IABC generally holds its monthly professional development luncheons on the second Wednesday of each month at the Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue.  Please mark your calendar for the IABC Nashville professional development luncheons for 2008!
	Use the links below to find details about a specific IABC Nashville events including date, time, location, guest, topic, and reservations.
	January 2008 February 2008 March 2008  April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008  September 2008 October 2007  November 2007 December 2007

Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue, Nashville

Phone: (615) 340-9550

Guests & Topic

John Seigenthaler

Aileen Katcher

Ethics in Communication

 

Please come and join us at our new meeting location, Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue, in Nashville to kick off 2008. Our January professional development event focuses on Ethics in Communiucation with our guests John Seigenthaler and Aileen Katcher. Seigenthaler is the founder of the First Amendment Center and holds numerous other honors, while Katcher is the founding partner of the Nashville PR firm, Katcher, Vaugn and Bailey. She also serves as the Ethics Officer for the Public Relations Society of America, Nashville Chapter.

 

We all know right from wrong, right?  Or, are the rules different when it comes to business communications?  

Join us for a lively panel discussion about some of the challenges business communicators face in protecting and promoting their companies, including when the messages their employers feel are appropriate are not aligned with their own beliefs or knowledge.  We'll explore the impact of ethical communications with the media, as well, and share insights to the choices we have to make each and every day.

Cost

Members: $25.00

IABC Student Members: $15.00

Non-members: $30.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please contact Glenda Betts NOT LATER than Monday, January 7, 2008 by email to GFBetts@TVA.com.

Directions

Location

Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue, Nashville

Phone: (615) 340-9550

Guests & Topic

Trey Campbell

Marla Sovereign

Jeff Nichols

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

 

When your company's employees' have a choice, do they act in a way that furthers the company's interests, or are they ready to complain and undermine what the company is trying to accomplish?  That's the measure of an engaged workforce.  Engaged employees are fully involved with the company and enthusiastic about their work.  As business communicators, we can and should influence how engaged our employees become!
 
With Valentine's Day approaching, now is a good time to discuss engagement, Employee Engagement!  Our panelists include Trey Campbell, Marla Sovereign, and Jeff Nichols for the February 13th IABC Nashville Professional Development meeting. They share what they do to keep their employees involved and engaged!

 

Marla Sovereign is the vice president of communications for Brookdale Senior Living, Inc., a public company that is a leading owner and operator of senior living communities in 37 states, serving approximately 52,000 residents and employing more than 33,000 associates. She received a Bachelor of Science in Radio-TV-Film from the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.

Trey Campbell, APR, is the Director of Communications for the Southwestern Company, the nation's oldest direct selling company.  His responsibilities include corporate public and media relations, sales and recruiting initiatives, government relations, crisis communications, international PR, the implementation of corporate tactics and strategies to meet company objectives and goals as well as internal communications.  He also manages Southwestern's Customer Contact Center, a recent addition to the communications department. 
 
Jeff Nichols is the Senior Manager of Internal Communications at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., a restaurant and retail store chain operating over 570 units in 41 states. Jeff oversees internal communication to the company's more than 70,000 employees and manages the internal creative services team.
 
Julie K. Davis, Corporate Communications Director for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., will moderate the panel discussion.

Cost

Members: $25.00

IABC Student Members: $15.00

Non-members: $30.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please contact Glenda Betts NOT LATER than Monday, February 11, 2008 by email to GFBetts@TVA.com.

Directions

Location

Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue, Nashville

Phone: (615) 340-9550

Guests & Topic

Beverly Keel, Tennessean Celebrity Journalist

What are the ins and outs of celebrity journalism? Whether you want to be the reporter, or your company represents celebrities (or wanna-bes) and you need to interact with the journalist, or you just plain want to hear about what celebrities are *really* like, you'll find something exciting and interesting in this presentation.
Our speaker is Beverly Keel, well known as the celebrity columnist at The Tennessean, where she writes a column six days a week, as well as news and feature stories.

Beverly is a music journalist who has covered the country music industry for more than 15 years. She served as a Nashville correspondent for People magazine for a decade, and spent three years as an editor of American Profile magazine, for which she wrote cover stories on Billy Graham, Laura Bush, Andy Griffith, John Grisham, Joe Namath and many more.

Her work has appeared in InStyle, New York, Oxford American, Weekly Standard, Rolling Stone, USA Today, Country Music, New Country, Country Music Today and Music Row magazines. A former music industry columnist for the Nashville Scene and Nashville Banner newspapers, her journalism has received awards from the Associated Press and the Association of American Newsweeklies.
She is also a professor in the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University, where she teaches courses in entertainment journalism, music publicity and artist management. She is in her second year as director of the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. She is a multiple inductee in Who's Who Among American Teachers and Who's Who Among American Women.

Keel is a commentator on country music personalities and events as has been featured on ABC's "Six Degrees of Martina McBride", CBS' "48 Hours Mystery", as well as shows on VH-1, Bravo, CMT, GAC and other networks.

A participant in Leadership Music, she currently serves on that organization's board, and is a past board member of The Recording Academy. She is an editorial board member of the Journal of Popular Music Studies.

A Nashville native, she earned her bachelor's degree from Middle Tennessee State University and her master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Cost

Members: $25.00

IABC Student Members: $15.00

Non-members: $30.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please contact Glenda Betts NOT LATER than Monday, February 10, 2008 by email to GFBetts@TVA.com.

Directions

Location

Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue, in Nashville.

Phone: (615) 340-9550

Guests & Topic

Author Clifton Lamberth

Co-Author Mary Calia

Co-Author Melissa Webb

Ford and the American Dream is the Ford story that's never been told! After the threat of the potential bankruptcy of the Ford Motor Company surfaced in December 2006, Ford Motor Company insider Clifton Lambreth decided to set about the task of recording in the form of a book the events and decisions that led to that crisis. Most of the lessons communicated in Ford and the American Dream are universally applicable to other companies as well as those in the automobile industry. There are many land mines to avoid so other companies don't find themselves in the same predicament the Ford Motor Company is in today.

 

Clifton Lambreth, a 23 year veteran of Ford Motor Company, is an inspiring speaker who has been touring the country talking about this book. He will be able to answer your questions about how the lessons from Ford apply to your company, and about how you as a professional communicator can contribute to solutions to real business problems. Other members of the team that produced this book - Mary Calia and Melissa Webb - will also be present to contribute to the discussion.

 

Lambreth received his BS in Business Administration in Marketing and Management and his MBA from Western Carolina University. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Family Foundation Fund, on the Advisory Board of Lead Like Jesus Foundation and on the Advisory Board for Western Carolina University's School of Business. CEO of Daniel Bradley Matthews, Inc., he provides strategic automotive and marketing consulting. Clifton is a public speaker and author.

Calia's career in public relations spans more than 25 years. She began at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC where she worked on research publications and was given an honorable mention in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Calia co-founded North America's first full service Investor Relations firm - Marcel Knecht & Associates, Inc. and has servicedmore than 500 public companies. She is a strategic communication consultant focusing on international relations.

Melissa Webb is a freelance writer and publicist in the Nashville area and is a correspondent for several local newspapers. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Mississippi State University in 2002 having earned dual bachelor's degrees as part of the International Business program with emphases in Marketing and German. Webb currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce, the Spring Hill Imagination Library and the Spring Hill Kiwanis Club and is a media and strategic communications consultant.

Cost

Members: $25.00

IABC Student Members: $15.00

Non-members: $30.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please contact Glenda Betts NOT LATER than Monday, May12, 2008 by email to GFBetts@TVA.com.

Directions

Location

Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue, in Nashville.

Phone: (615) 340-9550

Guest & Topic

Mike Koop, Senior VP for MMA Creative

Online buzz through social media sites and 24-hour-a-day media efforts continue to change the environment in which we do our jobs. There are spirited debates about service and critical opponents as well as supporters of your brand speaking out online. Understanding how to manage, defend and promote your company's online presence is the key to surviving and thriving in this new age.

 

Embracing New Media...You Can't Ignore the Inevitable is the topic for June's Professional Development Luncheon. Our guide for this meeting is Mike Koop, whose career evolved along with changes in the communication profession.

 

Mike is Senior Vice President Public Affairs/Strategy for MMA Creative, which has offices in Nashville & Cookeville, where he takes a common sense approach to the strategic counsel he provides to a variety of clients. Mike has government service experience at all levels and has been an important part of over 120 political campaigns, including serving as a Washington, D.C. press aide to President Jimmy Carter's 1980 presidential campaign. He went on to serve for nearly a decade in D.C. as press secretary to Al Gore during Gore's tenure as a Congressman and U.S. Senator. He has worked as a spokesperson and advisor for presidential campaigns, as well as serving as a consultant and advisor to congressional, state and local candidates in Tennessee and around the country.

 

Most recently, Mike was Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development under Governor Phil Bredesen and Commissioner Matt Kisber, where he managed the day-to-day operations and initiatives of the agency charged with recruiting and retaining jobs and business investment for the state. During his tenure, ECD underwent the most exhaustive strategic planning process in its history and the most comprehensive reorganization ever, which has resulted in the agency being recognized nationally as a best-practice model. Mike also oversaw the successful creation of a new state division charged with providing in-house communications, strategy and graphic services for ECD and other state agencies

Cost

Members: $25.00

IABC Student Members: $15.00

Non-members: $30.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please contact Glenda Betts NOT LATER than Monday, June 9, 2008 by email to GFBetts@TVA.com.

Directions

Location

IABC Nashville offers this orientation for new or prospective members featuring an overview of organizational benefits. Please come prepared

with ideas on how to improve our growing Chapter and let us know how you want to be involved in the IABC.

 

NOTE: Our next professional development luncheon will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM, at Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue. Our guest will be Vanderbilt University's

Public Affairs Vice Chancellor Beth Fortune who will share highlights about Vandy's award winning communicationo systems. RSVP to Glenda Betts before August 8th by email to GFBetts&TVA.com.

Cost

$15.00 per person for IABC Member Orientation Breakfast

RSVP

Reservations are required and seating is limited. Please RSVP to Glenda Betts, VP for Membership, by Monday, July 7th, by email at GFBetts@TVA.com.

Directions

Location

Stoney River, 3015 West End Avenue, in Nashville.

Phone: (615) 340-9550

Beth Fortune

Interim Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs, Vanderbilt University

August is back-to-school time in Middle Tennessee, so get into the spirit of it with an inside look at communications at Vanderbilt University! Interim Vice Chancellor Beth Fortune will share some of the stories behind a restructuring of the internal communications function that has led to a consolidated program for increased impact and the revamping of the university's award-winning internal communications program. She will also address planning in a tight economy.

 

Beth Fortune is the interim vice chancellor for public affairs at Vanderbilt University. She leads the university's comprehensive communications, government and community initiatives and serves as the chief spokesperson.

 

She joined Vanderbilt University as associate vice chancellor for public affairs in September 2000. In that role, she served as the principal deputy to the vice chancellor for public affairs and oversaw the university's news and communications functions, including the News Service, Vanderbilt View, Science and Research Communications and Creative Services.

 

Fortune came to Vanderbilt after serving as press secretary to former Gov. Don Sundquist for more than six years. A member of the Governor's Cabinet and the first female gubernatorial press secretary in Tennessee history, Fortune served as the primary spokesman for the Sundquist administration

Three times named by Business Nashville and in 2003 by The Tennessean as one of the city's top young leaders, Fortune also has been recognized by the Nashville Scene as among the most effective and respected public affairs professionals in the city. She is a frequent speaker and panelist for professional, political and community organizations.

 

In 2002, she was nominated by the Tennessee Women's Forum and was one of 16 women worldwide selected by the International Women's Forum to participate in its prestigious yearlong fellowship on executive leadership that included programs at Harvard University and the University of Cambridge in England.

 

A 1985 graduate of Anderson University, Fortune earned an M.A. in journalism and public affairs from The American University in 1990.

Cost

Members: $25.00

IABC Student Members: $15.00

Non-members: $30.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please RSVP to Glenda Betts, VP for Membership, by Monday, August 11th, by email at GFBetts@TVA.com.

Directions

Location

Larry L. Smith

President of the Institute for Crisis Management

IABC Nashville is pleased to feature Larry L. Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management and former television news director, press secretary and newspaper editor. Smith works with executives of organizations seeking to minimize the negative public reaction to a business crisis. He also assists in developing pro-active crisis communications plans and teaches seminars on crisis management.
He joined ICM in the mid-90s as a Senior Consultant and was named President of the company at the beginning of 1999, acquiring the company from its founder in November of 1999.

Mr. Smith has more than 45 years experience in the news and public relations business. He began his professional career as a photographer for United Press International and two Indiana newspapers. He later worked as a newspaper editor and radio talk show host.

He worked his way up through the television news ranks to manage one of the top rated news departments in the country at WHAS - TV in Louisville. Under his leadership the station earned a National Headliners' Club award for "Outstanding News Reporting" for the year. He had earlier served as news director at WSBT TV in South Bend, IN; WANE - TV, Fort Wayne, IN; and WJPS Radio in Evansville, IN.

 

Smith and ICM Senior Consultant Dr. Dan Millar are co-authors of two books on crisis management. Crisis Management and Communications: How to Gain and Maintain Control is in its second edition and published by the International Association of Business Communicators. Smith and Millar also wrote Before Crisis Hits, aimed at college and university administrators and published by the American Association of Community Colleges.

 

He was inducted into the Kentucky PRSA/IABC Landmarks of Excellence Communicators' Hall of Fame in 2004. And, in September 2004, PRWeek named Mr. Smith one of the nation's "top 22 crunch time counselors."

Cost

Members: $20.00

Non-Members: $30.00

Students, $15.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please RSVP to Glenda Betts, VP for Membership, by Monday, September 12, by email at GFBetts@TVA.com.

Directions

Location

Amerigo, 1920 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN

Preparing for a Presidential Visit

And you thought there were a lot of details in preparing for the president of your company to give a presentation  - imagine getting ready for the President of the United States to come visit your facility!

Now you don't have to imagine.  Three people who have been closely involved in such preparations will share some of their experiences, insights, and stories about when President George Bush came calling.

Panelists include:

*Penny Douglas, Manager of Tennessee Valley Authority - Valley Relations
*Agent Keith Perrigan, U.S. Secret Services, Nashville Field Office
*Paul Lindsley, Director of Communications for Saint Thomas Hospital, Nashville.

 

Penny Douglas is responsible for TVA's relationships with public officials in the Southeast Valley district. Her career has led her from the Tennessee Valley to the White House and back again. Before joining TVA, she worked in the West Wing of the White House as the Special Assistant to the Assistant to the President of the United States. She earned a Bachelor's degree from Tennessee Technological University where she majored in English and Journalism and minored in Political Science.

 

Perrigan has been a member of the Secret Service for 22 years, and has worked in the White House Division, Washington Field Office. Miami Field Office, Counter Assault Team, Presidential Protection Division, Intelligence Division, and now the Nashville Field Office. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's degree in Constitutional Law.

 

Paul Lindsley is somewhat a Nashville legend in the communications industry. He is director of communication for St. Thomas Hospital, and served as a broadcast and print journalist for many years prior to his transition to public relations. Lindsley holds a Bachelors degree and is presently completing his M. A. in corporate communication from APSU. Paul moderates the panel discussion at Amerigo Restaurant, 1920 West End Avenue, in Nashville.  The professional development meeting is Wednesday October 10, 11:30 AM to 1 PM.

Cost

Members: $20.00

Students: $15.00

Non-members: $30.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please RSVP to Glenda Betts, VP for Membership, by Monday, October 8, by email at GFBetts@TVA.com.

Location

Amerigo, 1920 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN

Growth & Success for the

Nashville Symphony Orchestra

 

The Nashville Symphony has been able to achieve regional, national and even international attention through a demonstrated excellence in the communications function. They have undertaken a series of successful initiatives that have increased potential audience awareness and boosted ticket sales. Join our November guest, Christy Crytzer, the NSO's Senior Director of Communications, as she explains what has been going on behind the scenes during this exciting time.

 

Christy Crytzer joined the Nashville Symphony staff in June 2005 as Director of Media Relations. In that position, Christy was in charge of all publicity for the Schermerhorn Symphony Center opening, American Symphony Orchestra League conference, and just recently, the appointment of Giancarlo Guerrero as the Nashville Symphony's next music director. In her current position as Sr. Director of Communications, she oversees all public relations, publications, website and archival functions for the Symphony.

 

Prior to coming to Nashville, Christy was Public Relations Manager for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, where she helped execute the opening of the Music Center at Strathmore, the Orchestra's second home in greater-Washington, D.C. In addition, she worked for two years in the Communications office at the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

A trained violinist, Christy holds a B.F.A. in Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is certified in German from the Gerhard Mercator University in Duisburg, Germany. She also holds an M.A. in Arts Management from American University in Washington, D.C.A. in Arts Management from American University in Washington, D.C.

Cost

Members: $20.00

Student IABC members: $15.00

Non-members: $30.00

RSVP

Reservations are required. Please RSVP to Glenda Betts, VP for Membership, by Monday, November 12th, by email at GFBetts@TVA.com.