That’s a wrap, 2016! As we head into a new year, we are excited to introduce you to our 2017 Board of Directors. We have enlisted some of the most talented women PR professionals to lead WWPR in inspiring female communicators to reach their full potential in the DC market and beyond!

As our industry changes, we know that our organization must as well to fulfill our commitment to providing leadership opportunities, professional development, mentorship, and networking. You will notice that we made some changes to our board this year, breaking out our marketing communications roles to have a greater emphasis on personalized communication and digital strategy, as well as add a social chair, which will provide more opportunities to engage as professionals in low-pressure and informal ways like happy hours, workouts, and more.

Let’s get to it, we are thrilled to introduce you to your 2017 WWPR Board of Directors:

President: Your fearless leader, is here to execute WWPR’s mission and vision for supporting DC area professionals. She leads monthly board meetings, oversees planning and executing events and activities, and helps maintain strategic focus.

Meet Kelly Mack, U.S. Department of Health & Services.

Vice President: The President’s right hand girl, the VP supports the President and board in executing the missions, accomplishing goals, attending events and meetings, and taking on assignments as needed.

Meet Danielle Veira, American Diabetes Association.

Past President: Loaded with experience from her previous role as president, she coordinates with WWPR’s Advisory Council to ensure strategic focus and provides council as part of the Executive Board for WWPR.

Meet Mara Vandlik, Smith & Company.

Content Strategy: The brand and content queen, she works to maintain brand consistency, leads regular content creation, and oversees traditional media outreach.

Meet Jennifer Dunn, Business Wire.

Digital Strategy: She knows her way around the interwebs and is charged with developing and leading the implementation of the WWPR digital communications strategy from social media to website optimization.

Meet Brittany Floyd, Burson-Marsteller.

Emerging Leaders Awards: A signature event for WWPR, these co-chairs will plan and promote this annual event to recognize rising stars in the communications industry aged 23-30. From location scouting to identifying DC PR talent and more, the work showcase six of the industry’s most talented young professionals for their career accomplishments.

Meet, Sabrena Pringle, Trans-Management Systems Corporation, and Sara Tuman, Social Driver.

Membership: Serving as the main point of contact for all membership services, she also develops strategies to recruit new members and retain current members. If you enjoyed the SoulCycle and Pure Barre member benefits in 2016, you won’t want to miss what’s in store for 2017.

Meet Jennifer Sherman, SpeakerBox Communications.

Pro Bono: These co-chairs, provide communications and marketing support to local nonprofit, Bright Beginnings, which includes writing press materials, securing broadcasts and newspaper interviews, creating media lists, providing crisis communications counseling and assisting with their social media and web design efforts.

Meet Amanda Ott, American Society of Anesthesiologists and Bonnie Piper, Merrill Environment, Inc.

Professional Development: Over 400 events and counting, the PD co-chairs organize and host monthly professional development events including brown-bag lunch sessions, panel discussions, and informative presentations. They secure the awesome event spaces, speakers, develop the content, and provide on-site support.

Meet Molly Mitchell, Scott Circle and Sara Beth Cloar, The Reis Group.

Secretary: In this role, she keeps the organization running by taking minutes of board meetings, managing administrative functions, and supporting WWPR’s operations. WWPR knows that an important part of career development is cultivating friendships and networks.

Meet Carly Whiteside, Powell Tate.

Social: A new role to WWPR, she’ll lead in planning social functions such as happy hours and more, so that we can gather and meet regularly in a low-pressure, high-entertainment environment. 

Meet Neveah Bradshaw, Bluemercury.

Sponsorship: We love our sponsors and this chair focuses on cultivating and managing all of the sponsorship relationships to support the WWPR mission and programs.

Meet Rachel Racoosin, Levick.

Treasurer: Our financial health doctor, she manages WWPR’s accounting and finances, and provides strategic guidance throughout the year.

Meet Sherri Core, Core Associations Services, Inc.

Woman of Year Awards: A signature event, these co-chairs plan and promote the annual event to recognize the many achievements and unique contributions that female public relations professionals bring to the marketplace. The award honors three women communicators working in the DC area who have demonstrated leadership, integrity, and community involvement.

Meet Elise Perkins, EP Communications and Mary McGinty, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.