February President’s Message

Happy February!

Professionally, many of us continue our work in a mostly virtual environment, and the PRSA Richmond chapter is doing the same. Our January and February programs are virtual – but we have hopes that by March, we will be able to come together again, in person, for networking and learning.

In February – and throughout the year – we celebrate Black history and continue our work to create an inclusive and diverse chapter. Our Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) strategic plan continues to be our beacon in this effort, along with a dedicated board that has diversity-related goals in each area of our work.

Here are some updates on the progress that the chapter has made over the last year:

• We are collecting more data about our membership, which supports chapter decisions and efforts to increase chapter inclusion and diversity.
• We have increased social media integration of DE&I content.
• We highlighted our chapter’s DE&I efforts at ICON 2021.
• We have developed content that outlines the path to leadership for our chapter, which is in the process of being added to our website.
• The DE&I committee initiated, developed, and led the Thomas Jefferson Award renaming proposal, which has been approved and is in process.
• Our DE&I committee leaders have met regularly as state representatives on the National DE&I Committee, providing input and guidance for other chapters across the country.

We continue to be committed to making PRSA Richmond a community where BIPOC professionals are valued, respected and celebrated – and the efforts outlined above get us a step closer to that goal.

As always, those interested in understanding the path to chapter leadership, please don’t hesitate to reach out – I am happy to meet with you and chat. Email me at president@prsarichmond.org.

Thank you for your continued support, stay warm and healthy!

Best,

Diana