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Dallas-Fort Worth Chapters Shine at PRSA ICON 2022
By Andra Bennett House, APR, PRSA ICON Local Host Committee Co-Chair
We did it! The Dallas and Fort Worth Chapters knocked the hospitality at Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s ICON 2022 out of the ice park at the Gaylord!
More than 1,000 PR pros, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors gathered at the Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine to learn and grow Nov. 12-15, and they got an extra helping of Texas hospitality on the side. And guess who brought the most money and peeps to the party? GFW PRSA! We had 54 registrants, more than any other chapter in the U.S. Dallas was second with 51 registrants.
I want to begin by thanking those who answered the call last year to be on the DFW Host Committee, co-chaired by Thomas Bennett, III and myself: Cambria Jones; Andrea Huguely; Christy Jones; Michelle Sing; Blake Lewis, APR, Fellow PRSA; Kim Brown, APR; and Maricar Estrella Hastings. We met virtually on a monthly basis to brainstorm potential sponsors, plan the welcome reception and hospitality booth activities, and promote the conference. Most worked the hospitality booth at some points during the conference as well.
We served up a spicy hot welcome at our Hospitality booth with dozens of jars of salsa donated by Mrs. Renfro’s, client of Balcom Agency. Those were gone by the end of Day 1! We also provided raffle items with a gift basket from Visit Frisco, Starbucks gift cards, 12 tickets to Dallas Wings 2023 home games, and pins and maps from Grapevine CVB, Visit Fort Worth and Visit Dallas.
Thanks to all the hospitality booth volunteers from the Dallas and Greater Fort Worth Chapters:
Alyssa Christian
Ashley Freer
Richie Escovedo, APR
Susan Schoolfield, APR
Lesley Dupre
Carol Murray, APR
Glenda Holcomb Moreno
Isabelle Scott
John Ponzio
Joy Donovan Brandon
Kathleen Sams
Lesley Mason
Linda Goelzer
Malinda Miller
Michelle Sing
Paula Cobler
Prescotte Stokes III
Taylor Bartley
Terry Allen
Tiara Tucker
Krista Roberts
And did you know Fort Worth brought the Hypnotoad to ICON when TCU PRSSA — out of all the PRSSA Chapters in Texas — stepped up to host PRSSA students at ICON? What an exciting and unique learning experience for all students involved in coordinating this major event. Thank you, Dr. Amiso George, APR, Fellow PRSA for leading that effort.
Finally, if you haven’t seen the photos from the welcome reception, go here to see PR People. Having. Fun. The dance floor was not large enough for all the folks wanting to learn line dancing! And Prowler the mascot from Panther City Lacrosse has surprisingly deft footwork, er, paw work.
Next time you see Ken Ross, APR from Lockheed Martin Aerospace, be sure to thank him for LM’s generous donation to fund the Welcome Reception entertainment and decorations, as well as Balcom’s support.
PRSA National staff and board members are all still singing the praises of our chapters and are glad they chose to return to North Texas after a 30-year absence. We should all be extremely proud of the way we represented the Lone Star state and our profession. Next year, Nashville has its work cut out to top the DFW team!
Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA Welcomes 2 New College of Fellows
July 21, 2022 – The Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA (GFWPRSA) announced on Thursday that two Fort Worth-based strategic communication professionals have been elected to the prestigious College of Fellows of PRSA, the nation’s leading professional organization serving the communications community.
That brings the number of Fellows in the chapter to 11. The College of Fellows is comprised of more than 700 leading professionals and educators, each of whom has left a significant footprint on the public relations profession. This achievement recognizes their service, leadership and commitment to the public relations industry and fellow communicators.
The inductees are:
Sandra R. Brodnicki, APR, Fellow PRSA, Co-Founder, The S & G Group, a strategic planning and communications consulting firm based in Arlington, Texas
Laura Moore Van Hoosier, MS, APR, Fellow PRSA, Assistant Vice President, Public Relations & Communications, Cook Children’s Health Care System, Fort Worth, Texas
“We are tremendously proud to have two of our members elected to the PRSA College of Fellows. Sandra and Laura both embody servant leadership, and their combined 43-year PRSA tenure makes them some of our most valuable members,” said GFWPRSA President Tracy Greene. “Their dedication to PRSA has directly impacted the success of our chapter, and we are fortunate to have them as leaders and mentors. Congratulations to both on this well-deserved, prestigious honor.”
The College of Fellows Class of 2022 will be honored during a virtual celebration on November 6 and inducted at the College of Fellows Induction Celebration at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on November 12 during the PRSA International Conference, which is being co-hosted by the Greater Fort Worth and Dallas chapters of PRSA from Nov. 12 to 15.
To qualify for admittance to the College of Fellows, the communications professional must have at least 20 years of PR and communications experience, hold the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) credential and have demonstrated superior professional performance in the practice/teaching of public relations through a rigorous application and peer review process.
About Sandra R. Brodnicki, APR, Fellow PRSA, Co-Founder, The S & G Group, a strategic planning and communications consulting firm based in Arlington, Texas:
Sandra is a long-time entrepreneur and communications professional who has spent the majority of her public relations career working on behalf of clients in health care, education, financial services, aviation and nonprofit. A former newspaper reporter, she hung out her shingle in 2002 as owner and president of Brodnicki Public Relations. She later co-founded The S & G Group, a strategic planning and communications consulting firm based in Arlington, Texas, with long-time business partner Gigi Westerman, APR, Fellow PRSA.
Brodnicki is a seasoned communicator, a strategic thinker and a trusted counselor. She is also a major advocate for accreditation, having served as GFWPRSA co-chair of the Accreditation in Public Relations committee for three years (2011-2013). Brodnicki also served as vice president of programs for the chapter in 2014 and as co-chair for the independent practitioners special interest group from 2004 to 2006.
About Laura Moore Van Hoosier, MS, APR, Fellow PRSA, Assistant Vice President, Public Relations & Communications, Cook Children’s Health Care System in Fort Worth:
A graduate of both Texas A&M University and Texas Christian University, Van Hoosier has spent the bulk of her career in health care public relations. Over the years, she also taught public relations courses at TCU, and has been a huge advocate for the Accreditation in Public Relations process and developing the public relations leaders of tomorrow.
Van Hoosier has been a member of the Greater Fort Worth chapter of PRSA since 1998, having served as its president twice (2008 and 2020), and has held more than a dozen other positions. She is also a past chair and APR chair of the PRSA Southwest District, and served on the nominating and accreditation committees for PRSA’s national arm.
About GFWPRSA
The Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA is the leading organization for public relations practitioners and educators in Tarrant County, Texas. Chartered in 1986, the chapter provides members with professional development opportunities through continuing education programs, information exchange forums and networking and mentoring. The chapter holds a semi-annual Worthy Awards contest, honoring Fort Worth’s best in public relations and strategic communications.
About PRSA
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) empowers its members to succeed at every stage of their careers through a wide breadth of professional development, networking and leadership opportunities. Guided by its Code of Ethics, PRSA is collectively represented by 110 Chapters and 14 Professional Interest Sections, as well as on nearly 375 college and university campuses in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Argentina, Colombia and Peru through its student organization, the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). PRSA’s signature events include the Anvil Awards and ICON, the premier annual gathering for communications professionals and students.
