Board of Directors
Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) has
elected its new executive board for 2008, its 28th year.
The Board of Directors is a group of up to thirteen
WWPR members in good standing who are elected for a term of one
year. All Directors serve without compensation and are responsible
for the duties of running the organization.
The 2008 WWPR Board of Directors:
- President, [bio]
[contact]
Lisa Kelley McCluskey, American Road and Transportation Builders
Association
- Vice President, [bio]
[contact]
Lauren Lawson, Goodwill Industries International
- Treasurer, [bio]
[contact]
Erin Wendel, American Podiatric Medical Association
- Secretary, [bio]
[contact]
Allison Langfelder – MultiVu
- Communications and Marketing Co-Chair,
[bio] [contact]
Debbie Friez, BurrellesLuce
- Communications and Marketing Co-Chair,
[bio] [contact]
Carla Julian - Associated General Contractors of America
- Woman of the Year Co-Chair, [bio]
[contact]
Yanira Eason, Crittenton Services of Greater Washington
- Woman of the Year Co-Chair, [bio] [contact]
Shonali Burke, ABC, ASPCA
- Professional Development Co-Chair,
[bio] [contact]
Kendra Kojcsich, Porter Novelli
- Member Services Chair, [bio]
[contact]
Lindsay Keller, Metropolitan Group
- Web Site Support Chair, [bio]
[contact]
Rebecca Booker, Grameen Foundation
- Pro-Bono Co-Chair, [bio] [contact]
Rachel Henderson, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
President
Lisa Kelley McCluskey
is the Communications and Clearinghouse Project Manager for the
American Road & Transportation Builders Association. She currently
manages two federal contracts administered by ARTBA’s Transportation
Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) and supports ARTBA and ARTBA-TDF
communication efforts.
Previously Lisa was
the manager of communications and managing editor of a quarterly
publication for the Career College Association (CCA), a leading
higher education association in Washington. During her four years
at CCA she developed public relations strategies to promote the
activities of the association and its members during reauthorization
of the higher education act. Lisa’s work earned positive coverage
for the association in such publications as the NY Times, The
Washington Post and Business Week. She developed communication
efforts for awards programs, Capitol Hill events, and a congressional
visit program. She worked with the membership department to develop
and retain members and to manage all publications and marketing
materials. Her freelance public relations experience has included
work with CNN’s Washington bureau, the Irish National Lacrosse
team and Volunteers of America.
A native of Roanoke,
Virginia, Lisa moved to Washington after college to work for VMS,
a national media monitoring company. At VMS she worked with top
public relations firms, advertising agencies and Fortune 500 companies.
During her time at VMS, she gained valuable insight that gives her
a unique perspective on communication strategy.
Lisa holds a BA in
Speech Communications with a concentration in PR from Radford University.
She also trained and served as a volunteer with Arlington Independent
Media, Channel 33 in Arlington, VA. Her media experience includes
camera work, on-air talent, and field and studio production. Lisa
also holds a degree in Early Childhood Development. Lisa has served
on the Board of WWPR in various capacities since 2000.
Vice
President 
Lauren LawsonLauren Lawson is the Media Relations Specialist for Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Prior to that, Lauren ran her own consulting firm where she assisted with the media efforts for Servathon 2007, sponsored by Greater DC Cares and AOL, which is one of the largest single days of volunteering in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Lauren has also served as Media Relations Manager for both the Children’s Defense Fund and Communications Marketing Group (CMG). Other experience includes serving as the Publicity Manager for LifeLine Press and Regnery Publishing, both divisions of Eagle Publishing, where she handled the publicity for their current events, health, and life-style books. Before coming to Washington D.C., Lauren lived in New York City and handled publicity campaigns for book publishers including Hachette Book Group (formerly Time Warner Book Group), Penguin Putnam, and Simon & Schuster.
Lauren has established contacts with producers in the media in both radio and TV. Her placements include CNN’s American Morning, The Early Show, The Today Show, Fox & Friends, and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. In addition, Lauren has worked with a number of writers and has secured feature stories or placements of her clients in the following publications: Newsweek Magazine, People Magazine, Oprah Magazine, AARP Magazine, and Reader’s Digest.
In addition to WWPR, Lauren is also a member of several communication professional organizations including the American Marketing Association, the American Society of Association Executives, the Association for Women in Communications, the International Association of Business Communicators, the National Association of Female Executives, and the Washington Metropolitan Society for Health Care Marketing and Public Relations.
Lauren is a high-energy publicist with a passion for cause-related issues. Lauren volunteers extensively in the community, including co-chairing the “Done In A Day Committee” for the Junior League, which manages requests from nonprofits within the metropolitan area for volunteers on short-term projects. Lauren also serves as Secretary for the Young NonProfit Professionals Network of D.C.
Lauren has served on the board of WWPR for four years as Chair of the Pro-Bono Committee and provides media outreach and strategic development to Doorways for Women and Families, Arlington’s first emergency and Safehouse shelter for battered and/or homeless women and their children.
Lauren holds a B.A. in English Literature from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA and is a graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute.
Treasurer
 Erin
Wendel is a Senior Public Relations Specialist for the American
Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). In her position she provides
oversight of APMA’s national public awareness campaigns, assists
with strategic communications planning and contributes to the overall
image of the APMA as the premier source of foot and ankle information.
Additionally she serves as a liaison for APMA’s Public Education
and Information Committee, which oversees the organization’s
communications efforts.
Prior to joining APMA, Erin served as corporate
public relations specialist for Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
There she was responsible for media relations efforts across the
company’s seven-state Mid-Atlantic region and Washington,
D.C. Erin also worked on special events and managed most of the
company’s community-driven programs, including the company-wide
community service day and the $200,000 scholarship program.
Prior to moving to the metropolitan Washington,
D.C. area, Erin worked as public relations coordinator for HealthSouth
Corporation, one of the nation's largest providers of outpatient
surgery, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitative healthcare services,
at their corporate office located in Birmingham, AL. As part of
a three-member PR team, Erin led the media relations efforts for
the company’s offices and physicians in the western United
States. Among her various responsibilities, Erin created and maintained
relationships with media in her territory, developed story ideas
with strong local angles, pitched story ideas to print and broadcast
media and successfully positioned the company’s physicians
as experts in their fields.
Erin holds a B.A. in Public Relations from the
University of Alabama. She is currently serving her second term
on WWPR’s Board of Directors as Treasurer, after completing
her first successful term as Woman of the Year Co-Chair.
Secretary
 Allison
Langfelder is a National Account Manager for MultiVu, the broadcast
public relations and multimedia division of PR Newswire. She assists
and advises clients nationwide in developing and executing broadcast
and multimedia programs.
Allison most recently served as Vice President
at Z Communications where she was responsible for creating and enhancing
multimedia services and solutions for clients. Prior to this role,
Allison spent six years at Medialink Worldwide, progressing to the
role of Client Solutions Manager.
Working with a wide variety of customers located
in and around the D.C. area, Allison helped build effective multimedia
and broadcast programs, with an emphasis on multicultural campaigns
and live events. Allison also held positions at UMTV Terp TV News
and WMUC News 88.1FM, working as a producer and reporter.
This is Allison's second year on the executive
board of Washington Women in Public Relations. She has been a member
since 2001. She is also the founder of the Alphabet Club DC, a networking
organization for young men and women. She has a B.A. from the Philip
Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, with
a focus on television and radio broadcasting.
Marketing and Communications Co-Chair
 Debbie
Friez is Vice President, Major Accounts for BurrellesLuce,
the largest media monitoring company in the world. She handles public
relations and manages the relationships with the company’s
largest accounts. She was previously with BurrellesLuce for over
7 years in several different positions in Washington and Minneapolis.
Previously, Friez was a senior account director
for West Glen Communications, a broadcast PR services company. While
at West Glen Communications, she was a frequent contributor to the
DC Communicator newsletter.
Friez is active member of Washington Women in
Public Relations, Public Relations Society of America, International
Association of Business Communicators, and the Association of Women
in Communications. She is currently on the board of AWC and Thoth
Awards Co-chair for PRSA.
Friez graduated cum laude from the University of North Dakota with
a major in Journalism with an emphasis in broadcasting and a major
in political science. While at UND, she interned at KTHI-TV, an
NBC affiliate, KFJM, a NPR affiliate, in addition to producing,
reporting and writing for “Studio 1”. an award wining
student produced television talk show.
Marketing and Communications Co-Chair
Carla Julian, is the Director of Communications
for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the largest
and oldest national construction trade association in the United
States serving more than 32,000 members. Julian serves as part of
AGC’s public affairs team where she helps manage media relations,
association newsletters, magazines, graphic design and manages two
of the construction industry’s largest awards programs. She
has worked with AGC for more than three years.
Before joining AGC, Julian worked as the communications
specialist for the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC)
where she worked with a team to manage the organization’s
newsletters, graphic design and charity programs.
Before relocating to the Washington D.C. area,
Julian served as assistant director of public relations for the
University of Alabama’s College of Engineering. Her roles
there included serving as the assistant editor of the college’s
magazine and managing media relations. Julian also served as managing
editor for the university’s college of communication’s
news Web site.
Julian graduated from the University of
Alabama in 2001 with a B.A. in Public Relations and minor in psychology.
While at the university she wrote for the Crimson White,
an award-winner student-run newspaper.
Woman of the Year Co-Chair 
Yanira Eason joined Critttenton Services of Greater Washington (CSGW) as the new Resource Development and Marketing Communications Manager in December 2006. CSGW is a nonprofit organization that responds to the needs of adolescent girls, low income women and teen mothers in the Washington metropolitan area.
Prior to working with CSGW, Yanira provided support in the areas of resource development, strategic communication, branding and media relations to Metropolitan Group, a social change agency that crafts and integrates strategic and creative services that empower social purpose organizations to build a just and sustainable world. In her capacity as project assistant, Yanira worked with organizations such as National Council of La Raza (NCLR), National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Foundation for Earth Science, National Hispana Leadership Institute, Grist, RugMark, Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, Farm Worker Justice Fund, WTS International, Land Trust Alliance and many others.
Yanira also worked as the Marketing and Advertising manager with LatinaStyle, a national magazine for Latina business owners and professionals. She was responsible for implementing national special events, including business seminars for Latina business owners. Yanira was also responsible for a number of advertising sales and sponsorship accounts.
Yanira has served as the member services chair of Washington Women in Public Relations since 2006, and is a member of the Greater D.C. Cares volunteer network.
Woman of the Year Co-Chair
 Shonali Burke, ABC, is the ASPCA’s Vice President for Media & Communications. With more than 12 years in the communications field, including both large and small agency experience as well as being a former small business owner, she focuses on research-based, strategic, measurable and integrated communications, and has worked in two continents and on both coasts of the United States. In December 2007, Shonali was named one of the top “40 Under 40” public relations professionals in the United States by PRWeek.
At the ASPCA, Shonali leads an integrated media & editorial team that creates and implements strategic public relations and communications strategies to support the organization’s numerous local and national initiatives, as well as all editorial content on the ASPCA’s Web site and electronic communications. Since joining the ASPCA in 2006, she has created and led several aggressive communications campaigns, such as crisis communications around the 2007 pet food recall and federal indictment of Michael Vick, the launch of the nation’s first mobile “animal CSI” unit, and ASPCA® Mission: Orange™, an ambitious organizational initiative to create a country of humane communities, one community at a time—where no healthy, adoptable animal is euthanized simply because it lacks a home.
Shonali has earned her accreditation in business communications (ABC) from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), and served on the IABC/Washington board as Vice President for Professional Development from 2004 through 2007. She is a member of IABC International’s Issues Advisory Team, and is a 2008 board member of Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR), co-chairing its signature event, “Woman of the Year.”
Shonali is a popular and highly-regarded speaker and thought leader for the communications industry, and has been cited several times in PRWeek and The Measurement Standard for her cutting-edge use of media communications and emphasis on measurable communications. Recent speaking engagements have included the 2007 Vocus Users Conference, the 2007 NYC Women in Communication Foundation Student Conference, and PRWeek’s 2007 DC Roundtable.
Shonali holds a post-graduate degree in Dramatics from the National School of Drama, India, and an undergraduate degree in Economics, with minors in Mathematics and Political Science, from Calcutta University, India. She lives in Silver Spring, Md., with her husband John and their two rescued dogs, Chuck and Suzy Q.
Professional Development Co-Chair
Kendra Kojcsich is currently an Assistant
Account Executive at Porter Novelli in Washington D.C. working in
the Health and Social Marketing group. In this role she develops
brand messages, designs and writes materials, organizes and implements
media relations strategies, plans and helps run events, and successfully
pitches top-tier print and broadcast media Currently, Kendra works
on women’s health clients specifically work related to an
upcoming cervical cancer vaccine for GlaxoSmithKline. She also works
on the American Heart Association’s trans fat campaign. Kendra
originally started at Porter Novelli in June 2004 as a Health and
Social Marketing Intern where she provided support on accounts such
as GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kendra graduated from James Madison University
with a Bachelor of Science in Communication with concentrations
in public relations, health communication and organizational communication
and a minor in Political Science.
While at JMU, Kendra held an internship at the
March of Dimes Shenandoah-Piedmont Region, where she spearheaded
all public relations activities. She was responsible for creating
and placing local public service announcements and stories, drafting
weekly newsletters, and planning monthly community events. In addition,
she also worked as a speech consultant for the Communication Resource
Center at James Madison University where she tutored students in
developing strong public speaking skills.
Kendra volunteers for several local organizations,
including the American Red Cross corporate headquarters in the public
affairs division where she assists in public relations activities
during the hurricane disaster season.
Membership Chair
 Lindsay Keller, Communication Director in the Washington DC office of Metropolitan Group, has generated an extraordinary portfolio on behalf of corporations, law firms, law schools, and non-profits.
Lindsay joined Metropolitan Group in 2006 and plays an integral role in the development and execution of media and communication strategies that achieve measurable results. She helps clients build relationships with key audiences and influencers and sustain awareness about their cause or mission.
Lindsay previously worked for several national public relations agencies, most recently Manning Selvage & Lee, where she served as an internal media consultant for corporate, consumer, public affairs and health care organizations. Her work at MS&L included crisis communications and grassroots advocacy for The Word Network, a mainstream media broadcaster for African American ministries; product communications for a leading pharmaceutical companies; branding and special events for companies such as Best Buy and Heineken; and media relations for National Geographic Foundation's geographic literacy campaign, My Wonderful World.
Before joining MS&L, Lindsay served as a senior account executive at Levick Strategic Communications, which represents nearly half of the 100 largest law firms in America and their highest-profile clients. Prior to joining Levick, Lindsay was a communications coordinator for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), where her work included organizing and securing media coverage for a PBS mini-series Building Big, and for the 2001 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, as well as helping with media efforts for the ASCE/WTC report on the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.
Lindsay has a bachelor's degree in broadcast communications from the State University of New York at Oswego. She held a variety of internships while a student, including one at National Public Radio. Lindsay has served on the Board of WWPR in various capacities since 2001.
Pro-Bono Co-Chair
 Rachel Henderson provides communications expertise to the Ogilvy PR Health Policy Group through her work for leading healthcare clients such as Medtronic CardioVascular, Schering Berlin and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Merck & Co., and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable.
For Medtronic CardioVascular, Rachel leads a communications toolkit to provide hospitals with materials about abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and the newly enacted screening benefit for Medicare patients. She is also assisting NVHR to compile an advocacy toolkit for member organizations.
Rachel also brings experience building and maintaining third party stakeholder relationships through her coordination of an advocacy luncheon and large healthcare summit. Rachel played an intricate logistical role to help leverage support for an educational contest on women’s experiences with menopause. In 2006, her planning and logistical management for a healthcare summit helped forge meaningful advocacy support for the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
In addition, Rachel provides logistical planning expertise surrounding media relations activities. She has lead a satellite media tour for Medtronic CardioVascular’s celebrity campaign for abdominal aortic aneurysm, and she is currently planning two more tours for Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals for the fall.
Rachel graduated cum laude from Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Society, and in Spanish and Hispanic Studies. She also holds honors for her senior thesis, “Young and Thin: Images of Women in the Media”.
Web Site Support Chair
Rebecca Booker is the online marketing officer for Grameen Foundation, where she serves as Web master for the GF Web site and manager of all online marketing initiatives, and marketing liason for the Foundation's Asia-based programs.
Prior to her work at GF, she served as the online communication specialist for the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation, where she oversaw the redesign and deployment of the organization’s external and internal websites, as well as the creation and launch of websites to support the organization’s branch offices in Russia and Ukraine.She managed the organization’s online presence including outreach to the organization’s constituents, and support for special events and initiatives.
Rebecca has more than five years experience in Web content and design and has previously worked at the American Association for the Advancement of Science where she responsible for all online content for a division of the Science and Public Policy Program and managed the deployment of the AAAS site redesign for the Science and Public Policy Program.
Rebecca holds a BS in Journalism from Ohio University and a certificate in International Business Communication from the Ohio University Global Leadership Center.
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