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Committees, Project Teams, Task Forces 2024-2025


Many members of the National School Public Relations Association have supported their association colleagues through volunteer service on a standing committee or special committee.

  • Standing committees include the Accreditation Committee, Audit Committee, Executive Board Search Committee, Finance Committee, Policy Committee and Teller Committee. 
  • Special committees include the Communication Equity and Diversity Task Force, Engagement Task Force, School Communication Benchmarking Project Team and Special Committee on Region Realignment.

Committee chairs, members and charges are listed below. Each committee has specific responsibilities, and some have rules about who may serve  on the committee based on NSPRA Policy. Time commitments for committee members vary, but all members are asked to be actively engaged in the work of their particular group.

Association members with questions for a committee should contact the committee's chair first, or if one is not listed, the committee's board liasion.

The slate of committee membership for a new school year is typically approved by the NSPRA Executive Board during its meeting before the National Seminar in July or during its virtual meeting in September. Those interested in committee service are encouraged to express interest in volunteer service on a committee via the Call4All survey by June 1 for service opportunities in the following school year

Standing Committee

Charge: To encourage all association members to invest in their professional development by becoming accredited, thereby strengthening NSPRA and the public relations profession, as detailed in NSPRA Policy 225.11.

Typical tasks to fulfill this charge include:

  • Serving as instructors for NSPRA’s national APR Cohort program.
  • Supporting and providing advice to NSPRA chapters seeking to provide accreditation preparation programs for chapter members.
  • Assisting potential APR candidates in finding mentors by directing them to Mentor Match and by enrolling, when feasible, as a mentor.
  • Contributing content for NSPRA member publications on the value and process of accreditation.
  • Hosting and participating in APR-focused networking events and learning opportunities at the annual National Seminar.
  • Promoting awareness among members and chapters of the Panel Presentation process.
  • Coordinating Panel Presentations for member-candidates as needed in states/regions without local chapter support for the APR process.

Reporting: Committee chair will provide progress reports to NSPRA staff liaison for each scheduled NSPRA Executive Board meeting.

The committee consists of accredited members of the association. Members are appointed by the president for two-year terms of office. The president annually designates a chairperson.

Board Liaison to Committee: Jake Potter, APR, South Central Region Vice President 

NSPRA Staff Liaisons to Committee: Melissa McConnell, Manager of Professional Development and Member Engagement, Mellissa Braham, APR, Associate Director

Co-Chairs of Committee:

  • Christy McGee, APR, cmcgee@ffc8.org 719-233-0832 (NSPRA Southwest Region)
  • Ashley Michelle Thublin, APR, amt@dcsirish.com 478-484-6554 (NSPRA Southeast Region)

UAB Voting Representatives: 

Regional Representatives:

Standing Committee

Charge: To review outside auditor's report and make a report to the Executive Board.

Deadline: Board liaison to provide a report to the Executive Board during the November meeting and to the membership at the NSPRA National Seminar in July.

The committee consists of at least three members, composed of Executive Board members and at least one NSPRA member at large.

NSPRA staff liaison: Kevin Lynch, Director of Finance and Operations

Board members: Lori Perlow, Northeast Region Vice President - Chair; Terri McHugh, North Central Region Vice President

At-large member: Lana Snodgrass, South Central Region member

Task Force Goal: To help ensure that NSPRA is an inclusive association that embraces the diversity of our members, and we empower them to champion equity and anti-racism in the communities they serve, as outlined in NSPRA Policy 110.

Tasks:

Past tasks to fulfill this goal included:

  • Reviewing and recommending updates for survey on member diversity.
  • Contributing content based on best practices for NSPRA member programs and products
  • For the NSPRA National Seminar:
    • Identifying and serving as speakers on equity and diversity topics.
    • Hosting and helping develop programming for the Celebrating Equity Through Inclusion Kickoff Breakfast.
  • Providing representatives for networking and learning opportunities through NSPRA.

Reporting: Board team leader will provide progress reports to NSPRA staff liaison for NSPRA Executive Board meetings in November, April and July.

The president appoints special committee members, and members serve for one year unless otherwise authorized by the Executive Board.

Board Team Leader: Janine Thorn, Vice President for Diversity Engagement 

NSPRA Staff Liaison to Task Force: Melissa McConnell, Manager of Professional Development and Member Services

Members by Region:

Special Committee

Charge:

The Engagement Taskforce will support the Vice President at Large for Engagement with their efforts on the following for one year:

  • Further professional development opportunities that strengthen members’ skills in stakeholder engagement.
  • Support efforts to review/develop rubrics of practice around stakeholder engagement.
  • Engage NSPRA members in national efforts around support for public education.
  • Lead the NSPRA Executive Board in efforts to engage with members.

NSPRA Staff Liaison to CommitteeBarbara Hunter, APR,   Executive Director

Chair: Julia Burgos, APR, Vice President at Large for Engagement

Charge:

  • Encourage members to consider running for the Executive Board and provide information about the nomination, campaign and election process.
  • Seek out and identify a slate of one or more candidates for each elected office to the NSPRA Executive Board that will become vacant the following year. (2025 vacancies: president-elect and vice presidents for Northeast, Mideast and Southwest regions)
  • Chair to present the slate to the membership during the Annual Meeting at the NSPRA 2025 National Seminar.

Deadline: Slate of candidates submitted to NSPRA office no later than May 1, 2025.

The committee is comprised of seven association members representing each of the seven association regions and at least one association member who is from a historically underrepresented group. Each member's term of office expires in the same year as the applicable regional vice president. The president-elect appoints one member to serve as chair.

Board Liaison to Committee: Erica Chandler, APR, NSPRA President-Elect 2024-25

NSPRA Staff Liaison to CommitteeMellissa Braham, APR, Associate Director 

Chair of Committee: Melissa Robinette, melissa.robinette@spart5.net 864-949-7940 (NSPRA Southeast Region)

Members:

Standing Committee

Charge:

  • Provide a mechanism for some Executive Board members to become knowledgeable about and to oversee the association’s finances.
  • Become acquainted with association finances in enough detail to provide other Executive Board members a knowledgeable resource for making financial decisions.

Chair: Erica Chandler, APR, NSPRA President-Elect 2024-25

NSPRA Staff Liaison to Committee: Kevin Lynch,  Director of Finance and Operations

The committee is composed of a minimum of three Executive Board members, elected by the board, and the president-elect, who serves as chair.

Members:

Standing Committee

Charge:

  • Annually review the Policy Manual to ensure conformity with actual practices and to notify the Executive Board of any material differences found.
  • Review the NSPRA Bylaws annually to ensure they meet the needs of the Association and are aligned with Association policies.
  • Recommend to the Executive Board new policies and procedures that the committee feels would benefit and enhance Association services and administration.
  • Be responsive to requests from the Executive Board and/or other committees regarding current policies of the Association.

Board Chair: Trent Allen, APR, NSPRA Immediate Past President

NSPRA Staff Liaison to Committee: Barbara M. Hunter, APR,  Executive Director

The committee will be chaired by the Immediate Past President and composed of three Executive Board members, as appointed by the President. The appointment of new Policy Committee members will be approved by the NSPRA Executive Board at its September meeting.

Members:

Project Goal: To ensure that NSPRA's Rubrics of Practice and Suggested Measures benchmarking publication continues to identify best-in-class practices and performance measures in all previously identified critical function areas.

Scope of Project: Review the first six critical function areas of the Rubrics of Practice and Suggested Measures (developed between 2012 and 2020) through the lens of today's best practices and performance measures as well as in light of the newest critical function area on equitable, diverse and inclusive communications (released in 2023).

Project Tasks: Identify any necessary updates to the existing program components, example strategies and tactics, resources, evaluation measures and glossary terms that will provide school communication professionals with the guidelines and tools they need today to determine the effectiveness of their communication programs.

Deadline: Complete the publication review and submit suggested updates to NSPRA staff by March 2025.

Reporting: Board team leader will provide progress reports to NSPRA staff liaison for each scheduled NSPRA Executive Board meeting.

The president appoints special committee members, and members serve for one year unless otherwise authorized by the Executive Board.

Board Team Leader: Jennifer Dericco, APR, Southwest Region Vice President

NSPRA Staff Liaison to Project Team: Mellissa Braham, APR, Associate Director

Project Manager: Kim Smithgall, pagegarden@gmail.com (518) 312-3527 (NSPRA Northeast Region)

Members:

Charge:

The Special Committee on Region Realignment will undertake a comprehensive review of NSPRA’s current regional structure and make recommendations if changes seem warranted. This review will include research of the pros and cons of a region realignment as well as input and engagement of potentially impacted chapter members. The research methods are flexible and might include a survey, focus groups, interviews, etc. The committee will update the board regularly if needed and deliver its report and recommendations to the board at its July 2025 meeting with a board vote in September 2025 on any proposed changes.

NSPRA Staff Liaison to CommitteeBarbara Hunter, APR,   Executive Director

Chair: Lesley Bruinton, APR, Past President

Members, Executive Board

Members by NSPRA region (one representative from each region):

  • Northeast - Christa Fazio
  • Mideast - Cristina Capretta
  • Southeast - Jason Gaston, APR
  • North Central - Joelle Doye
  • South Central - Kelly Wachel, APR
  • Northwest - Allison Westfall
  • Southwest - Christy McGee, APR

Standing Committee

Charge: To certify the results of the 2025 election for NSPRA Executive Board offices in the event that there is a contested election and the results of any other votes by membership.

NSPRA Staff Liaison to CommitteeKevin Lynch,  Director of Finance and Operations

Members are typically appointed by the president only if there is a contested election or bylaws vote. The committee is composed of not fewer than three persons.

Members:

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