Leadership Rally Prepares Chapter Presidents for the Upcoming Year

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (June 30, 2009) — The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) invited Chapter leaders to Scottsdale, Ariz., to participate in its second annual Leadership Rally, an event exclusively geared toward assisting Chapter Presidents lay the foundation for successful and rewarding terms.

Held June 12–14, 2009, the Rally hosted 80 Chapter Presidents, an increase from the year before. The Rally theme, “Inspiring the Future Professional: Preparing the Leaders of Tomorrow,” served as the platform for each Chapter President’s state of mind throughout the weekend.

Karl E. Gentles, APR, president and CEO of Karl Gentles Public Relations and president of the PRSA Phoenix Chapter, and Peggy C. Frank, MBA, CEO of Frank Public Relations Worldwide, joined PRSSA members for Friday night’s welcome reception. Both Gentles and Frank are members of PRSA’s National Advocacy Advisory Board. They welcomed PRSSA members by sharing advice about leadership and commitment to public relations. Frank also co-presented the “Advocacy and Diversity” session during the Rally.

The Rally opened Saturday, June 13, with a keynote address from Ryan Zuk, APR, of the PRSA Phoenix Chapter. Zuk, senior press and analyst relations manager at Sage Software, discussed how a variety of leadership personas perform in the marketplace. After the presentation, members attended three sessions centering on leadership skills, advocacy and diversity, and PRSSA member benefits.

“The ‘Leading and Managing Your Board’ session not only helped Chapter Presidents learn to gauge their strengths, compensate for weaknesses and plan for their term of leadership, but also aided me as I prepare for the year ahead,” said National President Rebecca Timms, who, along with National Faculty Advisor Julie Henderson, APR, Fellow PRSA, and 2002-2003 PRSSA National President Natalie Neczypor, led the presentation. “I’m in the same boat as my peers — working with a group of talented and hard-working individuals to advance PRSSA and its members.”

On the final day of the Rally, attendees learned about the benefits of PRSA and the need for lifelong learning through professional development from Philip Tate, APR, PRSA Board Liaison to PRSSA. Afterward, attendees broke into round-table discussions to share successes and challenges with like-sized Chapters before closing remarks by Brandi Boatner, Leadership Rally chair and PRSSA 2009-2010 immediate past president.

“Overall, the event was a great success,” said Boatner. “Despite external factors like our economy, PRSSA members were able to come together for a weekend that inspired and empowered them to go back to their colleges and universities with clear goals for how to contribute to their Chapter’s success.”

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About the Public Relations Student Society of America

Headquartered in New York City, the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is the world’s pre-eminent, pre-professional public relations organization. Founded in 1968 by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the organization has grown to more than 10,000 members at 300 Chapters across the United States and one Chapter in Argentina. PRSSA membership benefits include scholarships and awards as well as internships, jobs and professional development opportunities.