In Memoriam:

 

Thomas "Tom" Wingham     

        

Tom Wingham

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of chapter member Thomas "Tom" Wingham, 42, a travel & hospitality PR veteran and 25-year employee of the Hilton family of hotels. Wingham served as director of global brand public relations for DoubleTree by Hilton for 13 years, in the process providing inspiration and mentorship to many.

After learning of his passing earlier this month, current and former colleagues took to Facebook to praise Wingham for his work ethic. Wingham was known for his habit of seeing possibilities where none existed, bringing driving enthusiasm and passion to his work and embracing those he worked with as family.

While overseeing strategic and day-to-day media relations operations for more than 280 Doubletree hotels and resorts in 25 countries, Wingham helped advance the DoubleTree CARE culture and launched the award-winning program, Teaching Kids to CARE.

Wingham was a fifth-generation native Californian and graduate of Woodbury University in Los Angeles. In addition to PRSA-LA, he held memberships in the Travel Bloggers Exchange and the National Association of Travel Journalists.

He is survived by his parents, George and Penny Wingham and niece, Veronica, for whom he served as guardian.

Loyola Marymount University Home to PRSSA's Newest Chapter

 

 

Loyola Marymount University is home to the newest chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).   

 

There are now seven student chapters operating under the PRSA-LA umbrella: Biola University, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Long Beach, CSU Northridge, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University and the University of Southern California.

 

Emily Scherberth is serving as the new chapter's faculty adviser. They'll be electing their first chapter president in the fall.

 

Scherberth has also agreed to host next year's PRSSA Mini Conference at the LMU campus. Organizers are targeting late February, 2013 for this event.

Please join us in welcoming LMU to the PRSSA/PRSA family!

PRSA-LA Young Professionals Spring 2012 Mixer   

 

 Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Rush Street 

9546 Washington Boulevard, Culver City  

Networking Begins at 7:00 p.m. 

      

Are you a young professional in search of networking opportunities?

Join other young professionals in the public relations industry this Wednesday evening at Rush Street in Culver City!

Mix and mingle with PR professionals from Disney, Warner Bros, Burson-Marsteller, MPRM, Edelman, Hill & Knowlton, Universal Pictures, Rogers and Cowan, Citizen Relations, and many more.

PR fields represented will include: healthcare, entertainment, sports, corporate, multicultural, nonprofit, environmental & technology.

For more information about this event, please visit the Young Professionals Event Page on Facebook.  RSVP's should be sent to Allie Marsh, PRSA-LA YP Programming Co-Chair at allison.marsh22@gmail.com.

Bill Faith Scholarship Supports International Communications Program         

Public relations professionals are encouraged to make a tax-deductible gift to fund a new scholarship program that allows undergraduate students study a range of approaches to public communication media across Europe.

The International Communications Studies (ICS) program, which lives at the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will mark its 41st anniversary this year. Because of the growing international demands of the communications profession, the ICS program is considered a "must" for any aspiring public relations professional.

The Dr. Bill Faith Endowed Scholarship fund has recently been created to help needy and worthy students attend the five-week program in Europe. The larger the endowment, the more scholarships USC can provide in honor of the program's pioneer. The first Bill Faith Scholars will leave for Europe in June 2012.

Online donations can be made at https://giveto.usc.edu/index.asp by selecting "Bill Faith/ICS Endowed Fund" from the Annenberg School menu. For more information, call the office of development at (213) 821-1660.

2012 Member Benefits Highlight      

 

Complementary Online Learning Sessions Keep Coming in May     

 

 

This year PRSA National introduced a very special new member benefit: FREE access to its entire catalog of online learning opportunities (section-specific material excluded). 

Here is a rundown of some of the options that will be available to members in May. For more information or to register for these opportunities, click on the link associated with each: 

• How to Develop the Mindset of a Strategist
  
  Tired of being kept from the executive decision-making process or seeing all the decisions at your firm made by high-priced lawyers and outside consultants? In this webinar, you'll learn how to get to the table earlier with more personal power. Instructor: James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, CCEP. Date: May 10, 2012. [REGISTER]  

• What's Your Communications Campaign's ROI?
  
  Make sure your business outcomes measure up! Internal and external communication affects bottom-line issues. In this webinar, you'll learn how to calculate the return on your own communication campaigns or channels. Instructor: Angela Sinickas. Date: May 22, 2012. [REGISTER]  

• How to Grow Word-of-Mouth Movements
  
  People are "The Killer App." Attend this webinar to learn how can you turn product conversations into passionate conversations. We'll delve into word-of-mouth case studies, and teach you how to share brand ownership with your fans. Instructor: Geno Church. Date: May 24, 2012. [REGISTER]  

• How to Create a Social Media Plan
  
  Looking to build community and brand awareness through strategic social communications? Enroll in this webinar to gain an understanding of how to strategically integrate new tools with traditional methods across the realm of social media. Instructor: Deirdre Breakenridge. Date: May 29, 2012. [REGISTER]