Volunteers from Central PA Chapter Offer Leadership and Training
APRs from the Richmond, Central PA, Hampton Roads and Blue Ridge chapters served as Readiness Review panelists on Day One of the PRSA Mid-Atlantic APR Boot Camp.
The PRSA Mid-Atlantic District and its members orchestrated the country’s second successful PRSA Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) district boot camp, April 6 to April 9, in Richmond, Va.
“Our district is the only district in the nation to sponsor an APR boot camp, and now we’ve conducted one two years in a row,” said Liz Smith, APR, immediate past chair of the Mid-Atlantic District and Central PA Chapter President in 2014 and 2015, who spearheaded the boot camps and served as Day One Readiness Review trainer. The Richmond Chapter served as the host chapter due to its support, hospitality, centralized location and proximity to a Prometric Test Center for candidates to take the test on Day Four.
The Mid-Atlantic District APR boot camp sold out quickly and attracted candidates from the Richmond, Blue Ridge, Hampton Roads, National Capital and Central Ohio chapters.
“We had an outpouring of support from APRs volunteering their expertise as Readiness Review panelists for the candidates,” Smith said. APRs from chapters throughout the Mid-Atlantic District served on panels of three to assess the readiness of each individual APR candidate to move forward to take the test for accreditation. Fourteen candidates participated in the boot camp, so numerous panels took place simultaneously during the afternoon of Day One. “Together we are paving the way to increase the number of APRs in the Mid-Atlantic District and across the country,” Smith said. “Most chapters in our district do not offer APR training sessions, especially with national-caliber trainers, so there is a real need for the boot camp,” she said.
Jason Kirsch, APR, and Amy Hill, APR, served as trainers on days two and three of the boot camp, and Smith served as trainer on day one. The three trainers are volunteers from the Central PA Chapter.
APR candidates had positive comments about the boot camp, and the test passing rate was excellent.
Andrew Ryan, APR, president of Richmond Chapter; Liz Smith, APR, immediate past Mid-Atlantic District Chair and Central PA Chapter President 2014 and 2015; Kevin Gaydosh, APR, Chair of the Mid-Atlantic District; and Lindsay Grant, APR, Accreditation Chair of Richmond Chapter, stop for a photo before the start of the Readiness Reviews.
Three Mid-Atlantic District chairs volunteered their time on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic District Boot Camp. Thomas Becher, APR, 2014 district chair; Liz Smith, APR, 2015 district chair; and Kevin Gaydosh, APR, our current 2016 district chair.