It’s hard to believe we’re at the midpoint of the year. And what a year it has been for PRSA Nashville! I’d like to share a few highlights from the last six months. I’m proud of what we’ve done as a chapter and look forward to the remainder of 2026. More to come on that.
Before I go any further, I’d like to thank everyone – our board, committee members, past presidents, and other friends to PRSA Nashville who have made this a strong year for chapter. I can never say thank you enough, but I do like to try.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Chapter Size and Health: We’ve maintained a healthy membership averaging 200 members during the first half of the year. This is a good size for our market. But size is not the only way to measure a chapter’s health. Member engagement is another important gauge, and I have been delighted to see and feel the sense of community I’ve always loved about our chapter. We are that: a community of colleagues.
- Programs: We’ve hosted a stellar professional development series with programs including Webinar: Be the PR Pro Evert Boss Must Keep or Hire (February), Leaders and Legends: Real Talk with PR Pros (March), From Alphabet Soup to Career Boost: The ABCs of Earning Your APR (April), Webinar: How to Craft an Award Winning Entry (April), The Promises and Pitfalls of AI (May), and Lights, Camera, Communicate: Insights into Sports and Entertainment PR (June). Our programs are well attended and have received positive feedback. It’s been immensely gratifying to see colleagues come together, connect, expand their networks, and learn together. Looking ahead: We’ll host a media panel on July 14 with additional programs coming soon. Register here and join us!
- Accreditation: Our fantastic prep program is a model for other PRSA chapters to follow and has helped two more members achieve accreditation in public relations (APR) so far in 2026. This brings our total to 27 accredited chapter members, and we may see more before the end of the year!
- Parthenon Awards: We had a strong showing of 239 total entries in this year’s Parthenon Awards. This includes program entries for exceptional strategic communications campaigns, project entries for attention-getting PR tactics, organizational awards, and individual awards of excellence. We look forward to celebrating our 40th annual awards dinner in August. Tickets go on sale soon.
- Ethics: We’ve raised the profile of ethical discourse and resources this year. We’re keeping it at the forefront with dedicated ethics moments and questions about ethics at our monthly programs to resources and content in our newsletter and social media. We also introduced a new individual award of excellence for champions of ethical practices at this year’s Parthenon Awards. The inaugural recipient will be honored in August.
- New & Young Professionals: We made several classroom visits to local universities in the spring with guest speakers from PRSA Nashville. We look forward to continuing these meaningful connections in the fall. Additionally, our mentorship program launched in May and is providing invaluable touchpoints for mentor and mentee matches alike.
- Bylaws Updates: Another priority for 2026 has been reviewing our chapter’s bylaws, our governing document, which was last updated in 2011. We’re making progress toward adopting and implementing a modernized set of guiding principles that will serve our chapter and its members well for years to come. Stay tuned.
- National Awards: PRSA Nashville members and their companies took home honors at the 2026 PRSA Anvil Awards in May. These include Dollar General, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, and Imperium Public Strategies. We couldn’t be prouder of these impressive wins!
Thank you for being part of our chapter. We are a vibrant community of professionals made better through your involvement and participation, whether through service, attending events, providing insights and feedback, or other ways you’ve plugged in. There’s a place for you in PRSA Nashville. I’m proud to be part of this organization, and delighted to be part of it with YOU.