Monthly Chapter Meeting Speakers
May Meeting 2019
Join PRAM Central for our May meeting when we welcome Quita Bride who will be speaking about Continental Tire's third U.S. plant in a presentation titled, "Management and Coordination of Communication Efforts."
Quita Bride is the Communications Manager for Continental Tire the Americas in Clinton. Prior to taking this role in 2016, Bride was a marketing specialist for UnitedHealthcare of Mississippi. She was a public information officer for former Jackson mayor Harvey Johnson from 2010 until 2013.
Bride has written for Boom Jackson and The Jackson Free Press. She has served as a mentor for the Boys and Girls Club and volunteer for Stewpot Community Kitchen, Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army.
Bride received her bachelor's degree in mass communication from Jackson State University.
To register for the May PRAM Meeting, click HERE.
​
This meeting will be:
Wednesday, May 22
at 11:30 a.m.
at The Capital Club
125 S. Congress St.
Jackson, MS 39201
March Meeting 2019
Join PRAM Central for our March meeting when we welcome Robin Robinson who will be telling the corporate communication story of Sanderson Farms in a presentation titled, "Strategies for Successful Corporate Communication."
Robin Robinson is the Director of Organizational Development and Corporate Communication for Sanderson Farms, Inc., the third largest poultry producer in the country.
Since being named Director of Organizational Development and Corporate Communication in 2000, Robinson has been responsible for the poultry producer's corporate communication, translation services, strategic planning, employee recruiting, as well as employee training and development efforts.
A graduate of Jones County Junior College and the University of Southern Mississippi, Robinson earned an associate's degree in business administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting.
To register for the March PRAM Meeting, click HERE.
​
This meeting will be:
Wednesday, March 27
at 11:30 a.m.
at The Capital Club
125 S. Congress St.
Jackson, MS 39201
February Meeting 2019
Join PRAM Central for our February meeting when we welcome Clay Chandler who will speak about the importance of relationships in economic development in a presentation titled, "Sharing the story of MDA and the importance of relationships in economic development."
Chief Marketing Officer Clay Chandler directs the Mississippi Development Authority's (MDA) Marketing and Communications Division, which is comprised of three bureaus responsible for promoting investment and job-creation in Mississippi. Marketing and Communications serves MDA's overall mission by providing public relations, marketing, event planning, graphic design, website management and advertising.
Chandler is an award-winning former journalist with the Clarion-Ledger and Mississippi Business Journal. Prior to joining MDA, he served for almost three years as Director of Communications in the office of Governor Phil Bryant. There, Chandler formulated and implemented short- and long-term communications strategies.
A North Mississippi native, Chandler received his bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi.
To register for the February PRAM Meeting, click HERE.
​
This meeting will be:
Wednesday, Feb. 27
at 11:30 a.m.
at The Capital Club
125 S. Congress St.
Jackson, MS 39201
January Meeting 2019
To register for the January PRAM Meeting, click HERE.
​
This meeting will be:
Wednesday, Jan. 23
at 11:30 a.m.
at The Capital Club
125 S. Congress St.
Jackson, MS 39201
Caron Blanton, APR, Director of Communications for Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), has served in her current position for over eight years. She holds a Master of Arts in journalism from the University of Mississippi and a Bachelor of Arts in English/Writing from Randolph College.
Blanton earned her APR in 2005 and has served as president of the Southern public Relations Federation, the Public Relations Association of Mississippi, the PRAM Central Chapter and the Mississippi School Public Relations Association. She received the state Professional Achievement Award from PRAM in 2007, and serves on the Universal Accreditation Board, which is composed of professionals who oversee the APR program.
December Meeting: Christmas Social
Join PRAM Central for a lunch social at the Iron Horse Grill to celebrate the season!
​
Wear your best-worst tacky Christmas sweater, and bring a wrapped ornament for Dirty Santa! ($10 limit).
​
PRAM Central is also excited to partner with the American Red Cross during the Holiday season this year by packing Comfort Kit supplies for those affected by fire. Completed kits can be dropped off at the social, or contact Daniel Forde at 662-617-3131 if you’d like your kits to be picked up.
​
November Meeting: Kyle Brown
Kyle Brown is the economic development director for the City of Brandon. As the city’s public information officer, he spends a good deal of time recruiting new businesses. In between meetings about water bills and writing grants he oversees the marketing of the Brandon Amphitheater. He’s a self-taught website editor, Photoshopper and Illustrator who has used those skills to help promote Small Business Saturday, Christmas Open House and the like.
​
​Brown is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a B.A. in International Studies and an M.S. in Economic Development. He previously worked at Waggoner Engineering in Jackson, the Ministry of Education and Science in the Republic of Georgia and the Republican National Committee before moving home to Brandon. He has worked at the City of Brandon for nearly six years. He has successfully received nearly a million dollars in Community Development Block Grant funding and implemented redevelopment zones to revitalize older parts of Brandon.
October Meeting: Sid Salter
Sidney L. “Sid” Salter is chief communications officer and director of public affairs at Mississippi State University. In that role, he leads a team of talented professionals in producing print, broadcast, and new media content designed to advance MSU’s reputation as a nationally prominent research university. Salter is also the administrator of the University Television Center and campus radio station WMSV-FM. He is the university’s spokesman.
​
For the October Membership Meeting, Salter will present,“What’s In A Name: Branding Mississippi State University."
​
MSU’s 2004 National Alumnus of the Year, Salter has enjoyed a unique career as an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist, television commentator, radio host, author, educator, and university administrator.
​
Salter represents MSU on the board of directors of the University Press of Mississippi and serves on the Southeastern Conference Communicators Executive Committee. He also serves on the following MSU administrative committees: Crisis Action Team; President’s Commission on Planning; Athletics Council; Information Security Council; Special Events and Game Day Committee; and is chairman of the Symbols, Trademarks and Licensing Committee.
​
In 2011, Salter wrote the highly-successful biography of legendary MSU broadcaster Jack Cristil. The Washington Post has listed him as “one of the nation’s best state political reporters.” He is a member of the Miss. Press Association Hall of Fame. His syndicated political columns have been published in Mississippi and a number of national newspapers since 1983.
​
He is president-elect of the Starkville Rotary Club and vice president of the Pushmataha Area Council, Boys Scouts of America. In 2018, he was awarded the BSA’s Silver Beaver Award for distinguished lifetime service to Scouting. He is active as an author and panelist in the Mississippi Book Festival.
​
Salter and his wife, Leilani, are the parents of four grown children and have seven grandchildren. They are members of Starkville’s First United Methodist Church.
September Meeting: Dr. Lance Kinney
.jpg)
Dr. Lance Kinney, associate professor of advertising and public relations at University of Alabama, will present, "Dolly Parton: Crisis Communication CEO," which briefly compares three different crisis response strategies and demonstrates how Ms. Parton embodied the role of "regional CEO" following the wildfires in Gatlinburg. This is a presentation he formerly delivered to the International Country Music Conference in Nashville.
​
Dr. Kinney began his education with a B.A. in communication from Auburn University in 1984. Following his first ad agency account executive job, he earned an M.A. in advertising from the University of Georgia in 1987. After stints as a communications coordinator with a client firm and account executive with a J. Walter Thompson subsidiary, Dr. Kinney earned a doctorate in mass communication theory and research from Florida State University in 1995.
Dr. Kinney pursues an extensive program of integrated marketing communication strategy research, including ad response as a function of program involvement, film product placement, event sponsorship and mass media effects. Dr. Kinney's research has appeared in Journal of Sport Marketing, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Promotion Management, International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, International Journal of Integrated Marketing Communication, numerous conference proceedings and a number of book chapters. He has addressed many national and international public relations, advertising and marketing organizations, including the American Academy of Advertising, the American Marketing Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, National Communication Association, North American Society for Sports Marketing and Management, the International Country Music Conference and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.
Dr. Kinney is also on in-demand speaker on the professional circuit, addressing research techniques, data analysis, and sponsorship strategies and other integrated marketing communication topics. He has been teaching since 1991 and currently teaches, researches and consults as a tenured associate professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Alabama.
August Meeting: Dawn Dugle
Dawn Dugle is an award-winning storyteller who spent 23 years in broadcast and digital journalism. She is sharing her secrets for free media attention, including why nobody read your last press release. She will also share how to get the good attention from the media and how to get the TV and radio stations to tell your story without having to pay for it!
​
Dugle spent more than two decades as an award-winning journalist and saw all of the amazing stories that weren't being told, because people just didn't know how to share their own stories.
Dugle believes everyone has a great story, and her life purpose involves helping people get those stories told. Dugle does this through her writing, speaking engagements and training workshops.
​
Dugle is the C.E.O. of Dugle Media and the Creative Director for TeleSouth Communications, the parent company of SuperTalk Mississippi. Her first book, "The Bravo! Way: Building a Southern Restaurant Dynasty," will be released in November.
July Meeting: Philip Shirley, APR
Philip Shirley, APR, believes strongly that his involvement with PRAM, SPRF and PRSA provided the perfect background for his future success in marketing, communications consulting and business. He was accredited by both PRSA and SPRF, prior to universal accreditation. He has been an officer of PRSA, PRCA, PRAM and SPRF. In 1990 he was in Mississippi’s first class of Senior practitioners and received the second Professional Achievement Award. He served as president of SPRF in 1994. Philip was recently inducted into the Southern Public Relations Hall of Fame and received the Silver Medal Award from the American Advertising Federation.
Today, Philip is Chairman & CEO of GodwinGroup, an integrated marketing firm providing advertising, public relations, digital marketing and content services nationwide. It has been ranked numerous times in the top two percent of agencies nationally. He has served as president of the America's Region of the Marketing and Advertising Global Network, a $4 billion affiliate group of marketing firms in North and South America, Europe, Russia, the far East and the Middle East.
Philip has consulted on reputation management and marketing for such national companies as BP America, Trustmark, BellSouth, Hughes Aircraft, Waste Management, Olin Chemical, Georgia-Pacific, State Farm and Amtrak.
He is the author or co-author of four books. His most recent publication was the novel The White Lie from Mindbridge Press.
Philip earned bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Alabama. He has served as adjunct professor of public relations for Samford University and Mississippi College, and is a frequent speaker nationally and internationally on business ethics, crisis management, digital integration and writing topics.
June Meeting:Daniel Crespo
C Spire Senior Media Manager Daniel Crespo spent the first half of his career between Dallas, New York and Chicago, building his media strategy and buying expertise with some of the largest ad agencies in the world. He has lead the development and execution of media campaigns for category leaders such as JCPenney, PepsiCo and AT&T, and has negotiated multi-million dollar NFL and World Cup media sponsorship packages for some of the largest global brands, including Coca-Cola, Gatorade and Verizon.
​
At C Spire, Daniel has both an internal and external media team responsible for developing and executing highly-impactful, efficient and one-to-one targeted media campaigns promoting C Spire’s customer-inspired consumer wireless, fiber-to-the-home and business solutions products. Daniel also oversees public relations, sports marketing, event sponsorship and execution, community marketing and overall brand reputation management.
​
Daniel holds a B.A. degree in journalism and mass communications with a public relations emphasis and a minor in Spanish from The University of Oklahoma.
May Meeting: Rob Hill
Rob Hill serves as state director of HRC Mississippi. As part of the Human Rights Campaign’s Project One America, Rob and his team lead the effort to bring equality to LGBTQ people throughout Mississippi. Using the resources of HRC and collaborating with local organizations, he works each day to help change hearts and minds, advance enduring legal protections and build more inclusive institutions in the Magnolia State.
​
Prior to this role, Rob served as a United Methodist pastor in Mississippi for 12 years. Most recently, he led Broadmeadow United Methodist Church in Jackson for nine years. Rob has also served on various community boards aimed at helping youth, improving the Jackson community and providing resources for neighborhood revitalization.
Rob received his bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University and his master's from Duke University.
A native and lifelong Mississippian, he lives in the capitol city, Jackson.
March Meeting: Pam Confer
Pam Confer is an international, award-winning, bilingual professional speaker, singer, song-writer and public relations consultant. She explodes with confidence, teaching everyone how a simple smile can move the world. Founder of Speak BIG!, an effective communications and public speaking program, Confer’s open mind, personal stories and amusing training style inspire all to Speak Up! Speak Out! and Speak Often!
​
A writer and publicist, Confer is editor of the book, Spoken Success: Understanding the Art of Public Speaking, by Robert Little. She is also the editor of a series of children’s books by Little, including What CAN I Be, an Accelerated Reader (AR) book that was nominated for the Coretta Scott King award.
Confer is an accomplished entertainer. Performing with her group, “Jazz Beautiful,” she was voted “Best Local Jazz Artist” by the Jackson Free Press for 2012 and 2013; the Jackson Music Awards’ 2013 and 2015 “Jazz Group of the Year;” and, the MS Jazz Foundation’s 2015 “Jazz Ambassador of the Year.” She is also one of the MS Business Journal’s 2015 “Top 50 Leading MS Businesswomen;” a 2016 Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi “Woman of Distinction;” a 2017 Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau “Hometown Hero;” and, the Jackson Advocate newspaper’s 2017 “Woman of the Year.” In December of 2017, she became the first woman, African-American president of the Canton, MS Chamber of Commerce. She has also recently written, recorded and debuted the song, “Mississippi Beautiful,” that is being supported to become the official state anthem.
The uplifting song is permanently featured in Mississippi’s new Civil Rights Museum, and is available on iTunes. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, she holds a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree, and is currently at the dissertation stage of a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University (JSU) in Jackson, MS.
February Meeting: Pamela Junior
Pamela D.C. Junior​, a motivational speaker and historian, is the newly- appointed director of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson. Formerly the manager of Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, she has more than 17 years of experience as a museum professional. Under her leadership the museum was named 50 States 50 Spots by CNN in 2014.
​
As the first director over the first state sponsored civil rights museum in the country, Junior realizes the importance in telling the absolute "truth" when interpreting the history of the many persons who fought and died for change in the South. She believes that museums should be used as an educational tool for students. In her words, “If we teach children about the history of African Americans— telling the story of the African’s pride, their strengths and fortitude, their struggles, their barriers, and their survival in a new world— you will secure a twinkle in the eyes of many that will last a lifetime.”
Junior enjoys writing, reading and working with organizations of service. She believes that “the integrity of two people joined together to bring about an offspring stays in that lineage forever- if the head is wrong, the body, the flesh, and the soul will be wronged forever- We Must work on the HEAD.”
​
To learn more about the Civil Right's Museum, visit https://mcrm.mdah.ms.gov/.
January Meeting: Jarrod Ravencraft
Jarrod Ravencraft is the public affairs division director for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and a journalism and public relations instructor at Mississippi College in Clinton. He has worked at MDOT for four and a half years, and was formerly regional director of communications for the American Red Cross in Jackson and strategic planning director for the Mississippi State Hospital.
Ravencraft earned his master’s in communications from Mississippi College, his bachelor’s in journalism/public relations/marketing from the University of Southern Mississippi and his associate degree in journalism from Hinds Community College.
​