PRSA Holds National Polcymaking Assembly - 2 Delegates Represent San Antonio Area Chapter

Rebecca M. Villarreal (chapter president) and I represented the PRSA San Antonio area chapter at this year’s national assembly in Orlando (big sacrifice) this weekend. The big news was two-fold. With the passage of the dues increase comes free webinars for PRSA members. I don’t mean a handful of webinars. I mean all PRSA webinars, tons of them, that you’ll have access to from your desk beginning this January!

The passage of the dues measure was not a surprise given the volume of clear information provided by the board and others leading up to the event. Our chapter supported the increase because it makes sense for the future of the society. (See my upcoming Byline story or the national PRSAY blog story for more details.)

The surprising part was the fact that there was no debate about it from the floor. There were a couple of questions about the online membership form and the quarterly payment option. But that was it. In the five assembly sessions I’ve attended, never have I seen one without someone venting about something (often those rants were akin to ranting irrelevant comments at the end of newspaper articles online).

It was so refreshing this week to be a part of a roomful of 300 PRSA leaders who are truly committed to advancing the profession. Rosanna Fiske, APR, PRSA chair and CEO, deserves tremendous credit for her leadership this year. (In fact, she received an impromptu standing ovation from the assembly.) In upcoming posts, I will share news from Rosana’s state of the society as well as info I gleaned from the international conference that followed.

Reporting from the PRSA International Conference

Representing the San Antonio Chapter at this year's PRSA International Conference and Assembly are Fran Stephenson and Christie Goodman, APR. Yesterday the team served as the chapter delegates to the Society's Assembly and beginning today, will bring you news of the speakers, keynotes and workshops.

Special thanks to esd & associates for sponsoring the PRSA San Antonio Chapter's delegates to the conference. Watch for more news throughout the week.

PRSA National Assembly Maintains Status Quo on Board Service Requirements

This year, the PRSA Assembly had a smaller agenda than last year’s conference in San Diego. Two amendments to the Bylaws were somewhat housekeeping in nature. Defining terms of Board service and softening the language on the Code of Ethics. Both passed without debate.

Another amendment, dropping the proposed requirement of the APR credential for service on the national board, was far more contentious. The debate was civil, with many speakers citing the pros and cons of the amendment. A similar amendment was proferred at last year’s assembly and on other occasions. All those amendments have failed.

Those in favor of the amendment cited opening up board leadership to those who serve but who have not taken advantage of the accreditation credential. A number of APRs and Fellows spoke in favor of the amendment, urging the group to separate governance and certification. Others who spoke in favor of the amendment sought the change to eliminate the divisiveness among membership about what the meaning of an APR credential really reflects. They also cited the rigorous process by which a member who is seeking national office must undergo to make that happen.

Assembly delegates speaking against the amendment spoke about the need to maintain standards and expectations among our national board. One speaker against the amendment said “anyone can take that test,” for the APR credential.

It is interesting to note that among the PRSA membership nationwide, only 25% of the membership are accredited. In the San Antonio chapter, the percentage is 20%. The PRSA San Antonio Board is challenged with filling board positions each year that require APR. Most of our board leadership positions do not require the APR credential, and in fact, our board could not function if it was a requirement.

As chapter delegates to this Assembly, Fran Stephenson and Christie Goodman, APR, we voted for this amendment because the board wanted more opportunities for chapter leadership to serve at the national level. Because the motion failed, the San Antonio chapter will have a more difficult road to having a voice at the national level. While we strongly believe in the power of the credential for many public relations practitioners, we see this as a governance issue, not an accreditation issue.

Watch for more as the International Conference gets underway in Washington D.C.