking, so I often can be found on the back patio burning something on the Hasty Bake. And I’m a major music geek, with a respectable collection of vinyl that I spin on weekends. We also have a beagle and a poodle that command much attention.

IABC/Tulsa: What does a self-proclaimed “music geek” like to listen to?
Steve: Bob Dylan. Followed closely by Guided by Voices, the Replacements, the Velvet Underground, Stereolab, the Smiths, Sonny Rollins, the Who, the Stones, X, Tom Waits, Bobby Short, the Byrds, the Ramones, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, Pavement … (sorry you asked?).

IABC/Tulsa: Ok, so your friends call you a “foodie.” What’s your favorite restaurant? Where should we go out to eat?
Steve: Overall, Topolobampo in Chicago, Balthazar and Jean Georges in New York, Capo in Santa Monica. In Tulsa, El Rio Verde.

IABC/Tulsa: The future of the field of communications…
Steve: …is what the people reading this decide to make it.

IABC/Tulsa: What advice would you give to communications professionals who are just entering the workforce?
Steve: Join IABC.

We won!

We are proud to announce that IABC/Tulsa has been named IABC’s Small Chapter of the Year. In addition, IABC/Tulsa President Steve Higgins has received the coveted Chapter Leader of the Year award.

Steve and Tom Droege, IABC/Tulsa’s VP of Finance, accepted these awards at the IABC Leadership Institute Chapter Management Awards ceremony in Nashville, Tenn.

The chapter was also recognized with awards of merit for our professional development, membership marketing and communication efforts. Learn more about the awards.

We are so excited about this recognition – and thank our members who help to make our chapter better year after year.

Showing off the Small Chapter of the Year and Chapter Leader of the Year awards are IABC/Tulsa board members (from left to right) Lucia O’Connor, Hospitality Chair; Stephanie Cole, Vice President of Awards; Dena Wind, Vice President of Professional Development; Steve Higgins, President; Tom Droege, Vice President of Finance; Ginger Homan, ABC, Past President; Shannon Frederick, ABC, Vice President of Communications; and Nathan Harmon, Vice President of Membership. Not pictured is Megan Lewis, Secretary.

Due to this week’s weather, Happy Hour has been canceled. See you next time.

Wednesday, Feb. 16
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tei Kei’s
1616 South Utica Avenue
(918) 382-7777

Rob Leggat, President and CEO of the Global Communication Group, will make his first trip to Tulsa in February to speak to our chapter.

Rob has nearly 30 years of communications and leadership experience. He has served as vice president with Walmart International corporate affairs overseeing corporate communication, government and public affairs, crisis communication and strategic philanthropy for Walmart’s 15 international markets. Prior to that, Rob was vice president of communication and public policy for General Motors Asia Pacific and vice president of communication and public policy for GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo). Rob led GM’s Asia Pacific corporate affairs efforts for more than 13 years, living and working in Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and China.

Rob’s presentation is called “Words on Words*” – and you have to come to the meeting to learn why there’s an asterisk!

Be sure to reserve your seat today. We look forward to seeing you there!

by Steve Higgins, IABC/Tulsa President

Recently I was invited to give a brief presentation to IABC chapter presidents worldwide on the good things happening at IABC Tulsa.

Specifically, meeting organizers wanted to know more about our approach to professional development and programming. (Apparently we’re getting a reputation!)

During my remarks, I mentioned how, at IABC Tulsa, we strive to take a perceived weakness (small chapter size) and turn it into a strength. As a small chapter, we have the luxury of making genuine personal connections with each other. These connections often turn into business opportunities, consulting and freelance gigs, mentorships and – best of all – friendships.

The other chapter presidents on the call applauded our efforts and discussed how they can apply our “small chapter” model to their much bigger chapters.

Then, the very next day, I received an unexpected and delightful affirmation of the kind of personal touch for which our chapter is known.

As I chatted with friends before our monthly luncheon meeting, Cindy Bolen walks up to me with a gift bag. 

“It’s from Leon and me to the chapter,” she said. “Go ahead and open it.”

Inside was a very stylish wool fedora, with a silk band and a plaid brim. “It’s for door prize drawings,” Cindy explained.

For those of you who may not know – Leon Bolen for years took on the role of the chapter’s hospitality chair, making personal phone calls, greeting guests and generally taking care of whatever needed to be done to ensure a convivial experience. We also used Leon’s signature hat to draw names for door prizes.

Leon’s mark on the chapter is so great that in 2009 we renamed our annual President’s Award for Chapter Service after him.

We don’t see Leon as much as we would like these days, but Cindy has started coming to meetings on a regular basis.

They are both tremendous assets to IABC Tulsa – and they personify the giving, thoughtful and friendly spirit that makes our small chapter special.

Hat’s off to Leon, Cindy and all the IABC Tulsa members who make up a small chapter that big chapters around the world want to hear more about.

Remember our membership month special in December? All IABC/Tulsa members who recruited a new member were eligible to win an iPad. (And the new members were also eligible.)

Well, we have a winner!

Congrats to Summer Austin of ConocoPhillips – and thanks to all who helped us boost our membership numbers in December.

While we aren’t giving away another iPad, you can save the $40 application fee if you join IABC in February – Worldwide Membership Month. This means that for new or lapsed members who join or re-join IABC, we’ll waive the application fee of $40. Applications must be received at the San Francisco Headquarters office during the month of February to qualify.

Note: This promotion does not affect renewing members, transitional members or students, who never pay the application fee anyway.    

For more information, visit http://www.iabc.com/.

Each month, IABC/Tulsa features one of its members in the “Meet A Member” section of the newsletter. In this issue, we learn more about Chris Owen, director of Marketing and Communications for RL Hudson.

IABC/Tulsa: Tell us why you love your job.
Chris: It’s really simple – I like the variety and the creativity of my job.

IABC/Tulsa: How long have you been a member of IABC?
Chris: I have been a member more than 10 years.

IABC/Tulsa: What is the best meeting/seminar/conference you have ever attended?
Chris: There have been too many good ones to choose just one, but I learned things from Ann Wiley’s writing seminar that I attended eight or nine years ago that I still use today. And, yes, I think she is awesome.

IABC/Tulsa: How has IABC played a part in your professional development?
Chris: Being a part of the chapter has given me a broader understanding of the communications profession. I’ve also learned a lot from the IABC publications I’ve bought over the years. The most important way that IABC has helped me professionally though, is through the Bronze Quill awards.

The main benefit I see from participating in the Bronze Quills is the validation it provides within my company that the work we are producing is of excellent quality. And of course, the CEO is always pleased to see the company recognized in the community. It’s also been helpful for me to have the goal of a Bronze Quill entry in mind as I plan a communications project. Knowing that I will have to explain my goals and provide data encourages me to me more purposeful in my planning and execution.

IABC/Tulsa: What’s your favorite restaurant?
Chris: My favorite restaurant was Lola’s and I haven’t found a replacement yet.

IABC/Tulsa: What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Chris: I enjoy reading nonfiction, going to movies, art, music and walking outside. I am a single dad with four kids living at home and I spend most of my free time with them. It’s a lot of fun.

IABC/Tulsa: Who is your favorite musical artist?
Chris: iTunes says it’s Van Morrison.

IABC/Tulsa: The future of the field of communications…
Chris: …will be a surprise to all of us.

IABC/Tulsa: What advice would you give to communications professionals who are just entering the workforce?
Chris: Same as my advice to my kids: Do as I say, not as I do.

by Steve Higgins, IABC/Tulsa President

‘Tis the season for year-end lists: top movies, top albums, even top tweets.

In this spirit of reflection, I’d like to offer my top IABC Tulsa moments of the past year:

1. At OkieSMart 2010, Steve Crescenzo’s hilarious, provocative, inspiring plea to replace the “corporate” in “corporate communication” with “creative.”
2. Walmart senior vice president Roger Cude’s revealing discussion on how he recognizes and coaches top executive talent at the world’s biggest company, and the sad-but-true reason why communicators rarely make the short list.
3. IABC Tulsa’s ranking in the top 20 of the fastest-growing chapters worldwide for the second straight year. Way to go, Ginger and Nathan!
4. At our 2010 Bronze Quill Awards, naming the very deserving Shannon Frederick as recipient of the Leon Bolen Chapter Service Award while Leon himself looked on, smiling in the back of the room.
5. Schnake Turnbo Frank president – and former IABC Tulsa president – Russ Florence sharing his theories on why famous people screw up so much, and then screw up even worse when they try to cover their tracks.

I could probably pick 50 more favorites, but I’ll end here. Special thanks to our creative, hard-working and dedicated executive board: Dena Wind, Shannon Frederick, Tom Droege, Stephanie Cole, Ginger Homan, Megan Lewis, Lucia O’Connor and Nathan Harmon. You guys have managed to make hard work a whole lot of fun this year.

We have some cool stuff in the works for 2011, so stay tuned. In the meantime, have a great holiday season and a happy New Year.

December is our membership month and not only will the Tulsa chapter waive the $40 application fee for new members, but everyone who joins during the month of December will be eligible to win an iPad – PLUS all IABC/Tulsa members who recruit the new member will have their name thrown in the hat too!!

Just tell your recruits that their annual dues of $287 can be split out into four payments. For that price they get membership rates to our monthly lunch sessions, free access to our regularly scheduled webinars with national speakers, an invitation to our monthly happy hour for fun and networking, and access to the online database of research and case studies available only to members through IABC’s website.

To qualify, applications must be received at IABC’s San Francisco Headquarters office during the month of December.

To get an application, visit www.iabc.com/join. Once your recruit submits their application, e-mail Ginger Homan and let her know. We’ll enter you and the new member into the drawing for the iPad.

Then come to the January meeting and we will hold the drawing for the iPad. Oh, just think of all those glorious apps.

Thursday, Jan. 13
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Fassler Hall
304 South Elgin Ave.
918-576-7898

It’s time to grab some business cards and join IABC/Tulsa for a Happy Hour Thursday, Jan. 13 at Fassler Hall in downtown Tulsa. Networking begins at 5:30 p.m. Register now, spread the word and bring your friends.

Please RVSP through IABC/Tulsa’s registration system. Attendees may purchase their drinks at the bar. Come and enjoy!