Multicultural Communications Section

Industry Intelligence

Upcoming Brown Bag Conference Call:

Crisis Communications in a Multicultural Age

Wednesday, June 17, 2009*
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EST.

*This call is currently being rescheduled. A new date and time will be announced shortly.

Hear from a multicultural communications practitioner and an ethnic media expert who will share their expertise on lessons learned from the most recent health crisis, H1N1 (swine influenza).

The H1N1 crisis further reminds us we live in a multicultural society, both in the United States and abroad. This particular crisis impacted the U.S. multicultural community immediately and swiftly while events and updates were happening quickly. Organizations have to be prepared with a multicultural crisis communications plan as the world becomes smaller and our multicultural communities grow within the United States.

Join us for our first PRSA Multicultural Communications Section “brown bag,” where you can get relevant and timely insight from experts at no cost to Section members.

Space is limited for this call to the first 25 registrants. Click here to register for this complimentary session.

Attendees will receive call-in details upon confirmation of their registration.

Moderator:

Edna Z. Ruano, vice president of Communications, New America Alliance (NAA), PRSA 2009 Multicultural Communications Section chair, is an accomplished corporate communicator with a 12-year career in corporate America and the nonprofit sector. In addition to her communication responsibilities at the New America Alliance, she recently completed an assignment in Washington, D.C., to increase NAA’s visibility and relationships with elected officials, key influencers and policymakers. Previously at Southwest Airlines, she developed and led the first multicultural public relations efforts and infrastructure to increase the visibility of the brand and its relevance to Hispanic consumers, along with growing its presence among African-American and Asian audiences.

Panelists:

Arleen Porcell-Pharr, MS, APR, public affairs specialist, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, has worked as a public affairs specialist in the Division of Media Relations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 2006. In her role, Porcell-Pharr provides counsel to centers across the agency in a wide range of areas, including parasitic and waterborne diseases (such as malaria and Chagas), immunizations, vaccines and vaccine safety, and risk and pandemic influenza communications. She also handles Hispanic media relations. During her more than two decades of experience in the public relations and marketing fields, Porcell-Pharr has worked for a diverse number of organizations, including Delta Air Lines, Honeywell, Samsung Electronics and the U.S. Army. She holds a master’s degree in public relations from Florida International University, and is Accredited in Public Relations by PRSA. She also is a graduate of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Information School. A native of Puerto Rico, Porcell-Pharr is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish, and can also speak basic Portuguese.

Alexandra "Sandy" Close, executive editor & director, New America Media and founder of Pacific News Service, launched New California Media in 1996 to unite ethnic and youth media outlets under one news service, giving them far greater reach and economic viability. Ethnic media are the primary source of news for more than half of California's new ethnic majority. In boosting the visibility of this sector of American journalism, Close hoped to build an inclusive public discourse and to connect lesser known or marginalized ethnic news and youth media to decision makers in government, business, foundations and academia. The organization expanded to include 2000 outlets across the country and was renamed New American Media. The resources provided by New American Media include a newswire streaming the work of its own writers and editors; an ethnic media association; a marketing service to provide greater access to advertising dollars; and a multilingual polling program to gauge the views of non-English speaking; and ethnic minority populations normally excluded from mainstream public opinion surveys.

Click here to register!

(Registration is available to members of the Multicultural Communications Section only.)

Networking/Educational Opportunities

• Join us in San Diego for the PRSA 2009 International Conference, Nov. 7-10.
  
  Multicultural Communications Section hosted events include:
  - PD Workshop: "The Evolution and the Future of Multicultural Communications"
  - Networking Luncheon at Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge Restaurant
  
  Click here for full details and to register!

Dr. Rochelle Ford Awarded PRSA’s D. Parke Gibson Multicultural Award

Howard University Professor Recognized for Advocacy of Multiculturalism in the Public Relations Profession

Click here to view news release.

About the Multicultural Communications Section

Public relations professionals who communicate the development and implementation of programs and activities to diverse audiences will benefit from joining this Section.

Resources include networking opportunities at the Section's Professional Development Workshop and the D. Parke Gibson Award reception at the PRSA International Conference, a newsletter, a Web site, an online member directory, teleseminars and scholarship programs. The Section also serves as a forum for addressing issues of concern to members such as employment, career advancement and preparing the next generation of public relations professionals.

Annual dues: $60. Use our convenient online form and join today!

2009 Multicultural Communications Section Chair:

Edna Z. Ruano