PRSSA National Committee Members

A Brief History | The First Chapters | National Committees

Ryan Casey McShane

Ryan Casey McShane, PRSSA's FORUM Editor-in-Chief, is a senior at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Ark., where he is majoring in journalism with an emphasis in public relations. McShane became a member of PRSSA during his university’s inaugural Chapter year in 2005. Since that time, he has served as the Chapter’s public relations director, webmaster, historian and president, in addition to representing the Hanna E. Norton Chapter as a delegate at the PRSSA National Assemblies in San Francisco and Nashville.

After being approached by the faculty adviser of his student-run newspaper, The Arka Tech, McShane accepted the Sports Editor position during the second semester of his sophomore year in 2006. As an enthusiast in Web and graphic design, McShane made the transition to laying out pages in print media and has since taken over the Editor-in-Chief responsibilities. He also redesigned and maintains the publication’s Web site and online message board. In April 2007, McShane earned three Arkansas College Media Association awards for his work on The Arka Tech – first place in the “Sports Feature Story” and “Photo Illustration” categories and second place for the newspaper’s online edition.

Outside his student publication experience, McShane has contributed copy to The Russellville Courier, The Dover Times and The Stuttgart Daily Reader. He also wrote feature stories throughout the 2006 college football season for Arkansas Tech’s game day programs.

In the summers of 2006 and 2007, McShane held internships in sports marketing and media relations. Last year, he commuted an hour’s distance to Little Rock to work as a marketing intern for the Arkansas Twisters, an Arena Football League 2 team. During the summer of 2007, McShane pursued a media relations internship with the Madison Mallards, a Summer Collegiate Baseball Association team, in Madison, Wis.

In his spare time, McShane enjoys attending sporting events and playing golf. His hero and role model, former North Carolina State Basketball Head Coach Jimmy Valvano, inspired McShane to become involved with philanthropic events, including Relay for Life.

McShane plans to graduate from Arkansas Tech University with Magna Cum Laude honors in the spring of 2008 with a degree in journalism.

Favorite Quote:

"Success means having the courage, the determination and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be." - George Sheehan 1918-1993