September President’s Message

Dear PRSA RVA friends,

Summer is almost over, and I hope you had an opportunity to relax and enjoy time with family and friends. For us, fall is an exciting time of year – returning to programs, events and celebrations.

Did you know that many of our events are now IN PERSON, including our monthly luncheons? Many of us are craving the opportunity to return to networking and face-to-face interaction. We are striving to meet that need, while also keeping the health and safety of members in mind. Up-to-date vaccination is required, and mask wearing is optional based on your comfort level. Please join us at an in-person event – we’d love to see you!

Here are some things to look forward to this fall:

September: Join us Thursday, Sept. 29 – either in-person at the Westwood Club or via live stream. Dr. Felicia Blow, APR, 2022 National PRSA Chair will provide the chapter with an update from PRSA National and reflect on the 75th anniversary of the organization.

October: We are planning several events to celebrate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion month thanks to the hard work of our DE&I committee and committed industry partners. The events are:

Sponsor-coordinated Panel Event, DEI initiatives: are they working?
Oct. 12: Collab Happy Hour with Richmond Chamber/HYPE, young professionals
Oct 19: Mid-Atlantic DEI professional development conference, keynote & break out sessions
Oct 27, Keynote Speaker at Luncheon, Tomika Ferguson, VCU Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence

Also, in October we will be celebrating the 2022 Virginia PR Awards at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. This is a night to celebrate the chapter, all the winners, our sponsors and each other. We’ll hear from the Excellence in Public Relations Award honoree, the Rising Star recipient, and together we’ll toast their accomplishments. More details and ticket sales are coming soon.

As you can see, we are going into fall full steam ahead, and we’re committed to closing out the year on a high note! November and December will also bring impressive luncheon speakers and events dedicated to the various specialty areas.

The board has been hard at work to make this a good year for all our members, after two years of living in a virtual world. If you are interested to learn more about the path to the board, to please reach out to me at president@prsarichmond.org.

Thank you and I hope to see you soon!

Diana Miller, APR
PRSA Richmond President