New Member Profile: HAZEL KOCHOCKI

/in , /by

Originally from: Plainfield, Illinois

Currently live in: Bedford, NH

 Work History/Background:

Thirty years ago, I kept a quote from Sharon Stone thumbtacked to my cubicle wall: “Today, I’m fast enough.”  That quote was from the movie, “The Quick and the Dead,” which was about a gunslinger in a deadly situation. The fact that I connected with that quote says it all: my public relations career was high stress and high stakes.

Early in my career, I worked for a few different public relations agencies, including Newsome & Co. (which became the Boston office of New York-based Hill & Knowlton) and Weber Group (now Weber-Shandwick). In those days, we talked about “publicity” rather than “earned media,” and I routinely accompanied executives to in-person interviews and backgrounders with press.  One of my most memorable clients was the World Wide Web Consortium at MIT, and I worked closely with HTML inventor Tim Berners-Lee in the mid-90s to spread the word about the World Wide Web and the need for interoperability standards.  It was exciting, but I also felt something was missing.

Taking time out for family needs gave me time to reflect and consider my personal goals and career path. I spent a decade at Malden Catholic High School near Boston, where I progressed from Director of Marketing to Director of External Affairs, overseeing Advancement, Marketing, and Admissions.  Finally, I had found a position that utilized my skills and background and resonated with my sense of mission.  My time at Malden Catholic came to an end when my husband and I moved to Los Angeles for his career.  I then worked for six years with California State University, Northridge, beginning in executive communications for the university president and later overseeing communications for the Office of Academic Affairs.

Having moved back east and settled in New Hampshire, I was delighted in 2023 to begin work with Easterseals NH & VT. As Senior Director of Communications, I love feeling like I contribute – even in some small way – to the organization’s mission to “elevate all abilities.” Easterseals NH & VT served the needs of nearly 19,500 individuals last year, and I lead a small, dedicated team of writers who are equally passionate about the work we do.  I no longer identify with gunslinger Sharon Stone, and I truly enjoy applying my skills to such a worthwhile organization.

Why I Joined PRSA: Networking, professional development

Bucket List Trip: I would love to visit Prague someday to explore my family heritage.

Hobbies/Interests: Birding and uploading lists to the Cornell Ornithology Lab; walking my two dogs, preferably on a local rail trail; hiking; reading American history (I am currently enjoying And There Was Light: Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham.) 

Contact Information: hkochocki@eastersealsnh.org

New Member Profile: BRAD BELOTE, APR

/in , /by

Originally from: Kingsport, Tenn.

Currently live in: Boston area

Work History/Background: I spent 20 years in a TV newsroom before jumping into corporate communications. I worked for a Fortune 350 innovation company for a decade before moving to New England. I am currently the senior manager for internal communications at the Planet Fitness Club Support Center in Hampton, N.J.

Why I Joined: I’ve been involved in PRSA for more than a decade, serving a variety of local, regional and national volunteer leadership roles. I find the networking and professional development to be more than worth the price of admission.

Bucket List Trip: Walking the Camino de Santiago

Hobbies/Interests: Brad loves the outdoors, exercising, and reading.

Contact Information: bradbelote@gmail.com

Note:  Brad will be serving as Yankee Chapter’s Ethics Officer in 2025.

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Hanna Blankenship

/in , , /by

Originally from:            Born in Harbel, Liberia but I grew up in Norwich, Vermont

Currently live in:          Burlington, Vermont


Work History/Background: I am the Communications Coordinator for DREAM, a non-profit that provides mentorship opportunities to youth, and a Marketing Associate for BootstrapVT, a marketing agency in Burlington, Vermont where I interned during college for two years.

Why I joined the Yankee Chapter: I first learned about PRSA through the Champlain College PRSSA chapter during my undergraduate studies. I had the honor of serving on the e-board of Champlain PRSSA all four years, first as Treasurer in my freshman year, then as Vice President from sophomore to senior year. Our chapter had the opportunity to collaborate with Yankee PRSA in various ways, which allowed me to see the great work they were doing and encouraged me to join PRSA after graduation.

Most Challenging PR Situation: I recently helped manage the challenge of containing internal excitement about DREAM’s new island acquisition in partnership with the Vermont Land Trust, ensuring no one prematurely shared the news before the official press release and legal papers were signed.

Bucket List Trip: I would love to visit Kyoto, Japan to see the cherry blossoms.

Hobbies/Interests: In my free time, I love traveling and exploring the outdoors, whether it’s hiking, biking, kayaking, or just going for a walk with my dog, Winston. I recently started yoga teacher training and am excited to become a certified yoga teacher in May and begin teaching classes.


Contact information: My personal email is hanna.j.blankenship@gmail.com. My DREAM work email is hblankenship@dreamprogram.org, and my BootstrapVT email is hanna@bootstrapvt.com.

 

New Member Profile: ABBEY BERGER-KNORR

/in , , /by

Originally from: Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Currently live in: Burlington, Vermont

Work History/Background: Public Relations Associate at Cultivate, a communications firm based in Burlington, VT. This is my first full-time PR role as a young professional and where I currently work.

Why I Joined Yankee: I had the pleasure of getting to know the Yankee Chapter through leading my alma mater’s PRSSA chapter. I was President of Champlain College’s chapter, PRSSA Champlain. Our chapter collaborated with and learned from the wonderful professionals within the Yankee chapter which inspired me to join post-graduation.

Most Challenging PR Situation: I recently helped to resolve the rescinding of a press release that was mistakenly sent out for a client prematurely.

Bucket List Trip: I have always wanted to visit Peru to see Machu Picchu!

Hobbies/Interests: In my free time, I am a singer-songwriter and radio host under my artist name, “Abbey B.K.” You can find both my original music and my podcast “ab.stract” on listening platforms.

Contact information: My personal email is abbey.bergerknorr@gmail.com and my company email is abbey@cultivatepr.co.

 

NEW MEMBER PROFILE: Marissa Payne

/in , , , /by

Originally from: Concord NH

Currently live in: Concord NH

Work History/Background: I graduated from Saint Anselm College this past spring with a major in business administration. While at Saint A’s I was a member of the Women in Business Club and I started my first full time position in operations with the Better Business Bureau in July!

Why I Joined Yankee Chapter:

While my role as a business analyst doesn’t require any media interaction, it does require communicating and building trust with the companies and organizations we serve. I joined PRSA, on the recommendation of my mom who has always described that the network of professionals helped her early in her marketing and communications career.

Most Challenging PR Situation

As a new professional, I haven’t had much PR exposure, however so far in my position I have learned much already. Because the focus of the BBB is helping the public find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust, it has been enlightening to work with the BBB operations team to experience how carefully and thoroughly my colleagues work to ensure that every business is vetted. And, as a less experienced member of the team, I’m learning every day from the expert communication skills of our leadership team.

Bucket list trip: Mykonos

Hobbies/Interests: Concerts, Reading,

Contact information:    603-931-0224     marissa@bbbnh.org

Meet a New Yankee Chapter Member!

/in , , /by

Name: Katie Paine

Originally from: New York City

Currently live in: Shankhassick Farm, Durham, NH

Job Title and Organization: CEO and Founder, Paine Publishing

Work History/Background: started out in marketing in Silicon Valley in the ‘80s. When I was asked to “show my results” I learned that engineers and software developers do not understand words. So I started collecting data to prove my value in charts and graphs and numbers. Moved back East in 1986 to work for Lotus Development in Cambridge where I was the 9th Director of Communications in five years. Needless to say, I knew I had to deliver results. Fortunately I had Lotus 1-2-3.  We analyzed and coded 2000 articles to determine the extent to which we’d been able to communicate our messages. Bob Strayton, head of our PR agency told me “anyone who isn’t using this system by the year 2000 doesn’t deserve to be in business.”  So I quit Lotus and started the Delahaye Group, arguably the first company devoted to measuring PR. It was purchased in 1999 by what is now Cision (and many Delahaye employees are still there!)  My next plan was to start a subscription newsletter devoted to PR measurement, but I kept on getting requests to implement measurement programs, so KDPaine & Partners was born. That was bought in 2013 by Carma. Then I went back to the original idea of a measurement newsletter and started Paine Publishing. Not a great time for paid newsletters so I now am back to measurement consulting and training and implementing integrated measurement dashboards. A big part of what I do is train more “measurement mavens” through our online courses: https://painepublishing.com/training-education/type/courses/

Why I joined Yankee Chapter

PRSA has always been a great place for networking. I’ve met so many great people at Yankee Chapter events.

PRSA Positions I Have Held or Are Interested in: Have never held a PRSA position, but would be open to something in the future.

Most challenging PR situation: When I was at Lotus, the Boston Bureau Chief of Business Week walked into my office after an extended exclusive interview with my boss at Lotus, Jim Manzi and told me: “I’m going to write the “Jim Manzi is an A-hole story.” He proceeded to provide me his impressions of my boss, none of which were favorable. Knowing I did NOT want to be within 100 yards of Manzi when that story came out, I asked him to give me a week to resign before he ran it. He obliged and I quit and started The Delahaye Group.

Bucket list/trip activity. Win first place in the Great Bay Yacht Club Merrymac Sailing Regatta. https://www.piperboatworks.com/history-of-the-merrymac.html

Hobbies/interests: Sailing, maintaining the farm, raising chickens, gardening and hanging with my Great Pyrenees Sir Lancelot, Knight Protector of Shankhassick Farm.

Contact Information: kdpaine@painepublishing.com

 

Meet New Member Michael McLean!

/in , /by

Originally from:  Goffstown, NH

 Job Title and Organization:  Director of Marketing and Business Development at McLane Middleton

 

Work History/Background:  I began my career as a communications specialist at a corporate credit union in Pennsylvania where I wrote for all sorts of mediums, including digital and print communications, ad and web copy, video scripts, and news releases.  I’ve been at McLane Middleton – a regional law firm with about 115 attorneys in five offices throughout NH and MA – for 10 years.  In my current role, I’m responsible for developing and managing strategic marketing initiatives for the firm.

 

Why I joined Yankee Chapter PRSA:  To stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends and connect with a network of professionals with similar experiences.

 

PRSA positions I have held or am interested in:  Not held any positions but am interested in learning about future opportunities.

 

Most challenging PR situation:  Generally speaking, I find the pressure and urgency around crisis communications to be the most challenging.  This may or may not stem from starting my career at a financial institution right before the 2008 banking crisis.  Fortunately, these situations have been few and far between for me.

 

Bucket List:  It’s a long list, so I’ll stick with my Top 3: visiting all 50 states in the U.S., going to the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas, and going to the Sundance Film Festival.

 

Hobbies/Interests: Watching/playing sports, hiking, skiing, movies, and family time.

Yankee Chapter Members Named to New Hampshire 200 List

/in , , /by

Congratulations to five members of Yankee PRSA, who were named to NH Business Review’s 2024 New Hampshire 200 list. The list of leaders for the 2024 edition is a unique group of people who have made their mark on New Hampshire’s economy, business climate and the state as a whole.

Hats off to these five Yankee Chapter members:

Lisa Cramb, Montagne Powers

Clark Dumont, APR, Fellow PRSA, Dumont Communications

Kristen Lestock, Cookson Communications

Laura Simoes, Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications

Jayme Simões, Louis Karno & Company

READ MORE HERE

Meet a New Member: Tara Bishop

/in , , /by

Name:

Tara Bishop

Originally From:

Manchester, NH

Currently Live In:

Manchester, NH – I couldn’t leave my close-knit family and hometown 😊

Current PR Title/Organization:

Communications Director, Diocese of Manchester (the Roman Catholic Church in New Hampshire)

LinkedIn Profile:

www.linkedin.com/in/tara-dolphin-bishop

Work History:

I interned at several PR and marketing firms during college and finally at the Archdiocese of Boston. I worked there after graduation, moved on to a PR firm and then transitioned to marketing roles at nonprofit organizations. Eventually I became a freelance writer and publicist for a roster of marketing firms, nonprofits, and corporate clients while my children were small. After 14 years of freelancing, my career came full circle when I returned to working for the Church in my current role.

History of Yankee Chapter/PRSA involvement:

I recently joined the Chapter and PRSA and am assisting with social media management for the Chapter.

Most Challenging PR Situation:

Navigating the changing media landscape with the influence of social media content and the ever-dwindling attention span of target audiences.

Bucket List Trip/Activity:

Taking my four children to Ireland where I studied abroad and honeymooned to see where my great-grandparents lived.

Hobbies and Interests:

Spending time at the lake with my family and chauffeuring my kids to all their activities (I look forward to having some different hobbies when they’re older!).