NSPRA’s Bylaws and policy allow the NSPRA Executive Board to affirm candidates by acclamation in the event of an uncontested race.
Because no offices are contested this year and there are no Bylaws revisions requiring a vote of the membership, we will not be holding an election this fall. At the Annual Meeting on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at the Chicago Seminar, the Executive Board affirmed the following approved candidates by acclamation as officers-elect of the Board. They will officially take office on October 1, 2012.
The candidates were asked by the Executive Board Search Committee to answer the following questions about their desire to serve on the NSPRA Executive Board.
Candidate for President-elect:
Nora Carr, APR
Career and Professional Background: Nora Carr, APR, is chief of staff for Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she oversees governmental relations, internal and external communications, special events, media relations, community relations, GCSTV 2, strategic planning, Guilford Parent Academy, grant development, volunteers and partnerships. Encompassing 650 square miles, GCS is one of the nation’s 50th largest school districts with more than 10,000 employees, 73,000 students and 122 schools. A sought-after speaker and public relations strategist, Nora has assisted school systems, educational associations, non-profits and businesses in 25 states. Nora also serves as a contributing editor on communications for the American School Board Journal and as a columnist on community and stakeholder relations for eSchool News. In 2010, Nora received NSPRA’s highest honor, the Presidents Award. She began her career in school public relations in 1987 in St. Louis, Missouri, as a solo practitioner for an urban system with 5,000 students.
Principals in the Public
The research is clear — public engagement is a must for all successful school leaders. Developed by NSPRA Executive Director Richard D. Bagin, APR,
Principals in the Public is an easy-to-use guide that will enable principals to become skilled communicators as well as community leaders.
Order Now!How can school PR professionals best advance our role as communication leaders, demonstrate communication accountability, and build understanding of communication as a core management function?
We gain credibility as leaders and public relations counselors when we: a) offer key insights and perspectives that others don’t; b) anticipate issues and intervene before problems are created; c) help solve core business and organizational problems; d) execute all plans, strategies, tactics and tasks at high levels in a timely manner; and, e) demonstrate measurable results. In other words, we have to walk the talk.
What do you consider to be the major communication challenges facing districts/education organizations today and what qualifications, skills and expertise do you offer as an Executive Board member to help NSPRA support members in addressing these issues?
Our nation is at a crossroads when it comes to public education. The democratic notion of common schools for the common good has shifted to a business model in which public schools are simply another commodity that competes for customers and a shrinking pool of tax dollars. This trend is likely to continue, even when the economy more fully recovers. As a result, our members, their sponsoring districts, schools and organizations — and NSPRA — will have to become more flexible, responsive and entrepreneurial. As an Executive Board member, I bring great passion for the cause, the willingness to tackle tough issues, and a proven record of getting things done — and done well.
What do you hope to contribute to our profession as an NSPRA Executive Board member and Association leader?
I want to help NSPRA and its members take a more active — and visible — role in speaking out for high quality schools for all children. School public relations professionals can give education back its voice, but they need the strategies, tools and resources to do so. We need to keep NSPRA strong and grow its services to meet the diverse needs of our members, especially during these challenging economic times. Let’s dream big together!
Candidate for Northwest Region Vice President:
Carol Fenstermacher, APR
Carol Fenstermacher, APR, has more than 30 years experience in the communications field. She is currently the director of community relations for Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, Wash., a position she’s held since 1999. Prior to working for the school district, Carol spent three years at the City of Portland as a program specialist in communications for the Bureau of Environmental Services and the Office of Transportation and two years as the community relations director and spokesperson for the Portland Rose Festival Association. From 1982 — 1994, she worked at United Way of Columbia-Willamette as the assistant vice president/director of communications. She began her career as a reporter for a local sports publication and the Daily Journal of Commerce and graduated from the University of Portland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. In 2004, Carol received her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Universal Accreditation Board. In addition, she has been active in various communication associations, including Women In Communications, Inc., (WICI), where she served as the organization’s National President. In addition to NSPRA, she belongs to the Washington School Public Relations Association (WSPRA) and the Portland Chapter of the Public Relations Association of America.
How can school PR professionals best advance our role as communication leaders, demonstrate communication accountability, and build understanding of communication as a core management function?
I believe there are a number of ways we as school PR professionals can advance our role. First, we need to make sure that we are at the table where the decisions are being made. We need to directly report to the superintendent and serve as a trusted strategic advisor. We need to keep up to date on local and national educational issues and initiatives and provide talking points and white papers to the superintendent and school board addressing the issues. We need to be active in our state and national school PR associations. After attending seminars and workshops, we need to share what we have learned with the leadership in our districts and take the lead on implementing best practices. One of the best ways to demonstrate our professionalism and accountability is by obtaining Accreditation in Public Relations (APR.) An APR is a clear demonstration of a PR professional’s knowledge and commitment to professional excellence.
What do you consider to be the major communication challenges facing districts/education organizations today and what qualifications, skills and expertise do you offer as an Executive Board member to help NSPRA support members in addressing those issues?
There are several major communication challenges facing our organizations — during poor economic times, we are challenged in how to communicate about budgets and school financing, especially when there is a strong anti-tax sentiment in the community. We are challenged in getting the story out about the great things that are happening in public education each and every day when a majority of the media outlets insist on portraying the “Crisis in our schools,” even when there isn’t a crisis. Many school districts are cutting back on staff and some are eliminating communications professionals. While all of this is going on, we are expected to keep up with all of the new communication tools and determine which ones are the most effective in telling our district’s story. And just when we think we can sit down and catch our breath, there is an emergency at one of our schools and the media is on their way.
With 30 years of communications’ experience — almost all of which has been in the not-for-profit and government sectors — I can offer NSPRA and our members tactics to communicate on a shoe string budget and be transparent about budget issues. I can offer tips on how to engage the audience through the use of social media, how to get the media on our side, and how to remain calm during a crisis. I can also articulate why every communications professional should be thinking about or working on getting their APR.
What do you hope to contribute to our profession as an NSPRA Executive Board member and Association leader?
As a member of the NSPRA Executive Board, it is my hope that I can provide ideas on how to further our profession and position the field of school PR as an added value for every school district and educational institution. Through my experience on the national board of directors of Women in Communications, I know the importance of putting the members and their needs first. By serving on the NSPRA Executive Board, I want to represent the needs of the membership and I want to work in collaboration with other Board members and the NSPRA staff to find and/or design programs that will be beneficial to our members.
Candidate for Southeast Region Vice President:
Elise Shelton
With degrees in journalism and history from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., Elise Shelton embarked on a 10-year career as a newspaper journalist. She then migrated into the world of organizational communications working for a magazine printing company, a Nashville hospital, and then a school system. She has served in the communications leadership role in Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools for 17 years.
How can school PR professionals best advance our role as communication leaders, demonstrate communication accountability, and build understanding of communication as a core management function?
Maintaining credibility requires school PR professionals to be diligent about how national and state trends can affect their school districts. It is not a matter of being the Henny Penny of your district, but predicting and preparing for likely situations will position PR professionals as the prophets to be depended upon for the most effective communications strategies. Every single thing that transpires in an organization (education or otherwise) has communication at its hub. PR professionals must maintain themselves as the communications gurus to guide their organizations through good times and bad. Any book or resource written about effective organizations will point at effective communication as the fulcrum. Where we as PR professionals sometimes miss the mark is in our mistaken assumption that everyone knows this truism. We must become better at promoting our role within the organization so that it becomes second nature for communication staff to be called upon at the planning stage, rather than at the reactive stage.
What do you consider to be the major communication challenges facing districts/education organizations today and what qualifications, skills and expertise do you offer as an Executive Board member to help NSPRA support members in addressing these issues?
Ensuring the survival of public schools is the biggest challenge that I believe we have yet to face. Whichever political party is in the White House, the times are reflecting that change is in the air for K-12 education, and the potential for privatization of schools increases with each election. Resting on our laurels or assuming our public schools are safe is no longer a likely outcome. We must get more political than we ever have been. That is not to say we need to run for office, but we do need to mount an effective argument for the value of public schools. Communication with primarily national legislators has been muddied with different agendas being promoted by many education-connected organizations. As a seasoned school communications professional with a vast array of experiences, including strategy design, accountability reporting, informational communications and crisis-based response, I hope to be a solid resource for NSPRA members.
What do you hope to contribute to our profession as an NSPRA Executive Board member and Association leader
Having had some experience in communicating with legislators on state and national levels, I hope to bring some solid recommendations to help influence legislative awareness in support of public schools.
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