March President’s PRoclaimer Message
By Roy Reid, APR, CPRC
It’s hard to believe we are near the end of the first quarter of 2025.
As I write this update, I can’t help but think of the last couple of weeks and the wonderful time I’ve had with our student chapter members. It started with the resume’ round tables, working with a number of students on their resumes in preparation for Intern Pursuit.
I was able to attend Intern Pursuit this year representing the chapter and promoting our newly reconstituted internship program. The highlight for me this year, however, was setting up next to one of my former interns (from 25 years ago) who now runs her own business and was recruiting interns. The event was the largest in recent years in terms of students and employers.
This month we hosted a reception downtown for chapter members and students for networking and follow-up from Intern Pursuit. The evening was a blast and it was fun to visit with everyone and see our students network—some for the first time. As you may know the Orlando Area Chapter is the largest in the state. What you may not know is that the Quotes chapter is actually larger, making Orlando the double champion for member size.
It was another sell-out event too! A big thank you to Leilani Vaiaoga for her commitment to creating these great events. It’s always important to stay connected to our student chapter and remember when we were first breaking into our career and those who invested in us. We have an obligation to give back and honor the gifts of those who shared with us.
We have some big events coming up.
First, and in honor of Women’s History Month, we welcome the Orlando Pride as our monthly program on March 26 at the Orlando Economic Partnership office. They will tell the story of their magical championship season as they embark on their 2025 campaign to reclaim the championship.
Next month, we co-host PR Paid Forward with our colleagues from PRSA as we work with local charities and non-profit organizations to help develop their communication and marketing plans. More than 20 organizations will benefit from the gifts and talents of our members.
Soon, we will begin recruiting members for next year’s board of directors and I encourage anyone interested to reach out to myself or Juliett-Gebken-Mayi, our president-elect. The board is a wonderful leadership opportunity and I am excited for the ideas already emerging for next year.
