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Susan Finco, owner and president of Leonard & Finco Public Relations, Inc., was this year's hot topic speaker. Finco provided information regarding public engagement and examples of where it had been successful. Her key points were that public engagement means starting a dialogue, providing an inclusive way to problem solve, and actively involving a broad range of stakeholders. Public engagement is not a newsletter, a public meeting, news releases, or comment time during meetings.
The Thursday night event was a tailgate party at Lambeau Field. While the location and food were exceptional, participants really enjoyed the presentation by Craig Benzel, Director of Marketing and Corporate Sales for the Green Bay Packers. Benzel's presentation was an important reminder of the importance of telling your organization's story. One participant wrote the following on the evaluation, "Tradition, sense of belonging/being part of a something bigger needs to be better embraced by school advocates. It's a rich, warm sentiment clearly applicable to schools."
Friday morning the conference ended with a powerful speaker. Dr. Donna Beegle shared her inspirational story of growing up in generational poverty, raising a family and earning her doctorate. She provided insight on how schools could better understand students that grow up in poverty. Dr. Beegle is the author of See the Poverty, Be the Difference. You can order her book at her website: http://www.combarriers.com.
Thanks to the sponsorships of CG Schmidt; Donovan Group, LLC; Marketing on Demand; Miron Construction; and WEA Trust, WSPRA was able to bring some amazing speakers to this year’s conference.
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