| Find our more about Tom DeLapp |
tomdelapp@aol.com
(916) 315-1409 |
| NSPRA Leaders Support Tom DeLapp |
"Having worked with Tom on an NSPRA visioning exercise last year, I know him to be someone who will think through challenges and listen to the ideas of others. Once a collaborative decision has been made and a course set, Tom will roll up his sleeves and dig in to make sure the goal is reached. I believe Tom has a grasp on the needs of all members, especially those new to the profession and NSPRA."
Brett Clark, Illinois
Past INSPRA President
Dir. of Comm. Relations & Grants
Glenview School District 34
"Tom may have personally helped or advised more NSPRA members over the years than any other current member. He personifies the NSPRA culture of professional excellence coupled with that intangible sense of family that we all hold so dear."
Jim Dunn, APR, Missouri
NSPRA Past President
"Tom's experience benefited me even before we met. The NSPRA New Professionals Program gave me my first clear look at what a school PR professional should be. The role that Tom played in the development of that program underscores his dedication to the advancement of our profession and the development of its newest practitioners. Simply put, he understands what newer PR pros are going through, and he knows how to help them succeed.
"On a one-to-one level, Tom has been very giving of his time and expertise. His ability to cut through the clutter and not only get to the heart of an issue, but offer a range of practical ideas and options for dealing with the issue, is what makes his advice so valuable."
Chris Fuller, North Carolina
Communcations Director
Rutherford County Schools
"When serving on the NSPRA board with Tom, I was always amazed at his accurate sense of the needs of members, from the rookies to vets to superintendents and board members. And we could count on him to provide a global perspective on every issue.
"Tom DeLapp gets it. He understands what NSPRA members want and need from their organization. He understands what schools need from their communicators. He understands the importance of high-quality communication to schools and their superintendents and conveys it so well. He will make an outstanding NSPRA president."
Scott Ebright, APR
former Mideast Region VP
Ohio School Boards Association
"I was lucky that Tom took me under his wing almost immediately. Tom worked closely with my district to re-define the role of communications before I arrived. He set up a job description and supportive leadership environment that gave me the best possible start. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor the past two years."
Trinette Marquis
California, Twin Rivers USD
"I wholeheartedly endorse Tom DeLapp for NSPRA President-Elect. Tom probably has more experience than anyone else in the country in dealing with the full range of real-life problems facing school district PR practitioners. He is a consummate professional who is way ahead in the PR game. Hundreds of school leaders have benefited from his solid advice and support. SPRA needs to take advantage of that big picture thinking at the board table!"
Louise Henry, APR, Texas
Former So. Central Region VP
"Tom is on a never-ending quest to improve our profession. His willingness to share his expertise and to support colleagues in need exemplify the leadership qualities NSPRA and its members need to propel the world of school PR to the next level. I encourage you to join me in voting for Tom DeLapp for NSPRA President-Elect."
Danielle Clark, Tennessee
Director of Communications
Hamilton County Dept. of Ed.
|
|
|
| Greetings!
This election is about you, your future and the role NSPRA can play in it.
I believe in NSPRA and I believe in YOU!
My name is Tom DeLapp and I am once again running for NSPRA President-Elect. I believe the key to leadership is being able to translate vision into reality; potential into practice. It is also about mobilizing and uniting people behind a worthy cause. I'm asking you to join me in taking our professional association to the next level so that it has greater relevance and impact in your professional life and for the educational organizations and students you serve. I am prepared to commit my experience, expertise, energy, and enthusiasm in leading NSPRA to accomplish that goal. I would be honored to have your support and vote in this election.
In my last newsletter, I gave you an overview of my leadership experience and professional achievements over a 35-year career in public policy and educational communications. I showed you my vision for NSPRA as the voice for our profession and as your career partner.
I said we should stand up for the school communication profession by launching the NSPRA VOICE Campaign (Value of Investing in Communication Excellence) to convince decision-makers to support and fund district PR operations. We need to take the Communication Accountability Project (CAP) to the next level. The NSPRA VOICE can do that.
I offered substantive action plans for programs and services that directly support you in your job and help develop your career. Together, we can make your new career partnership with NSPRA a reality.
The focus of this newsletter is on the Power of Networking Through NSPRA. We'll explore the value of mentoring, ways to create digital communities for sharing resources and problem-solving, and ideas for connecting our state chapters and regions more effectively to the national organization. NSPRA must continue to lead the way in connecting members in a nationwide support network.
I encourage you to visit www.tomdelapp.net to find out more about who I am and what I believe. The website contains endorsements from numerous NSPRA leaders who share my passion for our organization. I also have a blog that enables you to join NSPRA Conversations on topics that affect your future in school PR. If you get a chance, please drop me an e-mail or give me a call so we can talk about how NSPRA can positively impact your future! |
|
The Power of Professional Mentoring & Coaching
I am honored to be among the first recipients of the Barry Gaskins Mentor Legacy Award. Prior national honorees Nez Calhoun and Bob Noyed joined me in congratulating the 2008 recipient Jim Dunn from Missouri at the NSPRA Seminar in Washington DC.
Each of us understands the importance of giving back and passing forward the valuable lessons of the past to the next generation of school PR professionals and NSPRA leaders. Our dear friend Barry Gaskins (remembered through this award) modeled effective mentoring and coaching. In my professional work I have tried to emulate that spirit of service to our profession by volunteering as a speaker at chapter and region events, working with individual members who need advice and counsel, and always being willing to answer a colleague's question or call for help when faced with a tricky PR situation.
In every one of my workshops I offer a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card to attendees. That card entitles the caller to my best initial advice "off the clock" at no charge in a high profile situation, crisis or controversy. The stakes are too high and the demands on our profession are too intense to ever feel that you are isolated and alone in your role as a communicator.
I believe it is my professional responsibility as a vetern practitioner to nurture and cultivate the expertise of our newer members. Working with Bob Noyed we created the NSPRA New Professionals Program that has grown into a powerful launching pad for people coming into school PR. As CalSPRA president I worked with our chapter leadership team to promote APR accreditation study groups. For the past decade I have served as a counselor on call at the NSPRA Seminar to be available to offer advice, ideas and answers to specific questions from our members.
Unlike other industries, school communicators share their wisdom, perspectives, resources, and time with each other. We aren't in competition because we share a common bottom line . . . student and school success. Some of my greatest personal satisfaction comes when I see that my encouragement and advice contributed in some way to a colleague's success.
Everyone needs to have a mentor and to be a mentor. Connect with your colleagues through NSPRA and you will see exactly how powerful mentoring and coaching can be in your professional life!
|
Is Workload Overload Burning You Out?
From the comic strip Shoe
Maximizing NSPRA's Culture of Collaboration
We all seem to have work up the ying-yang these days. A key to success and survival in your job is to find ways to maximize your time. NSPRA can help you "leverage" more out of your day by networking you with your peers through technology so you can share ideas, documents, plans, and templates of letters, news releases and publications so you don't have to recreate the wheel.
The best thing we can do as an association is to quickly and effectively give you the information you need to do your job well, often under unbelievable time constraints. There is an amazing pool of talent in our organization. Somewhere, there is a PR professional who has had to deal with exactly the same problem you might be facing. NSPRA can expedite you getting in touch with that resource to save you time and improve your performance.
As I move around the country, I've been impressed with the mutual assistance and support systems that have been developed in our state chapters. Some have created clearinghouses of resource files and templates available on their websites. Others, like here in California, have active listservs where members post questions and receive literally dozens of responses with tips, examples, and references to help them deal with a situation or problem. These are powerful member-to-member problem-solving networks.
Unfortunately, too many practitioners haven't factored NSPRA into their personal digital community of resources and contacts. Their first impulse is to connect with local and state colleagues, but many don't even see NSPRA as a way to extend their reach to a nationwide level.
If you haven't checked out the new NSPRA website, you should. Click on www.nspra.org to see how your professional network of contacts and resources just got bigger! NSPRA has taken a huge step to expand the capacity of its technology-based services. The new web portal offers a potential to give each NSPRA member access to the collective wisdom and experience of 2,000 colleagues across the country. One of the challenges I will address as NSPRA president is to bring this resource to life so that members actually use it! |
Strengthening the Chapter/Region Connection
Having served in a chapter leadership role for years, I'm very aware that one of the toughest things you face is coming up with fresh, new, meaningful professional development activities. NSPRA offers a fee-based speakers list, but I propose that we augment that service by developing a couple of jointly sponsored workshops in collaboration with state chapters and regions.
The first is a Communication Mastery Academy. Patterned after the highly successful New Professionals Program at the national seminar, this would be a two-day conference for mid-career professionals (5-10 years on the job). It would be designed to go beyond the basics to help members advance their careers and impact within their educational organizations. Its uniform curriculum would be flexible enough to adapt to local needs. NSPRA can assemble a team of regional trainers who can deliver this program. By hosting this in the field, we could hopefully make it more accessible for more members.
The second suggestion is for us to cooordinate through our regions a series of Strategic Communications Symposia. Very few regions conduct multi-chapter activities, but many have expressed to me an interest in doing so. The goal is to have teams of superintendents, school board leaders and cabinet level administrators attend with their chief communicator. The program would examine the critical trends and issues facing public education that impact school district reputations, operations and civic engagement. This would blend policy analysis with practical suggestions on how best to position the district on these issues and create communication initiatives around them.
 One of my objectives as your President-Elect will be to visit every state chapter. As a consultant, I have the flexibility to manage my own time and commitments. I already traveled extensively this spring visiting my colleagues in Oregon, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. At the TSPRA Conference, I was honored to win one of the raffle prizes. It turned out to be an original piece of art created by the spouse of a TSPRA member. Ironically, it is titled "Midnight Sierra Skies" . . . a view looking up at night through the lodgepole pines. I have hiked over 500 miles in the High Sierra so this painting now has a prominat place in our home. | |
|
|
|
Your vote counts! Vote for your future! Vote for Tom DeLapp! |
|
|
