PRactically Speaking Houston

Welcome to PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America! On PRSay we spotlight our talented members and get to know each other a little better.

Valonia Walker, APR, is the Chief Communications Officer in Hempstead ISD. She is a one-person shop and is gearing up the start of school!

Valonia is a high-energy school communications pro and attributes much of her success to mentors she has had and her passion for life-long learning.

In this episode Valonia shares how she found her way to public relations in college, and with being active in PRSSA, found a love for the profession.  She has gone on to have a successful career with several organizations and has earned her APR accreditation.

You can find Valonia at https://www.linkedin.com/in/valoniawalker. Be sure to connect with her.

PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher Public Relations. We design and execute personal visibility strategies for businesses, organizations, authors and entrepreneurs who are ready to uplevel their brands and leverage earned media to legitimize their place in their niche. 

Visit us at veronicavsopher.com, or connect on LinkedIn at @veronicavsopher.

Dennis Nuss, APR, is the Director of Media Relations and Crisis Communications for ConocoPhillips.

He has 25 years of experience implementing strategic communications plans for Fortune 500 companies, with a deep background in oil and gas and chemicals.  An expert in media relations, crisis communication and stakeholder engagement, he has an expansive history of delivering high quality results to protect and enhance brand and reputation and drive value for the businesses he has supported.

Dennis holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Communications from the University of New Orleans.  He is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and past president of the New Orleans chapter, served on the PRSA Corporate Communications Section’s executive committee for three years, and is currently an assembly delegate for PRSA Houston.  Dennis is also a member of the West Houston Leadership Institute Class of 2017 and held local public office for five years in Louisiana.

In this episode, Dennis gave us a deeper dive into the oil and gas industry and why its important to keep ongoing stories relevant throughout relations with the media. He also talks about the opportunities available throughout PRSA and the importance of mentoring members just starting out in the business. 

You can find Dennis Nuss at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisnuss.

PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher Public Relations. We design and execute personal visibility strategies for businesses, organizations, authors and entrepreneurs who are ready to uplevel their brands and leverage earned media to legitimize their place in their niche. Visit us at veronicavsopher.com, or connect on LinkedIn at @veronicavsopher. 

Welcome to PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America! On PRSay we spotlight our talented members and get to know each other a little better.

John Sweney is Co-founder, President, and CEO at Brookwoods Group.

As CEO, John Sweney is primarily responsible for company direction, client services, professional recruiting, strategic consulting, and team development at Brookwoods Group. Before founding the firm with Mike Stargel, he gained experience in the marketing and communications disciplines as public relations manager at Compaq, public information officer for METRO, executive speechwriter for IBM, advertising and public relations professional for General Electric, press secretary to the Mayor of Providence and news radio anchor. He has been active in the Houston community, acting as a president or board member of various professional groups, nonprofit organizations, and committees. In 2016, he was named CEO Communicator of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America.

John talked about how his career in corporate public relations brought him to building a highly successful

You can find John Sweney at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsweney.

PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher Public Relations. We design and execute personal visibility strategies for businesses, organizations, authors and entrepreneurs who are ready to uplevel their brands and leverage earned media to legitimize their place in their niche. Visit us at veronicavsopher.com, or connect on LinkedIn at @veronicavsopher. 

Welcome to PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America! On PRSay we spotlight our talented members and get to know each other a little better.

Misha McClure is Co-founder, President, and CEO at Brookwoods Group.
Misha is a Brand Strategist who believes building strong community collaborations is key for optimizing exposure to grow your personal and professional brands.

Misha has spent over a decade in the community relations and PR arena and has built strong community collaborations that she uses in her current role as Director of External Affairs for Comcast – Houston Region. In addition to her extensive PR and community relations experience, Misha is a trained journalist and social media guru. McClure currently serves on the Easter Seals of Greater Houston Board. Other affiliations include the Public Relations Society of America – Houston chapter, Corporate Community Relations Council, and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Misha talked about her career and her passion for working with non-profit organizations. She also discussed how digital equity has changed drastically during the pandemic and how Comcast pivoted and was on the front line of that effort.
You can find Misha McClure at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mishalmcclure.
PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher Public Relations. We design and execute personal visibility strategies for businesses, organizations, authors and entrepreneurs who are ready to uplevel their brands and leverage earned media to legitimize their place in their niche. Visit us at veronicavsopher.com, or connect on LinkedIn at @veronicavsopher. 

Welcome to PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America! On PRSay we spotlight our talented members and get to know each other a little better.
Priyanka Agarwal is a public relations and online reputation management expert with over two decades of experience in diverse industries and markets. 
She is the founder and president of Brainjog Communications, a company specializing in online reputation management. Priyanka serves as the public relations consultant for J Turner Research, the leading market research company in the apartment industry. With her team of 17 writers, she has responded to 175,000+ online reviews in the apartment industry over the last four years.
Priyanka has extensive knowledge about the importance of actively managing a company's reputation and strategies for effectively building your brand by monitoring your online presence. She has coined the Four P Rule to address challenging situations such as trolls and fake reviews.
In her career, she has worked with public relations agencies and consulted for technology companies such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, and Nortel Networks, among other others. She has also served as the Director of Communications and Alumni Relations at The Regis School of Sacred Heart in Houston. 
Priyanka is a contributory author for NAA, Multifamily Insider, and PR Daily. Priyanka holds a master's degree in public relations from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communications, University of Houston.
In this episode she talked about her public relations experience rooted in her home country, India. From her journey from agency to corporation and back to agency work, along with her path to earn her Master’s Degree, start a family and her innovative road into entrepreneurship.
You can find Priyanka at https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyankag77.
PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher Public Relations. We design and execute personal visibility strategies for businesses, organizations, authors and entrepreneurs who are ready to uplevel their brands and leverage earned media to legitimize their place in their niche. Visit us at veronicavsopher.com, or connect on LinkedIn - @veronicavsopher. 

Welcome to PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America! On PRSay we spotlight our talented members and get to know each other a little better.

For more than 25 years, crisis communications expert Gerard Braud (Jared Bro) has helped leaders on five continents with crisis communications plans, crisis media training and crisis communications drills.

In 2020, he also became the founder of a new crisis communications software platform, known as SituationHub.com
Gerard’s path into communications started when he was an award-winning television reporter. You may have seen him on CBS, NBC, CNN, HLN, or The Weather Channel.
His passion is helping companies protect their revenue, reputation, and brand by being prepared.

In this episode of PRSay we talk with Gerard and how his career path led him to a phenomenal place of being on the forefront of crisis communication and how it has evolved.

He invented SituationHub (situationhub.com), the first of its kind software that can automatically write a news release during a crisis, in 3 to 5 minutes. He believes that when companies communicate fast and effectively, they preserve their revenue, reputation and brand.

Gerard also explains his formula and how he likens crisis communication to a recipe and what you need to do, specifically, in a crisis and how to effectively communicate to your audience.

You can find Gerard (Jared) on social media:
www.linkedin.com/in/gerardbraud, www.twitter.com/situationhub, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDi6rSCNLHwK9yvpl6tu9kg

PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher Public Relations. We design and execute personal visibility you strategies for businesses, organizations, authors and entrepreneurs who are ready to uplevel their brands and leverage earned media to legitimize their place in their niche. Visit us at veronicavsopher.com, or connect on LinkedIn - @veronicavsopher. 

On this episode of PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, Meagan Coughlin, Director of Communications of the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), who shares about the dynamics of working in leadership in government communications.
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is the region-wide voluntary association of local governments in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning Region of Texas. The organization works with local government officials to solve problems across the area. 
A native Mississippian, Meagan leads the organiza­tion’s strategic communications for an area of more than 7 million people. Meagan’s nearly 20 years of public relations experience expands from the nonprofit, higher education, and government sectors.
She joined PRSA-Houston Chapter in 2017 and prior to arriving in Houston, she worked as the director of international communications and protocol for Mississippi State University’s International Institute. She is a Mississippi State graduate with a degree in communications.
In this episode, Meagan also talks about the many benefits of having the APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) status, which she earned in 2014.
In addition to serving as PRSA Houston's president, Meagan is a graduate of the Leadership Houston signature program and currently pursuing her master's of public policy and administration at the University of St. Thomas.
You can find Meagan LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meagancoughlin.
Learn more about the PRSA Houston Chapter, our events and opportunities at www.prsahouston.org. 
PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher, Public Relations.

On this episode of PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, Terri Larson, APR, Principal at Larson Communications & Consulting, shares her “meandering path” from journalism to public relations.

As a passionate storyteller, Terri talked about her ability to capitalize on her ability to get information and how this quality gives her a voice and creates equity. This is one of her core principles that she is able to bring to the table.

Terri also talks about the great benefits of being a member of PRSA and how it builds bridges to others in the PR space and gives her more opportunities to learn.

She leaves us with the message: “make mistakes – learn from them of what to do and what not to do in the future.”

Terri earned her bachelor’s degree in radio and television at Stephen F. Austin State University and an MBA at the University of Phoenix. 

You can find Terri on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrilarson.

Learn more about the PRSA Houston Chapter, our events and opportunities at www.prsahouston.org. 

PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher, Public Relations.

On this episode of PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, Laura Frnka-Davis, APR, shares her successful journey into solopreneurship. In 2018, after a successful career with several organizations, Laura took a leap of faith and launched LFD Communications.

Laura shares the many rewards and benefits of running a solo business and also shares some the challenges that naturally come up in this business model. She has learned to balance the two and celebrates her ability to maintain relationships with clients.

Laura attributes her ability to authentically connect with potential leads to her membership with PRSA and the strong professional network membership brings. She highly encourages others to learn how to leverage those networks to grow their businesses. 

Be sure to connect with Laura on LinkedIn and learn more about LFD Communications at www.lfdcommunications.com.

Learn more about the PRSA Houston Chapter, our events and opportunities at www.prsahouston.org. 

PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher, Public Relations.

Welcome Isidro Reyna APR, Senior Communications Specialist for NASA to PRSay - the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Isidro is one of the chapter's past presidents and shares his thoughts on the value of PRSA membership and how it has helped him in his career. He also encourages members to leverage their membership to develop synergistic working relationships with other members, and to give back to the PR profession by working with interns and young PR professionals who are eager to learn. 

In his role at NASA, he works with several groups to support strategic media relations, communications and leadership development. He believes in strong community engagement and values the work that NASA does to create opportunities for all stakeholders to benefit from all NASA has to offer. 

Be sure to connect with Isidro on LinkedIn @isadroreyna, and say hello at our next in-person event.

Learn more about the PRSA Houston Chapter, our events and opportunities at www.prsahouston.org. 

PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher, Public Relations.