December 2024 Newsbrief

A Message from NAGC President Leslie Gervasio

On behalf of our Board of Directors, we’re here to help you take full advantage of your membership benefits, including discounted rates for Communications School and the Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards Program, free webinars, networking, job searching tools, and our online resource library! And we’re excited for what’s ahead in the new year. For example, we look forward to rolling out our Ambassador and Mentorship programs to the entire membership, as they have proven quite popular in the pilot phase.

Here are just a few ways to maximize your membership investment.

• Job Search Enhance your job search! In the Member Resources section of the website, NAGC offers a Career Center. Members can search for job openings and post job opportunities for free, while non-members can post job listings for only $50 each.
• Enhance Your Learning Take advantage of NAGC’s Webinar Wednesdays, which are offered free to NAGC members. Sign up for the next webinar on our website at https://nagc.com/page/webinar-wednesdays. Under the Member Resources section, you can also listen to archived webinars from industry experts and government communicators like you. Do you have an idea for a webinar topic? Email Professional Development Director Dena Potter.
• Online Resource Library The NAGC online Resource Library is located in the Member Resources section of our website. Enhance your skills by exploring industry best practices on a variety of topics. You can also boost your resume by submitting a product to be included in this library.
• Networking One of the benefits of joining a professional membership association is the ability to network with other industry experts and peers. Use the online NAGC Membership Directory to connect with other federal, state, county, local, military, and tribal leaders.
• Discounted Rates for Communications School and Awards Program Both Communications School registration and the Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards Program are set to open this, and NAGC members receive discounted rates. Plan ahead and take advantage of the early bird rates!

Finally, from our families to yours, happy holidays and a Happy New Year!

Thank you to our 2024 Communications School Sponsors!

Diamond & Premier Sponsors

Champion Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

• December 9, 2024 -?Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards Submissions Open

• December 18, 2024 -?Webinar Wednesday
• January 2025 -?Online?Registration for Communications School

• May 20-22, 2025 -?Communications School?

48th?Annual Communications School May 20-22, 2025 Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square | Pittsburgh, PA

The NAGC Communications School is the only event of its kind that provides invaluable networking opportunities and practical educational sessions to help government communicators increase their skills. Federal, state, local, tribal, and military government communicators and contractors gather to network and attend educational sessions.

Registration will open January 2025!

Learn More

December Webinar: You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, I mean, a Plan

Wednesday, December 18

It’s almost 2025, and the list of your organization’s new programs, policies, and initiatives you’ll need to communicate is getting longer by the minute. You have all. the. thoughts. about how to hit the ground running in 2025, but they’re going head-to-head with your year-end to-do list. Learn how to efficiently put those thoughts on paper in a streamlined project-based communications plan that will keep your strategies, messaging, and tactics straight and increase your chances of success. Your 2025 self will be glad you did.

Learning Objectives

• Learning what components make up a communications plan
• Developing a plan that can apply to your organization
• Understanding how sharing a communications plan within your organization with relevant parties can lead to better outcomes

All webinars are FREE for members and $49 for non-members.

Register TODAY

Speaker: Kate Schultz Born and raised in rural northern Wisconsin, Kate Schultz has been writing since age 2. (Fortunately, she’s moved past the early days of one-page handwritten neighborhood newspapers where she struggled to spell the word construction.) She pursued her dream of moving to Chicago and obtained her master’s degree in journalism in 2005 from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Following this, she spent two years honing her skills as a general assignment and city reporter at the Naperville Sun newspaper in Naperville, Illinois.

The experience covering the City of Naperville’s local government, coupled with a love of political science developed while obtaining her Bachelor of Science in mass communication and American political studies from the University of Wisconsin-Superior, led her to become a communications specialist at the City of Naperville. Now one of the City’s first Senior Communications Specialists, she’s written 13 State of the City speeches, launched Naperville’s mass notification system Naper Notify, leads the Communications Department’s social media team, and provides strategic communications guidance as part of Naperville’s Budget Team.? Kate lives in Oswego, Illinois, with her husband of 11 years, Carl, and their four (yes, you read that right) rescue cats Charlie, Francois, Minnie, and Murphy. In her spare time, Kate enjoys reading, crocheting, taking nature walks, learning Spanish and piano on Duolingo, playing word games, and as a recent stage 0 breast cancer survivor, advocating for people to be proactive about their physical and mental health.

NAGC Quick Reads

One org, one voice: How to keep comms consistent in a charged political climate - Ragan

When to go on background, off the record - PR Daily

So you need to request a correction from a journalist - PR Daily

Welcome New NAGC Members

Individuals

• Jessica Fotinos?-?Clerk of the Superior Court of Maricopa County
• Vickie Jackson?- Department of Veteran Affairs
• Thomas King?- City of Aurora
• Kristie Kiser?- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Amber Leberman?- Denver Regional Council of Governments

Organizations

• Harris County Housing & Community Development

Job change? In order to better serve you, let us know how to reach you! Make sure your contact information in the NAGC database is up to date.?Please take a moment to update your NAGC contact information.?