It was a great turnout for the Yankee Chapter’s May 21 panel discussion on crisis communications. Our homegrown crisis communications experts, Clark Dumont, APR, Fellow PRSA and Lauren Collins Cline, explored how to build communication strategies in an unpredictable and ever-changing world.
Enhance Your Customer Experience: Create Positive Interactions with Frontline Ambassadors
By Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA
We all know there are no shortage of difficult situations frontline employees face when dealing with the angry customer – whether you work for an airline or a municipal utility or a retailer.
It’s important to remember that leadership’s job is to support those customer service representatives and other “customer-facing” positions so that customers walk away feeling positive about your organization, even when they are dissatisfied about a situation…
Name, Title, Organization: Stephanie Rhodes, Director of Public Relations and Media for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Originally from: Massachusetts
Currently live in: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Work History/Background: I began my career as an intern at Fleishman-Hillard (FH) in D.C. From there, I went on to work at an FH subsidiary called Stratacomm. Following my agency experience, I worked on the media relations team in-house at the American College of Cardiology. This experience brought me across the country and to Europe traveling to various scientific cardiology conferences.
I then served as a communication manager for the University of Michigan Health System for six years while my husband earned his doctorate in business economics. I currently serve as the director of public relations and media at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).
Why I Joined PRSA: I was a member of PRSSA while in college, and have been a PRSA member on and off throughout my career. I was excited about the opportunity to join a local chapter as I am interested in connecting with other PR professionals in my area as I work remotely. I have already signed up for many interesting webinars and look forward to in person opportunities as well.
Most Challenging PR Situation I Have Faced: I began my position with ASTHO just before the 2021 COVID-19 Omicron peak. It was a very fast-paced introduction to the world of public health media relations. At the height of the response, I was responding to over 100 media requests per month from national health reporters. It was intensive but a great learning experience!
Bucket List Trip: Greece.
Hobbies/Interests: Yoga/pilates, reading, enjoying the beautiful Maine coastline, and spending time with my husband and toddler daughter.
Contact Information: StephanieAbraham09@gmail.com
Measurement and Analytics Consultant at Paine Publishing
February 26, 2025
According to Bard AI, I’m not a great prognosticator so I won’t making any grand predictions this year, but I do want to share my perspective on the industry that has consumed my attention for the past 36 years. Right up front, I’ll admit I’m pretty disheartened about the state of PR measurement. Despite the ubiquity of AI and some advances in technology, it really hasn’t evolved very much in the last few years, despite all my prior more cheerful predictions.
I’m aware that when most people think of PR Measurement, they think of “monitoring” not actual measurement. But whatever you call it, that segment of the measurement market is nowhere near where I thought it would be, given all the AI hype. The reality is that most PR monitoring companies have been using some form of machine intelligence for years and it hasn’t made good PR measurement any easier. Here’s why:
Bad Metrics Just Won’t Go Away
Despite the fact that everyone purports to despise vanity metrics, they are still showing up on most industry platforms. Worse still, despite delivering no value people are still trying to use them to “prove value.” “Reach” numbers just keep getting bigger, in inverse proportion to their credibility. No one I know trusts them, but they keep showing up on every platform I see.
And then there is this:
Yes, AVEs (Advertising Value Equivalencies) are still with us. This chart showed up on an “Instant Insights” dashboard for a client of mine, last week. Insight? Really? How on earth can you find insight in 2025 from a metric that the industry declared invalid the same year that floppy disks became obsolete.
You Can’t Find Insight in Pretty Charts
The one thing that most communications pros need most is insight, and, ideally, data that can tell the story that leadership needs to hear to convince them to renew your budget. But none of the major platforms are doing that. For example, Cision is finally migrating all its customers to its “integrated” platform called CisionOne that purports to solve all your problems by integrating all of its various services and technologies into a single interface. But what problem does that solve other than making it easier to create press releases which no one reads that get sent to reporters who don’t care, who work for media that your target audience doesn’t trust – but more on that later.
Most platforms confuse visualizing data with actual insight. Insight requires looking at what happened and providing some data that allows you to move beyond the “what happened” report to actually answer the questions “so what?” and “now what”.
While most of these supposedly integrated platforms may display traditional and social media metrics in the same platform, and occasionally add in “activity metrics” (i.e. how many presses releases you sent), you still need to download the data, combine it and then run an analysis and try to find some correlation that might reveal a connection between your activities and the results.
Never mind that most platforms make it incredibly difficult to download the data in a useful format. Take SurveySparrow – a good, cheaper alternative to Survey Monkey. They do allow you to download a spreadsheet, but it is incomprehensible unless you happen to be using SPSS. CisionOne requires you to save your dashboard as a PDF and then export that PDF as an Excel sheet if you want to further analyze it. This does not make my life easier!
Few are Measuring the Media that Matters
The biggest irony of all of these platforms is they measure things that may no longer matter to your audience. According to the most recent Pew data, more than half of Americans get at least some news from social media, 50 million Americans regularly receive news from online influencers and only 26% of U.S. adults reported getting news from “traditional” media.
Which means that most people are using their monitoring platforms to track media outlets that will have no influence on, or credibility with, your target audiences. The reality is that individuals only absorb information when they think that it’s worth their time to pay attention to what you have, and they trust the source of the information.
Which poses a significant problem for brands in 2025. The most recent election proved the power of niche podcasts and influencers, most of which are not on anyone’s “Top Tier Media List.” According to the most recent Edelman Trust Barometer trust in media and corporations has plummeted in recent years. So might I recommend budgeting for a survey of your target audience to find out where they get trusted information these days, before you update your Top Tier Media list and/or sign up for a new monitoring service.
Sadly, silos aren’t going anywhere.
Last year, I fantasized that departmental silos would be crumbling by now. But sadly, the walls are as impenetrable as ever between communications, marketing, PR, Public Affairs, and everyone else in the organization that might influence your audience.
The only good news for earned media side of the fence is that the threats to the effectiveness of paid media are growing by the day. As it turns out, AI is already threatening to invalidate many of the usual paid media metrics.
The other staple of today’s marketing efforts, Email, which up until now has been somewhat immune from all the other threats to traditional communication methods, now has big problems of its own. Stricter privacy rules, spam filters, and automatic blocking are making it harder to get into people’s inboxes, never mind having them open your missive. I don’t know about you, but I add about 5 emails a day to my “blocked” list because the senders seem to think that I care about every press release that they put out there. (GlobeNewswire and PRWEB are you listening?)
So, maybe there’s still hope for earned media, but to all my communications colleagues out there, good luck. I started my first measurement company, The Delahaye Group, in 1989. I’ve seen a lot of changes in the intervening years but maybe none as many as disrupting as are on the horizon in 2025.
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
By Teresa Valerio Parrot, Ed. D., APR
There was a time when someone asked what I did for a living, and I would give them a sly smile and say, “Do you watch Scandal?” and tell them I worked in crisis communications. Or if it were more of a policy or academic crowd, I would say, “Well, if you’re a fan of The West Wing, my job is basically an outsourced Toby Ziegler and CJ Cregg role.”
However, I quickly realized that this type of response was a disservice to the public relations profession, my work and my colleagues…
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.
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.
The Annual Conference of the PRSA Northeast District was held Friday, November 15 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown and the Yankee Chapter was well-represented. Those in attendance and presenting included Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA, Stacey Smith, APR, Fellow PRSA, and Lisa Lance, the 2025 Yankee Chapter President-elect. Thanks to all who made the journey and thank you to the PRxNE 2024 Conference host – the PRSA Central New York Chapter!
By Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA, Yankee Chapter President
On Friday, Nov. 8th, I had the pleasure of representing Yankee Chapter PRSA at the Maine Public Relations Council annual conference, “Positivity and Progress: Adapting Your PR Strategy For A Changing World.”
Rebecca Emery, APR, Chair of MPRC’s Professional Development committee, and her crew put together an A-plus program of presenters, including a media panel discussion with moderator T.J. Winick, Essex Strategies, Morgan Sturdivant of WABI-TV, Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm of the Maine Monitor/Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting and Megan Gray of the Portland Press Herald.
We also heard words of wisdom from Michael Smart, CEO of MichaelSMARTPR, who gave us an overview of “The Realist’s Guide to AI and Communication” and asked us to think about how we use AI in these categories: “Training Wheels”, “10-Speed” and “E-Bike.”
Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA, General Manager of G&C talked about “Training Your Ethical Mind: Preparing to Survive and Thrive in Our Dynamic AI Environment,” urging us all to include AI in our crisis plans and be clear on our AI policies. As an added bonus, I had a front-row seat to watch Rebecca Emery receive the Edward L. Bernays Award for her outstanding work on behalf of MPRC.
I really enjoyed the presentation by Felicia Knight, President of The Knight Canney Group, entitled, “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love PR”. After a 20-year career in journalism, Felicia had a successful 27-year career in PR and shared these 8 Life Lessons:
Lesson 1: Don’t be afraid to change your situation. It was scary to pivot from her broadcast journalism career to serving as Communications Director for Sen. Susan Collins in DC, and then Communications Director for the National Endowment for the Arts. But she was passionate about being able to make a difference and “be a part of history” and loved that she learned something new every day in these new roles.
Lesson 2: Recognize and believe in your own success. Tired of being on the road and missing family events, she founded Knight Vision International, strategic media solutions, in 2008. Not the best timing to launch a new business in a recession, but she succeeded – and at this point in her career she overcame the “imposter syndrome”. She also joined the PRConsultantsGroup and the peer support and opportunities to collaborate were invaluable.
Lesson #3: Delegate! Felicia realized she would rather spend her time working directly with stakeholders, getting clients and offering strategic advice. She hired her first employee and used contractors to get the rest of it done.
Lesson #4: It is helpful to have backup. You never know when life will throw you a curveball, and you’ll be out of commission for health issues or other reasons. She made the decision to merge with Canney Communications and form The Knight Canney Group.
Lesson #5: If you’re unhappy, speak up. Though The Knight Canney Group was a great partnership, the pressure to support employees meant Felicia was taking client assignments just to pay the bills – so she pivoted again, going from an S-Corp model to an LLC. She was loving PR again!
Lesson #6: Life Is Short, No Matter How Long You Live. Felicia suffered traumatic grief when she lost both her father and her brother in 2016. It was an “aha” moment and she began letting go of the things she didn’t want to do and making more time for the things she DID enjoy. She got more engaged in her Board roles and did more traveling for fun.
Lesson #7: Let Go of What You Can’t Control. COVID-19 hit everyone hard, so she did what everyone else did – joined the great baking frenzy! She also got help from PPP (the Paycheck Protection Program). Her business was back at full strength 18 months later.
Lesson #8: Plan for your retirement. Her message to everyone in the room was, “start now.” Get a financial planner, put money aside from every paycheck and take advantage of company retirement or pension plans and 401K matches. Her official retirement date will be Dec. 2024 at which point she will be very selective of the client assignments she will be taking. “No more phone calls at 11 p.m.!”
We wish Felicia the best in her next chapter.