November 2016 Member Spotlight: Jill Anderson, APR

Name: Jill Anderson, APR

Job Title/Company: Director of Marketing/ACH Child and Family Services

College/Degree/Graduation Date: Baylor University/Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/December 16, 2006

Hometown: I’m a military brat, so I’ve moved around a bit. Born in Selma, Alabama, lived in North Dakota, Alaska, and Texas. I claim Texas now since I’ve spent my adult life here. J

Position within GFW PRSA (i/a): Secretary

Childhood ambition (what did you want to be when you grew up?): I wanted to be a teacher most of my childhood, then a writer, and as a freshman in college I wanted to be a psychologist.

Current livelihood (what you’re actually doing as a grown-up): As the director of marketing for ACH, I get to do most of what I wanted to do as a kid. I write stories, teach through speaking events and tours, and study audience trends. And all the other things too – PR, agency communications, graphic design, social media management and web management.

First PR job: Public Relations Officer at Methodist Children’s Home

What you know now that you wish you’d known then: In a leadership role, there are a lot of difficult decisions and situations to deal with daily. The challenge is to handle them appropriately and quickly, and still be an encouraging leader that your team wants to follow to success with each project.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received: At this point in my life, some advice given to me recently really resonated with me. It was from a woman, who now is a grandmother and successful business owner, who said that there’s time to do what I want to do. There’s no need to rush. Enjoy life and enjoy my children while they are young because the time will go by quickly.

Greatest professional or personal accomplishment: Earning my bachelor’s degree from Baylor University – I was the first in my family to earn a four-year degree. Secondly, it would be achieving my APR this year. Next is to earn the MBA!

If you weren’t in PR, you would be ______?: Owner of an independent bookstore and bakery.

Desired legacy: To raise my two girls to be loving, kind and generous people who are willing to help those who need it most. I hope to foster children who need a safe home one day. I’d like to say I made a positive difference in someone’s life.

Why did you originally join PRSA?: My career has been in nonprofit and government PR, and generally we’re limited to the number of staff we have in the PR department. So I initially joined to network with other professionals in the field and continue my education.

Finally, tell us about your hometown and what makes it cool: I’ll go with Alaska since that’s where I spent most of my childhood. It was dark during most of the day in the winter, but what people may not realize is the incredible displays of the Northern Lights we got to enjoy throughout winter. They were beautiful and I miss seeing them. As a teen, my vehicle of choice was a snow mobile. And I lived 15 miles from THE Santa Clause House in the town of North Pole, AK.