Tombras School Students get the chance to learn from industry professionals at PRSA Southeast District Conference
The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations was proud to be an Education Sponsor for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Southeast District Conference along with Western Carolina University. The three-day conference was held at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville.
PRSA Volunteer Chapter along with the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Sammie Lynn Pruett Chapter at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, had a large hand in making this event come to life at the hands of Assistant Professor of Practice Joseph Stabb who is the student group’s faculty advisor and is also president-elect for the PRSA Volunteer Chapter.
“I am so proud of the incredible job Dr. Stabb did organizing several enlightening and engaging days of programming,” said Tombras School Director Beth Foster. “It was wonderful to see our students both leverage and enjoy this incredible opportunity for professional development, and all of them raved about the experience. It is such a privilege to be in a community with strong public relations educators, students, and professionals.”
Students of UT’s College of Communication and Information, along with industry professionals, had the opportunity to engage in programming that covered topics Including: The evolution of marketing/PR Communications vs Sales in today’s world; Mastering Media Pitching Success; and Building Community through Crisis: Critical Lessons from a Pandemic-Era Professional Resource Group.
Kiley Fenn, a junior majoring in public relations at UT and the PR director for PRSSA, said she chose to attend the conference because she constantly wants to learn from industry professionals.
“My favorite part of the conference was listening to a panel of a few professionals, grad students, and undergraduate students because I got to see where everyone was in their journey and learn from each one of them,” she said.
Fenn learned about TVA’s communications department and how they handled the big storm last year when a lot of their equipment failed.
She added, “I also learned about emotional intelligence and how that correlates with crisis communication. I am interested in going into crisis communication when I graduate and hearing about how these two things go hand-in-hand was very informative and worth it for me to attend.”
The TVA, along with FINN Partners, were two of the industry sponsors for this year’s conference. Ashley Walker (‘16) is the senior social media specialist at TVA and a graduate of the Tombras School. She, along with her colleagues Travis Brickey and Andrew Dickey, led a session about how to reach younger audiences. TVA has been leading a very popular video series campaign called, Pat and Ashley’s Excellent Adventure. Through this series TVA’s historian Pat Ezell, along with Walker, visits TVA’s seven-state service areas to discuss what makes the areas unique and how TVA has a hand in the community.
This series has been particularly successful with younger audiences. Walker stated that she and her team have been working on this project ever since she was an intern at TVA. She said her time at UT helped propel her to her current position and gave her the resources needed to start her career.
Industry leaders from Forever Ready Productions, Trahan & Associates, and Realty Executives were just some of the other speakers who dove deep into their job descriptions and gave insight into how other companies can grow their business initiatives. Betty Farmer (‘88, ‘93) from Western Carolina University spoke about how crisis leaders can build emotional intelligence before a crisis occurs.
Grace Skowron is the secretary for Tennessee’s PRSSA chapter and a senior public relations major at the Tombras School. She decided to go to the PRSA Southeast District Conference to expand her professional network and obtain new insights about the industry.
“My favorite part of the conference was the closing seminar about ethics in public relations,” she said. “It was interactive and the students were able to learn so much from the professionals. I gained a much better understanding of how to advocate for myself in the industry, the importance of mentorships, and the growth of public relations throughout the years.”
The Sammie Lynn Puett chapter of PRSSA at UT is always looking for new members to join its organization. To learn more about how you can get involved or donate you can click here.
Tombras School Students get the chance to learn from industry professionals at PRSA Southeast District Conference written by Kristen Gallant and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.