Ms. InterPReted

In this exciting episode of the Ms. InterPReted podcast, Fletcher Marketing Communications pulls back the curtain on a major new venture that's set to shake up the world of Public Relations and Marketing for financial services brands. Allison Lester and Vice President, Sarah Merrell introduce Fletcher Financial Communications and dive into the inspiration behind this passion project, why this sector has long been underserved in PR, and how Fletcher’s expert team is uniquely positioned to bridge that gap. Whether you're a B2B brand or just curious about where PR is headed in 2025, this is a can't-miss conversation full of insight—and one big reveal. 

As we head into 2025, the Fletcher team predicts the public relations trends the industry will see in the next year and how brands and PR firms should adjust for the oncoming changes.Trends include:An emphasis on authenticity in storytellingMedia layoffs and cutbacks resulting in hubbed coverage in local markets and more pay-to-play options and opportunities in national outletsProactive crisis communications planning after "black swan" events over the past several yearsNiche PR needs specific to specialization in B2B industriesA more divisive, polarized and political social media landscape causing fragmentationThe continued growth of reliance on micro-influencersInflation impacts on public relations firms as hard costs continue to rise but clients are resistant to pay higher feesThe Fletcher team dives into these trends, what they mean for brands and industry professionals and how to navigate the changing landscape in 2025.

In this episode of MsInterPReted: Public Relations Demystified, we introduce you to two social media influencers we’ve had the pleasure of working with at Fletcher Marketing Communications: Chelsea Davis and Jensen Savannah.We'd love to help your brand connect with influencers who could expand your reach. Contact us to learn how we can help you up your influencer game.Chelsea Davis is a freelance journalist and content creator based in San Francisco. With a passion for exploring new places, Chelsea covers everything from food and drink to travel adventures. Her Instagram, @cheycheyfromthebay, and her blog, Chey Chey From The Bay, are filled with vibrant stories and recommendations. Chelsea’s background as a social media specialist for several prominent San Francisco Bay Area restaurants and organizations enhances her ability to craft engaging content. Through her collaborations with tourism boards, restaurants, and lifestyle brands, she shares memorable experiences that inspire her followers.Jensen Savannah brings the charm of the Carolinas to the forefront through her content creation. She highlights the best restaurants, destinations, events, and local businesses in the Carolinas, aiming to connect her audience with new and exciting experiences. Her work not only showcases the region’s unique offerings but also fosters a deeper connection between her followers and the local culture.RELATED:  Maximizing Brand Visibility: Media Relations vs. Influencer MarketingBoth Chelsea and Jensen demonstrate the incredible impact that social media influencers can have on brand visibility and consumer engagement. Their dedicated work in their respective niches helps bridge the gap between businesses and audiences, proving that a well-crafted social media presence can be a game-changer.Topics Discussed on this episode:How has the influencer marketing industry changed in the past five years?The dos and don'ts of contacting influencers.Tik Tok and the ongoing ban battle.Helping brands understand how much time goes into creating content.Obstacles in the future.

On this episode of MisInterPReted Fletcher Director of Media Relations, Allison Lester talks with two newsroom managers about the state of the U.S. media.Martha Jennings, WRAL's Managing Editor, coordinates assignments and staffing for Raleigh, NC's #1 news station. She was the News Director for WBIR, in Knoxville, TN. an executive producer for WFLA, in Tampa, FL. and a producer for WRAL and WCBD. She's a graduate of the University of South Carolina. With over 25 years of media experience, Jeremy Campbell is Managing Director at Spectrum News in New York City, where he oversees coverage and staff within two 24-hour newsrooms: NY1 and NY1 Noticias.His work has reached millions of viewers through TV, digital, and non-traditional platforms - and has been used as an educational tool by the U.S. State Department to train international journalists.He believes “one story can make a difference, and a team of journalists can change the world.”Both have won *numerous media awards from Edward R. Murrow awards to Emmy’s - just to name a few.As PR professionals, we are always interested in the ever-evolving state of the U.S. media. We have looked over the annual surveys conducted by both Cision and Muckrack - two large PR/Communications platforms. They conduct these surveys every year polling and interviewing thousands of journalists across the country - and found similar findings.Topics Discussed:Biggest changes in the industry in the past five yearsMaintaining credibility as a trusted news sourceThe Muckrack survey says 70% of journalists say PR pros are either important or very important to the success of their jobs, but fewer than half actually respond to PR pitches - Why?Tips for pitching journalists?What not to do when pitching a local journalistPredictions for the future of journalism

In this episode of Ms. InterPReted, we’re discussing the importance of trust. It is one of the most important things you can focus on as a brand. Think of it as the currency that fuels revenue and can make or break your business. 71% of people are more likely to buy from brands they trust - those numbers are even higher among Gen Z.Quick, slick sales pitches don’t work for a lasting impact anymore - today's consumers want authenticity, transparency and a genuine connection.Fletcher Vice President, Sarah Merrell and our director of media relations, Allison Lester offer advice on how to build trust with your customers.Tactics discussed:Media RelationsInfluencer MarketingThought LeadershipConsistent BrandingProactive Solicitation of Testimonials

Tiffany Carpenter started her career in the public relations agency world and went on to manage communications for the athletics department at the University of Tennessee, including managing the reins of Mike Hamilton, Joan Cronin, Pat Summitt, Phillip Fulmer, Buzz Peterson, Bruce Pearl the infamous Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley.She went from there to the University of Tennessee Foundation as Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing and she managed communication with 355,000 alumni across four campuses. She has gone to serve the University of Tennessee system-wide as Vice President of Communications and Marketing; Associate Vice President of Communications and Marketing; and Assistant Vice President of Marketing where she works directly with Randy Boyd, the President of the University of Tennessee System.She recently launched a successful public relations campaign - the "Everywhere UT" campaign statewide. She was named Public Relations Alumnus of the Year in 2016 by the UT College of Communications and Information Sciences and was included on Knoxville Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list.In this episode, we discuss:Tiffany’s career in communicationsStories of working such a high-stress job as a momGrowth plans for the University of Tennessee SystemCrisis managementPublic Relations and Marketing tactics to reach students

In this episode of MsInterPReted, we’re talking about tourism in Tennessee. Tennessee tourism generated $29 billion in direct visitor spending and saw 141 million visitors to the state in 2022, Tennessee ranks 11th in the nation for travel spending, the highest rank ever for our state. Tennessee has approximately 13, 372 restaurants in the state, which is roughly one restaurant per every 500 people if you look at our population numbers and over 1600 hotels. Sarah Beth is the CEO and president of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association. Her experience includes being Executive Director of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail and before that was also a part of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as the Middle Tennessee Division Manager. HospitalityTN represents the interests of Tennessee’s lodging, dining, and tourism establishments and the related businesses involved in the hospitality & tourism industry. Kim Mitchell joined the Blount Partnership in July 2014 after serving the past 2 ½ years as the special events coordinator for the Helen Ross McNabb Center where she contributed to the successful planning, management and execution of many Blount County special events with specific responsibility for achieving all fundraising goals and community awareness objectives. Her position with the Blount Partnership consists of recruiting events in the areas of leisure, business and group travel to the county for overnight stays.   A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Mitchell has worn many hats in a variety of industries during her career ranging from being director of catering for a national hotel chain to serving as a marketing and public relations specialist for a local marketing group. Topics Discussed:·        What brought these two professionals to the tourism industry·        They describe the tourism boom they see in their respective geographic locations·        How the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association partners with tourism businesses·        The tactics most effective in getting the word out to travelers about all that Tennessee has to offer·        The rise of outdoor adventure and leisure travel ·        The influence of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail on tourism·        What’s on the horizon for Tennessee tourism

On this episode of MsInterPReted, Fletcher’s director of media relations, Allison Lester, talks about travel writing, pitching and hosting media tours. We welcome two travel writers to talk about their experiences in travel writing. They provide advice and talk about the trends in the travel journalism industry.Susan Barnes has more than 20 years of journalism experience and writes for multiple outlets including USA Today, Food and Wine, Garden and Gun, Travel + Leisure - just to name a few. She writes about travel, lifestyle, food and beverage. Ashlee Fechino is the founder of the Happiness Function, which is a travel outlet she started to inspire happiness through travel and outdoor recreation in the U. S. She's also a nationally syndicated travel writer.On this episode, we discuss multiple topics:·       How our guests got into travel writing and what it’s like as a career.·       The dos and don’ts of pitching travel journalists.·       What qualities make for a great press trip.·       How to get coverage in some of the travel industry’s biggest outlets.·       Trends in the rise of wellness travel.

Sara Davenport is an award-winning journalist who followed her dreams and became an anchor in a top-10 market. But after winning all the awards, and covering all the stories, she need a plan B - something that gave her not just a fantastic lifestyle, but also a life.She has created a life as a media mentor working with others looking to break the breaking news cycle.She wanted to work from home or just work from phone/wifiShe wanted to travel and vacation for more than 8 weeks/yearShe wanted to make 6-figures, from one or multiple businessesShe wanted to be a storyteller, content creator, and still remain  on-cameraShe wanted to coach others to successOn this episode of MsInterPReted she discusses how she made a plan and went after it.Davenport provides valuable insight into writing a resume to highlight transferrable skills, using LinkedIn as a true marketing platform to market and creating multiple revenue streams for profitability and stability.Through her former and current career, Davenport has collected a plethora of stories about the good, the bad and the ugly of working in broadcast news. She shares the moment that she knew she had to make a change and what she sees as driving the mass exodus from TV News today.

As we head into 2024, Fletcher Marketing PR Vice President, Sarah Merrell and Director of Media Relations, Allison Lester discuss the PR obstacles we foresee clients and firms facing in the year ahead and tactics to overcome these hurdles.Obstacles include:AI - The rise of artificial intelligence raises ethical concerns and requires us helping our clients to understand the benefits and limitations of new technologies.GA4 - With Google Analytics launching its new analytics platform in 2023, many businesses still don't have their GA4 and/or aren't yet using it to its fullest potential.Other new technologies - as new platforms and software emerge, it requires education for our teams and clients to institute these new toolsOver-reliance on digital marketing - many businesses see digital marketing as a fast-fix for marketing goals, when it should really be viewed as one tool to pair with myriad of other strategies. It requires educating our clients on the benefits, but also limitations of digital marketing to keep them from making the mistake of relying too heavily on this strategy alone.Media fragmentation - There are more media outlets today than ever before. This provides both an opportunity for media relations efforts, but also an obstacle. Media relations pros have to take the extra time to weed through the options to find the best fit and help clients understand the quality matters more than ever. Content overload - With so much content being pumped out into the world today, it's more important than ever to make your content standout. This requires creativity, strategy and research.The prevalence of paid media - As there are more pieces of the pie, each individual outlet has fewer readers/viewers. This has led to a rise in paid media as media outlets are forced to find new revenue streams. This means clients will need to consider options such as advertorials, affiliate marketing and paid placements in addition to earned media efforts.Integrated marketing - we know integrated marketing is 300% more effective than silo-ing your marketing efforts, but helping our clients understand the benefits of having one party handle all of the tactics still proves to be an obstacle.Reputation management - In the day and age of 'cancel culture' it is imperative to give careful extra thought to all messaging - this includes, not only the content you produce, but also responses on social media. It's important to have diverse voices at the table to ensure you are using sensitivity and not overlooking biases. Rising labor costs and inflation - both firms and our clients are facing the biggest obstacle of 2024 that all Americans are facing with inflation and rising prices. It costs more to do business, which means many companies will be looking for ways to save. We encourage business owners and CEOs to consider the ROI you get from marketing, and to never save money but cutting good people.

In this episode of MsInterPReted, Fletcher Marketing PR Vice President, Sarah Merrell, and Director of Media Relations, Allison Lester discuss PR trends that we want to leave in the dust.As 2023 winds down, we are looking ahead to the new year and new strategies. These are some of the common strategies and trends that are outdated or unnecessary.We discuss:Overuse of buzzwords/industry jargonAn overemphasis on media placement quotas without attention to the quality of placementsOverly complicated metricsVanity metricsVanity awards/paid awardsHiding/Burying negative newsReactive crisis management vs. proactive strategiesMass/impersonalized pitchingOverly complicated press releasesWe address these outdated trends as well as the better way to approach metrics, media relations and crisis management. 

On this episode of MsinterPReted, we discuss hyperlocal journalism. This form of journalism focuses on reporting news and information at a very local level, typically targeting specific neighborhoods and communities. It emphasizes coverage of local events, issues, and stories that directly impact the immediate vicinity, including topics like local government, community events, business updates, neighborhood developments, and other hyper-specific news that may not receive attention from larger media outletsJesse Mayshark and Scott Barker are both former journalists who also worked on the public relations side and started a hyper-local news media outlet for the city of Knoxville, called Compass. Jesse worked as a reporter and editor at the local and national level for 20 years before going into communication for Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero in 2011.Scott was hired as a reporter at the Knoxville News Sentinel in 1999 and has won numerous national, state and regional journalism awards as a reporter and editorial page editor.On this episode, Jesse and Scott discuss:The need for local journalismWhy they started CompassThe business model for making this type of journalism successfulPR blundersHow PR pros and journalists can better work togetherThe changing face of journalismFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/On LinkedIn: Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcher

Fletcher Marketing PR Senior Strategist, Mary Beth West commissioned new worldwide ethics code research through her work on the PRCA Global Ethics Council.The new London-based Institute of Business Ethics (IBE) research was released in the white paper entitled “The State of Ethics Codes in the Public Relations Industry: A Global Analysis” (available for free download). It documents that among 24 PR industry ethics codes in nearly as many nations worldwide, there is little unified consensus about how ethics codes should be employed as “living documents” in the everyday work of industry leaders and practitioners.Some PR associations heavily promote simply having an ethics code as a crowning achievement.But precisely how much dust a long-ago published code has gathered while sitting on a virtual shelf, unrevised for years – perhaps decades – may underscore how seriously its parent PR association authentically engages on the topic of ethics.In this episode of MsInterPReted, Mary Beth discusses her findings with CEO Kelly Fletcher.Discussion covers:AIDisclosing Paid MediaDisinformationGiving/Receiving GiftsWhistleblower protectionPrivacyAnd other industry related ethics codesThis #PRethics Month, PR organizations are urged to take a fresh look at their ethics codes, compare them with best-practices documented in this white paper, and undertake a deep-dive effort to make codes more current, relevant, useful, and prominent.DOWNLOAD THE ETHICS CODE WHITE PAPER: https://www.marybethwest.com/white-paper/ Mary Beth West, APR, FPRCA, is a long-time advocate of stronger ethical practices in PR, in balanced service to employers, clients, stakeholders, and also the public good. She can be followed on LinkedIn, at @marybethwest, and at marybethwest.com.

Casey Mank is co-founder of Bold Type and is a Center for Plain Language Board member. She also teaches English at Georgetown University and Virginia Commonwealth University. Casey and her company conduct workshops on writing skills, workplace communication and email etiquette.In our digital world of communications, it is imperative that we think more strategically and holistically about how we communicate internally and externally with our business partners. Casey shares that, “no matter how good you are at your actual job, even if your actual job has nothing to do with writing, the way that you communicate with people about the work you've done impacts how they perceive your actual work.”Writing effectively, including emailing, is such an essential skill. Casey highlights the need for more formalized training on how to do that well and what the expectations are within a company. Bold Type’s focus is very specific and they provide formalized training on workplace writing skills.In this episode of MsInterPReted, CEO Kelly Fletcher talks with Casey about a variety of topics pertaining to effective professional writing including:  ·       Email etiquette·       Using plain language effectively·       Overexplaining·       The importance of a professional pauseFollow Casey Mank:Casey's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-mank/Bold Type Website: https://www.boldtype.usBold Type LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boldtype/Bold Type Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bold__type/Plain Language Info: https://www.plainlanguage.govFollow Fletcher Marketing PR:On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fletcherpr/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcher

Today, all of us feel the impact of stress and burnout in one way or another. It could be we feel a little extra jittery at the start of the week, or maybe it even prevents us from doing what we need to in our professional and personal lives. Regardless, we need to always try and actively combat and healthfully balance our stressors. In Booth Andrew's career, she experienced her own burnout for years but it reached its peak when she went from a successful CEO of a $5 million non-profit, mom of 3, community leader and triathlete to unemployed, broke, divorced, severely ill and separated from her community. Over time, Booth found the keys to balancing her stressors so that her burnout and its impact would never impact her the same way again. Booth also found sharing her story and her journey back was helpful to others in understanding they are not alone. She now runs the Knoxville, Tennessee based company, the Booth Andrews company.On this episode of MsInterPReted, Fletcher CEO Kelly Fletcher talks with Booth about a variety of topics pertaining to balancing stress levels and burnout, including: Knowing your limits and respecting those boundaries Giving yourself permission to heal The physiological impacts of stressDealing with trauma De-stigmatizing mental health Follow Booth on: On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/booth-andrews-69ba1a13/On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theboothandrews/?hl=enOn Twitter: https://twitter.com/theboothandrewsFollow Fletcher Marketing PR:On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fletcherpr/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcher

Eric Olsen has been Senior Advisor and Communication Director for Congressman John Garamendi of California's eighth district in northern California since 2017.Previously, he managed congressional campaigns and consulted on several presidential campaigns. His work as a senior PR communication staffer on Capitol Hill and for political campaigns has given him unique insight into the relationship between government and public relations. He has deployed a broad array of communication tactics throughout his career to communicate the complicated and multifaceted work that takes place in our federal government. He has also worked with major broadcast outlets and media outlets, like 60 Minutes and Meet the Press, and he has managed highly-targeted PR campaigns..Eric is a graduate of the University of California Davis with the highest honors. In his free time, he works to bring a greater level of awareness and insight into politics and how our government functions.On this episode of MsInterPReted, CEO Kelly Fletcher and Director of Media Relations Allison Lester talk with Eric about an array of topics pertaining to the world of political communication, including: The relationship between politics and media Crafting political messages How to navigate the mistrust of the media as a PR professional in the world of politics The value of reputable and trustworthy sources The relationship between communication professionals of opposing parties The possible future of AI use in the political communication arena Crisis management The myths about the political communications field Follow Eric  on:On LinkedIn: Eric OlsenOn Instagram: @eric_olsen4On TikTok: @ericolsen44 Follow Fletcher Marketing PR:On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcher 

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic idea, it is here. And now programs like ChatGPT are introducing AI to the world of writing, content creation and public relations, bringing with it a myriad of benefits, questions and ethical concerns.Matthew Pittman is an assistant professor of Advertising and Public Relations at the Tombras School at the University of Tennessee. He has a Ph.D. in Communications and also serves as a consultant. He talks with Sarah Merrell, Fletcher Marketing PR Vice President, about the AI writing software ChatGPT. On this episode of MsInterPReted, Sarah and Matthew discuss what AI looks like in the world of PR and marketing, what the limitations of AI are and what the implications are for humans including:The extent to which AI can be utilized for writing. ChatGPT can be utilized for research, organizing outlines, and cutting down on writing time. Where is the line that separates an article written by a person and an article written by ChatGPT?The ethics behind utilizing AI as a writing assistant. Are PR and marketing professionals ethically obligated to notify clients or the public that AI is being utilized in the writing process? What does the ethical use of AI look like in an academic setting? Are there ways to know when students are using AI to write their entire paper or is AI so close to human writing that it is undetectable?Can AI be used for strategy? ChatGPT is proving to be a creative tool but still lacks a specific element of creativity. That element is human creativity. ChatGPT works based on prompts that are typed in. The program then spits out suggestions and ideas. Without the initial idea from human creativity, ChatGPT would not be able to create an article or blog post for that idea. Will AI remove humans from jobs in the communication field? Will there be a time where PR and marketing professionals are no longer needed due to AI taking over the field? Follow Matthew on:On Twitter:  @matthewcpittmanFollow Fletcher Marketing PR:On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcherFollow Mary Beth on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Tanisha Fitzgerald Baker is the manager of DEI for Knoxville Utilities Board, where she works on creating a diverse and inclusive work environment with equitable opportunities for all. She supports areas that impact the employee and customer experience through the lens of DEI. Tanisha is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee and she's a graduate, valedictorian, and Ms. Austin East from the Austin East High School class of 1988. She continued her education, graduating from both Florida A&M and the University of Tennessee with degrees in Actuarial Science and Education. She spent more than 20 years working for equity, access and education as an educator and leader with Project Grad Knoxville.She retired from Project Grad in 2021 and started a new career with Knoxville Utilities. She completed her certificate in social enterprise effectiveness from the University of Tennessee's Haslam School of Business. She's a graduate of Leadership Knoxville class of 2020. She was one of 30 across the state of Tennessee chosen for the 2021 Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute which she completed, along with the Mosaic Change Fellowship 2021 cohort as one of 21 across the state of Tennessee.She's the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including the 2020 MLK Community Service Award. In addition to her professional responsibilities, she's a sought-after panelist, presenter and consultant. She's passionate about her calling to educate and elevate others.She founded Educational Enhancement Services Incorporated in 1998. She's also a founding member and current president of the Five Points Up Community Action Group. Founding member of East Knox Lions Club, founder of the unifying concept of the Village of Knoxville, and the host of a weekly radio show: Talking with T.She serves on several community boards as well as serving as the chair of the city of Knoxville's African-American Equity Task Force. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and continues to reside in the East Knoxville community. On this week’s episode of MsInterPReted, Tanisha, and Kelly talk about what DEI looks like in various spaces and how to apply DEI to a multitude of aspects in the work place:DEI as it relates to hiring and human resourcesWhat diversity looks like in different spacesHow to integrate DEI practices into every part of businessDEI data conversionsDEI in virtual workplacesGood DEI practicesFollow Tanisha on:Website:  https://www.talkingwitht.comOn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkingwitht/On Twitter:  @talkingwitht  Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcherFollow Mary Beth on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Greg Jarboe is president of SEO-PR, which he co-founded in 2003. Their digital marketing agency has won awards for generating results for a variety of clients, including: The Christian Science Monitor, Get City Dealz, Harlequin Romance, MarketingSherpa, Parents magazine, the SES Conference & Expo series, Southwest Airlines, and Rutgers University. He’s also the author of ‘YouTube and Video Marketing’ and one of the 25 successful online marketing gurus profiled in Michael Miller’s Online Marketing Heroes.  Since 2003, Jarboe’s written more than 1,600 posts for ClickZ, Inked, Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Watch, The SEM Post, and Tubular Insights. He’s spoken at over 80 industry conferences. In addition, he’s an instructor at Coursera, Rutgers Business School Executive Education, and the New Media Academy.Katie Paine, aka The Measurement Queen, has been a pioneer in the field of measurement for three decades. She was recently awarded the prestigious IPR Jack Felton Medal for Lifetime Achievement, an award made for lifetime contributions in the advancement of research, measurement and evaluation in public relations and corporate communication. Her books, Measure What Matters (Wiley, March 2011) and Measuring Public Relationships (KDPaine & Partners, 2007) are considered must-reads for anyone tasked with measuring public relations and social media.  Her latest company, Paine Publishing is the first educational publishing firm entirely dedicated to making more Measurement Mavens. In her consulting practices, she designs measurement dashboards for some of today’s most admired companies. More recently, Katie was named one of “25 women who rock social media” by Lee Odden’s prestigious Online Marketing Blog. She contributes to Communications World, PR Week, and Business Marketing. They talk with Fletcher Marketing PR’s Director of Media Relations, Allison Lester, about the upcoming transition from Google Analytics to the new GA4. Google Analytics has been utilized by professionals for the better part of a decade and is now being transitioned due to the fast-paced growth of our world. They talk about the difference between Google Analytics and GA4 regarding:Measurement of events rather than sessionsEngagement ratesAdjustments in the attribution modelTracking of cohortsThe process of setting up goals Integrated Marketing And why you shouldn't wait until Q2 to get started on transitioning your businessSessions will be held this April to provide information on GA4 to PR professionals. Visit www.painepublishing.com or email Katie at [email protected]. Listen to this episode of MsInterPReted to find out more about the transition from Google Analytics to the new GA4.  Follow Katie Paine on:Follow Jill on Twitter: @queenofmetricsVisit: https://painepublishing.com/  Follow Greg Jarboe on:On Twitter: @gregjarboeOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-jarboe-876364/ Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcherFollow Mary Beth on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Jill Kilgore has been with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development for the past five years as the public relations media manager. She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development is the go-to for all things vacation related in Tennessee.  Sara Beth Urban is the CEO and president of HospitaityTN. Her past experience includes being Executive Director of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail and being involved with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as the Middle Tennessee Division Manager. HospitalityTN represents the interests of Tennessee’s lodging, dining, and tourism establishments and the related businesses involved in the hospitality & tourism industry. In this episode of MsInterPReted, Jill and Sara Beth discuss what they both love about the hospitality and tourism industry in Tennessee. They talk about the state of tourism in Tennessee regarding: TDTD and HospitalityTN efforts in the industryTennessee Music Pathways https://www.tnvacation.com/tennessee-music-pathwaysEconomic impacts of domestic and international travel Current trends and attractionsPredictions for upcoming trends in tourismThe Bill Dance Lake initiativeWomen in tourism and hospitality What everyone needs to see when they visit Tennessee Listen to this episode of MsInterPReted to find out more about tourism in Tennessee.  Follow  Tennessee Department of Tourism Development on:On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tdtdindustry/Follow Jill on Twitter: @jillrkilgore Follow Jill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-kilgore-4909299a/  Follow HospitalityTN on:On Twitter: @tnhta On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hospitalitytn/?hl=enOn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HospitalityTNOn LinkedIn: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/company/hospitalitytn/Follow Sara Beth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-beth-urban-13290143/  Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow CEO Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDFletcher

Allison and Sarah discuss the Fletcher Marketing PR team’s predictions for public relations trends for 2023. With the end of the year around the corner, it is important to be thinking about strategic plans for the future. They talk through these predictions, the implications and benefits for businesses to look toward in the new year. In this episode Allison and Sarah discuss predictions about: Changes in the economy The death of influencer marketingThe importance of paid media Gathering and dissemination of data Increase in need for owned media Innovation and integration Taking a stand on social issues 

Sharon Fenster is a public relations and diversity, equity and inclusion expert. In 2018, while serving as president of the NYC chapter of PRSA, she advocated for greater diversity equity inclusion in the PR world. This included a controversial stance at that time - calling for the release of diversity data among various organizations, not only industry associations, but private companies and agencies.In this episode, Sharon discusses what it means to be an ally, checking your privilege and using it for good, her personal journey to allyship and the changing landscape of diversity equity and inclusion in corporate America. We discuss how to handle the threat of retaliation for standing your ground and how to handle the possibility of internal or external blow-back.Learn how allyship feeds into authentic leadership or heart centered leadership and why its so important for workers today.

Robin Wilhoit, anchor of Knoxville's NBC affiliate WBIR, shares her insights on journalism, ethics, the changing face of the industry and what it's like being a woman in this ever-changing field.Robin is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She has been a broadcast journalist for more than 30 years, and has been anchoring the weekday newscasts at WBIR since the 90's.She is passionate about being a community advocate, serves on several local nonprofit boards and frequently lends her time to serve the people of East Tennessee. In 1998, she helped to launch Buddy Check 10, a program to promote breast cancer awareness.Beyond being an award-winning journalist, leader, and community advocate, she is also a mother of two. She shares the challenges of managing it all.Robin shares her experiences on:Ethics in the newsroomTrust in the media and how to differentiate truth from fiction in news-gatheringMaintaining humanity in journalismSharing your gifts and talentsThe importance of mentorshipBeing a woman in a male-run industry at the beginning of her careerMaintaining mental health in an emotionally difficult profession

Paid placement should be considered another tool in your public relations toolbox.It's an especially good tool when trying to raise awareness about new and emerging brands.There's paid news release distribution that should be used for big announcements or seeding.Another form of paid placement is affiliate marketing that is another great tool to get your brand noticed in major media outlets.Syndicated content is a good way to control the messaging and imagery to release paid content that is prominently displayed and clearly labeled as sponsored content.Sarah goes through the different ways that these avenues impact SEO which is incredibly important for getting clicks.One of our favorite options that isn't exactly paid, is content contributor programs where you pay a fee to be considered, but there's still an application process. This option helps to gain credibility for your brand and helps to position you as an expert in thought leadership in your field.

With the possible repeal of Roe v. Wade in the headlines, Mary Beth West and Kelly Fletcher talk about public relations strategies for businesses considering weighing in.Many people feel corporate brands need to take a definitive stand on these types of hot-button issue.There seems to now be a high level consumer expectation that corporations take a stand on issues and also consumer criticism if your corporate brand is remaining silent.Mary Beth and Kelly agree there's a time and a place for companies to speak out on issues that are relevant to their business, interests and industries. And then there are times when it's absolutely not.They talk through companies that have taken a stand on Roe v. Wade specifically, and the criticism surrounding PR Firm Edelman and Zeno's advice to not.

The past few years have been tumultuous in the journalism industry. From shrinking newsrooms, fragmentation, audience mistrust, COVID and other global crisis. Muckrack conducted its annual survey of more than 1,000 journalists to assess the state of journalism in 2022.Greg Gallant is the co-founder and CEO of Muckrack and speaks on the company's annual report.Greg talks about his career as an entrepreneur and how he navigated a career from philosophy to what he does now."Once you get to any meaningful scale, the number one job of being an entrepreneur or a CEO.Is communicating ideas boiling down what's happening in the world and coming up with kind of a way to explain it and a way to position your company to be relevant."Some key findings from the report:Journalists are busier than ever and are covering more beats than ever before.Journalists are more likely to respond to pitches in 2022 than they were in 2021.Journalists feel trust from the public is improving.Twitter is the go-to social media platform for journalists. But that's not where they want to get their pitches!Greg offers some tips about how to use Twitter to connect with journalists and how to make authentic connections.Greg addresses the gender gap in journalism and what his company is doing to combat the issue.Finally, Kelly and Greg talk about leading in a remote world and the transition to remote work.

Melanie White, executive vice president of Virgin Experience Gifts, shares insights from the experiential gifting field about where the market is headed and how Virgin experience gifts is leading the way in the U.S. market.Among her remarks:Melanie left her successful career in the fashion industry to find her "why" and search for something more meaningful. She talks about how providing curated experiences to enrich peoples' lives has been fulfilling. Virgin Experience Gifts is seeking to lead the way in forging the concept of experiential gifting: providing specially curated, experiential gift-giving that people can purchase for a friend, colleague or loved one.The COVID pandemic has left Americans with a pent-up desire for travel and adventure. This is helping Virgin Experience Gifts and experiential gifting succeed despite the pandemic.Woman are some of the top customers, buying experiences for spouses, friends and children.Millennials and Gen Z are driving the trend toward experiences over traditional "things" as gifts.Consumers are incredibly diverse. Virgin Experience Gifts is tapping into this diversity by offering experiences across the spectrum on price point and interest.Experiential gifting is not only more meaningful and unique, but it's also sustainable. Americans are attracted to a more minimal approach to acquiring stuff, and helping to eliminate the clutter.Virgin Experience Gifts sees their platform as a major opportunity for providers, destinations and retail labels. Virgin Experience Gifts could be a low-risk sales platform for them and a source of referral.  Virgin Experience Gifts as a brand is in a hyper growth phase and sees big things on the horizon in the coming years.Discover Fletcher Marketing PR:Post your questions and comments about the podcast, via #MsInterPReted Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Instagram: fletcher.prFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fletchermarketingpr Follow Virgin Experience Gifts on Twitter: @VirginExpGifts Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Allison Lester -- director of media relations for Fletcher Marketing PR -- shares insights on transitioning from the pressures and challenges of years working in a media newsroom environment to the front lines of PR strategy and media relations execution for a PR firm. Among her remarks:How deadline-driven environments of the newsroom differ from deadlines / workload in PRWays in which lifestyle / work-life balance stresses differ on the two "sides," particularly given the pandemicWhat "pet peeves" she encountered from PR firms back in her newsroom daysAspects of pitching for topical / timing relevance to be realistic and newsroom-friendlyWhat it means to deliver for clients on media relations content and availability Best-practices in media contact-developmentPractical considerations (such as lead times) that build parameters around what a news outlet will (or even can) coverHow to "turn lemons to lemonade" when media rejection of a pitch can still present a relationship-building opportunity with a reporter Differences between needs / opportunities for newsrooms working across different formats (print, broadcast, digital)Discover Fletcher Marketing PR:Post your questions and comments about the podcast, via #MsInterPReted Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Instagram: fletcher.prFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fletchermarketingpr Follow Allison Lester on Twitter: @ALesterTN Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Business development for any company (or fund-raising and audience engagement in the non-profit sector) can be driven extensively through sharing the heart, soul and mind of the brand. Podcasting has emerged as one of the top conduits for sharing brand voice in the competitive marketplace of ideas, through owned-media platforms that brands can directly curate and control. Chris Hill shares with Kelly and Mary Beth his production recommendations as well as marketing strategies, to help those with something to say in the podcasting space to be successful, in building a podcast from the ground-up. Discover HumblePod:Website:  https://www.humblepod.com/about/ Twitter: @Humblepod https://twitter.com/HumblePod  Discover Fletcher Marketing PR:Post your questions and comments about the podcast, via #MsInterPReted Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Instagram: fletcher.prFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fletchermarketingpr Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

In this episode, Kelly and Mary Beth discuss their PR Industry Predictions for 2022, including:How the PR agency business model's pandemic-driven shifts have impacted the industryWhy the U.S. PR industry is on a particularly troublesome ethics track -- much of it self-inflicted and further exacerbated by apathy ... particularly in light of disappointing choices and lack of truth / transparency by the domestic PR association -- PRSAWays that workforce recruitment strains between talent availability, rising payroll demands and follow-on COVID waves will impact budgetsImplications of recent industry reports:Public Relations & Communications Association (PRCA-UK) (London): https://www.prca.org.uk/PR-industry-roars-back-2021-PRCA-UK-Census International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) World Report: https://iccopr.com/services/world-reports/download-our-2020-2021-report/  Whether the PR, media and journalism sectors will ever join forces to stave off systemic public-trust root-rot driving disinformationHow the Diversity conversation will continue as a merry-go-round until the industry and respective associations set a definitive bar between two separate metrics: 1) Having the PR industry employment base represent all of society demographically, or 2) Having the sector mirror demographics of other professional-service sectors with which PR competes to recruit workforceWays that politicization and partisanship in news rooms and across the industry drive the very divisiveness that the PR industry should be more competently taking in hand and mitigating (not exacerbating) to bring people and publics together in more positive solidarity around issuesHow the dearth of men in the PR industry workforce (minus the C-suite) is a far more complex and troubling problem than is adequately discussed ... and if the industry fails to address the gender imbalance in 2022, we can expect to slide more into "pink-collared ghetto" territory relative to compensation and share-of-voice.Mary Beth also shares a glimpse of work-in-progress currently underway via the PRCA Ethics Council, in partnership with the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) in Washington, D.C., as part of its Global Business Ethics Survey to ascertain PR industry ethics issues. Discover Fletcher Marketing PRPost your questions and comments about the podcast, via #MsInterPReted Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Instagram: fletcher.prFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fletchermarketingpr Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

When crises strike, having a plan is essential -- and most strategists know that rule-of-thumb. But what about a crisis that unfolds in real-time, right before one's eyes (and the eyes of hundreds, thousands or even millions of stakeholders), when seconds count and the cameras are on?Kelly and Mary Beth discuss some recent events and several new pieces of industry data that PR pros and client teams alike should take into consideration.  Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Instagram: fletcher.prFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fletchermarketingpr Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

On this special Holiday Season episode of #MsInterPReted, Kelly and Mary Beth share special moments from past episodes of the podcast with:Marshall Ramsey -- on how some dark moments in his life (from personal loss to being cut to part-time and losing his benefits at his former employer in the wake of his cancer battle) resulted in his "It's the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" attitude, thanks to his late father;Marcus Hall -- on how taking the wrong path in life and paying the price with incarceration actually set him free to embark on a renewed entrepreneurial journey;Tearsa Smith -- on how the power of seeing her children's joy and aspirations for their own futures have lifted her up during traumatic societal events of 2020-21... and how she seeks to share that hope with others, through the lens of journalism;Ashley Nickloes -- on how reading the documentation of her grandfather's death during World War II from running out of fuel in his plane during a combat mission over the Pacific Ocean brought her full-circle, as she has served her nation for many years as a Tennessee Air National Guard refueling-mission aviator;Melissa Carter -- on how the fear and anxiety of coming out to her family as part of the LGBT Community during her 20s ultimately surprised her in a positive way... and proved to her that her late father was the greatest Christian she ever knew;Mike McClamroch -- on how a visit one day to the home of Lady Vols Head Coach Pat Summitt changed his life, as he embarked with Coach Summitt in his role as leader of the East Tennessee Foundation to assume management operations for The Pat Summitt Foundation (@WeBackPat), to beat Alzheimer's Disease ... in the late coach's lasting legacy of public service and philanthropy.  Posted with great affection for our listeners, team members, clients, family and friends -- by Kelly & Mary Beth ... Wishing everyone a safe, happy and abundant Thanksgiving and holiday season ahead. Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Instagram: fletcher.prFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fletchermarketingpr Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

In this episode, Woolf McClane's Chad Hatmaker shares:What he's seen employers and management teams do right (or wrong) since the pandemic hit on the employee relations frontSpecific aspects of emerging employment law that were brought to bear significantly in the past 20 months and that should be tracked going forward, in order for companies to remain compliant yet competitiveHow employee / front-line team expectations have now changed Why staying proactive is so important for companies -- in order to avoid much larger problems laterWays in which communications challenges arise throughout workforce-management issues, like vaccinationsAnd much more... Links:Follow the #MsInterPReted hashtagFollow Chad Hatmaker of Woolf McClaneTwitter: @JChadHatmakerChad Hatmaker’s blog, “Tennessee Employment Law”LinkedInView insights from members of the Fletcher Team on WBIR's special news segment on "The Big Quit". Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

In this conversation, Travis Parman shares his insights about:How people sometimes "fall into public relations" from different fields ... and how he has evolved his ideas about what constitutes PR expertise as a former self-confessed "public relations purist"; Why his favorite Abraham Lincoln quote that he learned in high school helped chart his academic and career course toward public relations: "In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions";Why diverse practitioners are so often the best public relations professionals: "They know how to read a room";Ways that PR students should work to position themselves for thriving public relations careers, by bringing their diverse perspectives and backgrounds to the fore;In what ways companies need to avoid knee-jerk responses to "diversity programs" that lump people of one diverse cohort together and inadvertently segregate them; How one-dimensional, tactical and transactional "understandings" of PR pose some of the industry's biggest limitations that must be countered and overcome;Why being too deferential can be a PR professional's most self-defeating behavioral modus operandi in growing their career;Ways that cross-cultural and international standards differ -- and why public relations practitioners need to advance their game, including in the #PRethics arena and with full team involvement and buy-in.FOLLOW #PRethicsFOLLOW Travis Parman:Twitter: @TravisParmanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisparman/  FOLLOW AppHarvest:Twitter: @AppHarvestFOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Connect with Fletcher Marketing PR on LinkedInFollow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

In this episode during PRSA's #EthicsMonth, Mary Beth West interviews close colleague Susan Hart -- a past president of the PRSA Nashville Chapter, a past PRSA Nashville Chapter Hercules Award honoree, and a now-former / resigned PRSA College of Fellows member.  Susan voluntarily discontinued her 35-year membership in PRSA in 2018, in disgust with PRSA's National leadership cultural shift, after what she describes as "one of the most stressful experiences of (her) life" at the hands of PRSA National leadership, who infamously opposed ethics-driven bylaw reforms -- after secretly reversing course from prior assurances that measures would be supported.  In this interview, Susan discusses:Accountability as the essential crux of what any leadership team must offer as a non-negotiable deliverable of its own cultural mindsetHow leadership quickly falls down a slippery slope and point-of-no-return, when national leaders fail to conduct due diligence"Say-do" disconnects -- when organizational mission and stated principles no longer match leadership behaviorsWhat the modus-operandi of "Operation Incompetence" entails with an escalating lack of financial transparencyHow the good work of PRSA's local-level chapters is overshadowed and undermined when the national organizational leadership has entrenched unethical and unaccountable practicesWhy curiosity by members is important and should not be demonized ... and why it's an ethical red-flag when any organizational leadership "kills the messenger" and instills fear of retaliation among a membership who become too fearful to ask valid questions.FOLLOW #PRethicsFOLLOW Susan Hart:Twitter: @susanhartpr JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP CALLING FOR A BETTER PRSA:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ABetterPRSA  FOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Connect with Fletcher Marketing PR on LinkedInFollow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Recorded on #WorldPRDay (#WPRD), Kelly and Mary Beth welcome one of the PR industry's most prominent and prolific thought leaders, Gini Dietrich of Spin Sucks, an entire learning platform that Gini founded and her team manages, in service to the industry, including consulting work for fellow agency owners and entrepreneurs.Gini opens up about her passion points for the industry, on both the positive / uplifting front as well as frustrating sides... and on the latter, including discrimination and misogyny that she has experienced first-hand as a business owner and public speaker. In this episode of #MsInterPReted, Gini opens up about personal (and shocking) experiences in her own career, and how the up-and-coming generation in PR will not suffer fools gladly or tolerate the discriminatory burdens that have all-too-often persisted in PR and in business / society. Gini also shares insights about other professional-practice ethics and qualities that hold great potential for the PR industry's advancement, if colleagues will embrace them. FOLLOW Gini Dietrich and Spin Sucks:Twitter: @SpinSucks @GiniDietrichWebsite: http://spinsucks.com/spin-sucks-community FOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Connect with Fletcher Marketing PR on LinkedIn Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

On this #SocialMediaDay2021 episode, Chris McCarty of Knoxville-based law firm Lewis Thomason delves into the larger issues at hand for companies/organizations and individuals alike in managing the good, the bad and the law, when it comes to leveraging the power of social media in productive and legally compliant ways. Kelly and Mary Beth set the stage by providing a flashback to a November 2020 episode of #MsInterPReted (Social Media & Surveillance Capitalism: Dr. Candace White), and Kelly also shares a recent challenge experienced with a Facebook hacker ... indicative of the power -- much of it unchecked -- that the largest social media companies in particular wield, which can derail any company's ability to do business, at the drop of a hat. Chris discusses legal implications of these and other challenges, as well as broader issues of free speech and regulatory facts that every PR person and professional communicator should know, in today's dynamic social media environment. About Chris McCarty of Lewis Thomason, P.C.:Chris W. McCarty, a shareholder in Lewis Thomason's Knoxville office, practices in the areas of employment law, education law and civil litigation. Chris handles matters before state and federal courts throughout Tennessee, and has argued before the Tennessee Court of Appeals. Chris also presents on employment and education law topics. His articles on those topics have been seen in numerous publications, including HR Magazine, the Tennessee Bar Journal and the Knoxville Business Journal. Chris is approved as a member of the American Arbitration Association’s (AAA) Panel of Employment Arbitrators. AFFILIATIONSFederation of Defense & Corporate CounselDRI – Employment & Labor Law CommitteeSociety for Human Resource ManagementAmerican Bar AssociationKnoxville Bar AssociationTennessee Bar AssociationNational School Boards Association Council of School AttorneysPROFESSIONAL HONORS AND ACTIVITIESTennessee Council of School Board Attorneys, President, 2018-2020Best Lawyers® 2020 Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year” in KnoxvilleNamed to The Best Lawyers in America©, Employment Law Management and Education LawNamed a Cityview Magazine Top AttorneyFederation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, Elected Member, 2018Knoxville Bar Foundation, Fellows Program, 2016Member, American Arbitration Association (AAA) Panel of Employment ArbitratorsMid-South Super Lawyers® Rising Star, 2015, 2016Leadership Sevier, 2015Knoxville Zoo, Circle of Friends Leadership Council, 2015Nucleus Knoxville, President, 2014“40 Under 40”, Knoxville Business Journal, 2013Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law, 2012Leadership Tomorrow Sevier, 2010Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, President’s Award, 2009Introduction Knoxville, 2007Knoxville Bar Association, Publications CommitteeFOLLOW Chris McCarty and Lewis Thomason:Twitter: @LewisThomasonTN LinkedIn: Lewis Thomason / LinkedIn and Chris McCarty / LinkedIn Website: https://www.lewisthomason.com/ FOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Connect with Fletcher Marketing PR on LinkedIn Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

AlexAnndra Ontra of Shufflrr discusses the art of the presentation:How to lead with storytelling and more conversational approachesWhy presentations are getting more play in the marketing mixWays in which presentations must keep ever-evolving “in a continual loop” and not remain static over timeHow it is that some 70% of marketing assets are not used (a data point from 3M) – representing an intellectual-resource wasteMethods for avoiding mismanagement or non-accessibility of presentation assets so that there is wider, more searchable usability of presentation dataWays that presentations can remain fresh but have enough content preservation and replicability to save staff timeDiscover more about Shufflrr: https://shufflrr.com/ Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcherFollow Mary Beth: @marybethwest

During his second visit to the “Ms. InterPReted” Podcast, Francis Ingham shares his latest insights about the state of ethics in the public relations industry, amid real-time issues that have impacted Fletcher Senior Strategist Mary Beth West, MPRCA, who now is serving a second term as PRCA Ethics Council Co-Chair. Susan Hart, MPRCA, guest-hosts alongside Fletcher Marketing PR CEO Kelly Fletcher, MPRCA. Francis Ingham is Director General of the PRCA, and Chief Executive of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO).With a background in politics and public affairs, Francis is External Examiner to the American University at Richmond; Trustee of The Speakers' Corner Trust; and the Master of the City of London Company of Public Relations Practitioners. He was educated at Oxford University, where he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He appears in both the UK and the Global editions of PR Week’s PowerBook.Follow the PRCA-UK:Website: https://www.prca.org.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prca_uk/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/PRCA_UKFollow Francis Ingham on Twitter: @ingers1975 https://twitter.com/Ingers1975U.S. citizens can inquire about PRCA-UK international membership by contacting: Website: https://www.prca.org.uk/membership/join-today/international-individual-membership  ORMelissa Cannon MPRCAPRCA International DirectorT: +44 (0) 207 233 6026 W: prca.org.ukFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcherFollow Mary Beth: @marybethwestFollow Susan Hart: @susanhartpr 

In this chat with Kelly Fletcher and Mary Beth West, Blount Partnership President / CEO Bryan Daniels, CEcD, discusses:The old versus new model of marketing rural communities successfullyWays in which Blount County, TN has differentiated itself as a top quality-of-life community Blount County's true partnership-driven approach, with collaboration and cooperation among municipalities, elected officials and business community leadersHow Blount County is taking a role at the international level to help drive thought-leadership and best-practices (with Bryan Daniels serving on the board of the International Economic Development Council, which will bring its conference to Nashville, TN, later this year)https://www.iedconline.org/index.php?src=directory&view=staff&srctype=detail&refno=804&category=Board%20of%20Directors How local, high-quality workforce development remains the most critical driver of attracting and retaining employers to a local communityWays in which today's social-responsibility discourse is informing the site-selection process... with some corporations including as part of their due-diligence a request for the voting record of local electorates as a criteria point for moving a headquarters or base of operations to a new communityRationale for rural communities to take a proactive stance versus a reactive stance in their econ-dev approach: Proactive: Driving site-selection visibility and relationship-building from the front, with a rural community sending its own delegations overseas Reactive: Relying entirely on one's state department of economic development to send site-selection leads to the local levelLearn more about moving your business to Blount County, Tennessee -- The Peaceful Side of the Smokies:Blount Partnership: https://www.blountpartnership.com/ Connect with Bryan Daniels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-daniels-b597283/  Follow the Blount Chamber on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blountchamber  Smokies Vacation: https://www.smokymountains.org/ Peaceful Side of the Smokies / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacefulsmokies/?hl=en  Site-Selection / Pellissippi Place: https://blountindustry.com/our-region/sites-and-buildings/pellissippi-place/ Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcherFollow Mary Beth on Twitter: @marybethwest 

1.      Getting the Research Right2.     Applying the Critical Eye3.     Capturing What’s Wrong and What’s Right4.     Committing to Communication5.     Involving Your Team at Every LevelKelly and Mary Beth explore these five essential elements of undertaking a meaningful and effective strategic planning initiative -- whether for an upcoming fiscal year, for a new R&D effort / product launch, or any organizational development effort, aimed at future success. With some 50 years' combined experience in helping clients tackle planning with a data-informed focus, Kelly and Mary Beth discuss what they've seen organizations do well (and not-so-well) in their planning exercises, and how the post-pandemic shifts in "normalcy" for most organizations must factor into the conversation, going forward. Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcherFollow Mary Beth on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Leslie Beale of Profusion Strategies advises companies and organizations on internal development and workforce needs. As just one aspect of her work, Leslie help clients build awareness of how they are perceived in the workplace… And she helps build strategies to address their weaknesses and highlight their strengths -- very much in alignment with the strategic work Fletcher Marketing PR delivers to clients on the communications- and brand-management side. On this episode, Leslie joins Kelly and Mary Beth to:speak about the future of remote work and its impact on team trust and cohesivenesspeel back the layers of what drives relationships, authenticity and trust discuss emerging trends that will continue impacting workforce performance standards and expectations … both from the employer perspective and the employee perspectivecover the issue of managing business-owner stressdelve into whether the "Lean In" mantra of the past decade makes good mental-wellness sense anymoreexplore how the call-to-action has intensified for employers to offer stronger flexibility, to provide pathways for emotional wellness resources, and to offer more heart to their staff teamsrecommend how to best begin ramping up now for 2022 Strategic Planning... and more.  Follow Profusion Strategies online:https://profusionstrategies.com/about/ Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcherFollow Mary Beth on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Mike Ragsdale graduated with a degree in communications from The University of Alabama, and later earned his master’s degree in advertising and public relations. After graduating, Mike enjoyed success as an early pioneer of the internet before working as CMO of a healthcare IT company. He and his wife Angela have four children.Follow the 30A brand on:Website:  https://30a.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scenic30AOn Twitter: @30aOn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hey30a/Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletchermarketingprOn Twitter:  @fletcherprOn Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcher

Nora Briggs has a degree in finance and accounting and an Executive Master’s Degree in Global Strategic Communications. She has previously worked in construction management with both Jacobs and Hilton Worldwide and as Chief Data Officer and Vice President of CoreLogic. Nora has also volunteered for quite a few charitable organizations including The Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity.Dr. Marion Gillooly has a Doctorate in Respiratory Pathology from Edinburgh University Medical School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Anatomy from the University of Aberdeen. She also has a Diploma from the Institute of Leadership and Management. She is also Vice-Chair of the Scottish Commission for people with Learning Disabilities.FOLLOW DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY:Website: https://imaginationlibrary.com/ Follow Dolly Parton's Imagination Library on Twitter: @DollysLibrary https://twitter.com/dollyslibrary Follow Dolly Parton on Twitter: @DollyParton https://twitter.com/DollyParton Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dollysimaginationlibrary Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imaginationlibrary/  FOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Discover Fletcher Marketing PR: https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/  Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

FOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Discover Fletcher Marketing PR: https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/  Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Kelly and Mary Beth wrapped up Season 3 of "Ms. InterPReted" with a retrospective of chats with Q3-4 2020 guests. FOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Discover Fletcher Marketing PR: https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/  Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

"I was a girly-girl," says Sarah Merrell -- VP of Fletcher Marketing PR -- of her initial trepidation about embracing motorcycling as a hobby, alongside her husband, Jud, an experienced rider. She may have felt intimidation as a new rider at first, but Sarah Merrell now commands a social media following well into the tens of thousands.How did she do it?... and how does she continue growing and managing her following base?In this episode of Fletcher Marketing PR's #MsInterPReted podcast, Sarah speaks candidly about her journey of venturing far beyond her comfort zone to become a widely followed motorcycling enthusiast -- and one who is often pursued by brands within the industry for product recommendations and endorsements. FOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Follow Sarah Merrell on Instagram (sarah__merrell); https://www.instagram.com/sarah__merrell/?hl=en Discover Fletcher Marketing PR: https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/  Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

In this episode, the University of Tennessee's Dr. Candace White (Twitter: @trasversa) shares insights about her latest paper published by Public Relations Review, co-authored by Brandon Boatwright of Clemson University. Candace White / Bio (source: https://adpr.utk.edu/profile/candace-white)  Candace L. White is a professor of public relations in the School of Advertising and Public Relations. Her research interests include the role of global corporations as non-state actors in public diplomacy, and how corporate social responsibility and CSR communication affect the image and national reputation of the country with which the corporation is associated. She is a Faculty Fellow at the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy in the area of global security and an Arthur W. Page Legacy Scholar. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Public Relations Research and the International Journal of Strategic Communication. She was a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the University of Salzburg, Austria (2010) and at the University of Siena, Italy (2020); with support from the University of Tennessee, she has lectured in Denmark, Scotland, Wales, Austria, Croatia, and Italy. White holds a Ph.D. from the University of GeorgiaEducation: Ph.D., University of GeorgiaM.P.A., Georgia CollegeB.A., Winthrop CollegeResearch Interests: Comparative global public relationsPublic relations as a component of public diplomacy (corporate diplomacy)Intercultural communicationPerceptions of public relations practicesPublic diplomacyCorporate social responsibilityInternational Interests: Dr. White is interested in studying how cultural differences affect how messages are received, and how the practice of public relations varies in different countries. Recent studies look at the role of private sector corporations as non-state actors in public diplomacy.  She has been involved in teaching, research, and professional activities in Denmark, Austria, Scotland, Wales, Croatia, and Italy. She taught for the Consortium for International Business Studies in Asolo, Italy, and leads a study abroad program in international public relations each summer in Urbino, Italy.FOLLOW FLETCHER MARKETING PR:Discover Fletcher Marketing PRFollow Fletcher Marketing PR on Twitter: @FletcherPR  Follow Kelly Fletcher on Twitter: @KDfletcher Follow Mary Beth West on Twitter: @marybethwest 

After a full career of global experience and noted success, followed by 10 years owning her own namesake designer handbag and accessories brand that's grown to a global business, Patricia Nash thought she had it all figured it out... and that nothing could phase her. Then 2020 came along, and the COVID-19 Pandemic hit. In the wake of industry chaos and an historic upending of the global retail sector at-large, Patricia and her daughter, CCO Jennifer Evans, have managed to navigate the waters of this year with cool heads, quick-witted responsiveness and an ability to take the decisive actions necessary to position Patricia Nash Designs for the future, not only to survive but also to thrive. On this edition of Ms. InterPReted, Patricia and Jennifer join Kelly and Mary Beth, in a revealing conversation to share their story and lessons learned as a mother-daughter team building a worldwide brand -- who also take the time to be purposeful about the meaning of their company's product and how to register true connections in the lives of their loyal customers, team members and larger community. Discover more about Patricia Nash Designs:WEBSITE: https://patricianashdesigns.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patricianashdesigns Twitter: https://twitter.com/patricianashbag/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricianashdesigns/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/patricianash/ Fletcher PR:https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/fletcherprKelly Fletcher:  https://twitter.com/KDfletcherMary Beth West:  https://twitter.com/marybethwest 

Follow on social media:Rax Lakhani:LinkedIn -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/raxlakhani/Twitter -- @RaxLakhani  https://twitter.com/RaxLakhani PRCA -- @PRCA_UK  https://twitter.com/PRCA_UK   PRCA Diversity Network -- @PRCA_Diversity  https://twitter.com/PRCA_DiversityPRCA Race and Ethnicity Equity Board (REEB) -- @PRCA_REEB  https://twitter.com/PRCA_REEBFletcher PR:https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/fletcherprKelly Fletcher:  https://twitter.com/KDfletcherMary Beth West:  https://twitter.com/marybethwest