Public Affairs and Government 2023 Summit

Dr. Joseph V. Trahan, III, APR, Fellow,PRSA
Lauri-Ellen Smith MPIO, APR

Jennifer Day

Most of us are in government and public affairs because it gives us a sense of doing good and giving back to society. But what happens when we hit that proverbial bump in the road, for whatever reason and need to reassess something in our jobs or our careers. This presentation is a story of empowerment and lessons that everyone, at any level of their career, can follow. In brief and in the lessons learned from Ron Brown, former Secretary of Commerce: Is it right for our customers? Is it legal and ethical? Is it something I am willing to be accountable for? Is it consistent with my agency’s mission? Am I using my time wisely? Is the answer YES to all of those questions? If so, don’t ask permission – you already have it. Just do it! 

James E. Lukaszewski
Janelle Guthrie, APR, Fellow PRSA
Dr. Joseph V. Trahan, III, APR, Fellow,PRSA

Join two PRSA Fellows and Lloyd B. Dennis Award winners, Dr. Joe Trahan and Janelle Guthrie, for a chat with America’s Crisis Guru® James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, Fellow IABC, APR, Fellow PRSA and BEPS Emeritus. An internationally recognized speaker on crisis management, ethics, public affairs, leadership and more, Lukaszewski will share the seven characteristics of truly decent leaders, provide participants with an actionable model to build a decency-driven culture and answer your questions about building a culture of commitment, connection and community in your organization. 

April Slayton
Roswell Encina
Courtney Pomeroy

The Library of Congress' mission is to engage, inspire and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity, and its vision is to connect all Americans to the Library of Congress. In support of this mission and vision, the Library's Office of Communications regularly leverages high profile visitors and users to raise public awareness of the vast collections it holds on behalf of the American people. When pop megastar Lizzo held a concert in Washington, DC in September 2022, the Library harnessed the power of social media to invite Lizzo to the Library and share her visit, highlighting the Library's lesser known but remarkable flute collection. While it may have appeared to the public that the Lizzo at the Library story began with a Tweet, the viral success of that engagement was the result of careful planning, trust, and collaboration developed by the Office of Communications with the Library's leadership, subject matter experts and content creators.

Mo Schriner 

How do you redesign your website to clearly present your agency's mission and to enhance consumer engagement? This presentation walks through the steps from project design and user research, to processes to develop internal workgroups and tools. 

Lauri-Ellen Smith MPIO, APR

Call it WHATEVER you want: Pivot, shift, rework, downsized, right-sized, up and out or "over it" - every PR professional's career takes a circuitous route - not liner and not a straight line to the top. So, what is your PLAN for when you're done, had enough, have a critical illness, or simply want to take time to rethink and re-evaluate? How market shifts and employer whims don't have to dictate how your make a living and more importantly, make a life. In this lighthearted approach to a serious topic, Smith takes a look at the career and "life cycle" of a PR professional as we discover together what REAL resilience looks like and FEELS like. Success is an internal belief, not just one celebrated with a watch and a retirement party! This conversation was recently presented at the Southern Public Relations Federation Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, where it garnered rave reviews from attendees.

Suzanne Singleterry

Leadership is about evolving conversations that impact change in the world around us while balancing managing up, mentoring employees, and developing relationships with the media. As communicators, we need tools to hold people accountable by communicating we care for each other while being unafraid to challenge others directly. Commitment to having honest conversations doesn’t mean we cast aside empathy or good manners - but it does mean being willing to have difficult conversations to achieve our shared goals for the benefit of our community. This presentation identifies the five conflict styles, how to escape the drama triangle, and provides a formula for giving feedback to anyone. Participants will walk away with a conscious understanding of conflict and tools to initiate finding resolution with grace.

Sean Driscoll

Communicating during a cybersecurity incident, or How do you send a press release when you can't open your email? Using lessons learned from a 2021 cybersecurity incident and industry best practices, this presentation will review steps government comms professionals should take now to be ready to deploy in the event that a cybersecurity incident affects any portion of their systems. The session will discuss how best to balance transparency and security in disclosing what transpiring, working with key stakeholders outside of the organization, and how to balance what lawyers want you to say with what the public will demand to know.

Jennifer Day
Rachael Gibson

This panel discussion will bring communications professionals with experience across local, state, federal and international levels of government. Events requiring multiple levels of government working together and often outside of an emergency event or JIC are becoming more common and understanding this dynamic is important. This presentation and panel will be moderated by a dynamic personality who has worked in this area and have panelists from the PAG. This type of cross government and cross organizational communication is not necessarily or is rarely thought about when developing communication strategies for events, such as environmental events. It needs to be raised so that we all can be cognizant of the need for awareness, planning and networking prior to an event. An example are harmful algal bloom events in Lake Erie that pose human health issues and require coordination across two states, many local governments and drinking water providers and local health departments, multiple federal agencies and connections with Canada. There is a need to keep the story straight.

Cheryn Robles
Tricia “Blyss” Wallace 

The City of New Orleans is redeveloping an historic African American recreational beach site along Lake Pontchartrain. Join our session to learn about the City’s extensive community participation and outreach program that involves residents in developing a collective vision for the future of New Orleans’ Lincoln Beach.

Claudia Gutierrez, MPH

This presentation will provide an overview of the science behind storytelling -- why it's such a powerful, persuasive tool for educating and inspiring audiences -- as well as the art of finding humanity in even the most technical of programs in the U.S. Government and the craft for transforming that humanity into stories that move and compel us.

Jenn Elting, APR

What do you do when a small but vocal (and well-funded) group of citizens vehemently opposes your organization’s project? The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, a public wastewater treatment and stormwater management utility in Cleveland, worked diligently to effectively balance the needs and wants of all key stakeholders throughout the pre-design process.

Libby Catalinich, APR

Pierce County managed a high-profile trial that saw the state of Washington suing the County's elected Sheriff. The Sheriff was charged with two counts related to false reporting of an incident with an African American newspaper delivery person. County Communications partnered with District Court and others to ensure full transparency and access to residents, media and others. 

Jerome Pionk

Provide the experience of King County, Washington and their Department of Local Services recent usage of AI videos and tools for recent community engagement and public affairs campaigns. As King County continues to shape its policy and practices and consider the ethical considerations of using AI tools for government work, this case study will highlight tools, techniques, ethical consideration for connecting with communities and commitment to PRSA values.