Bob Delaney At Large: 2024 NFPW Conference (Part 2)

26 June 2024

2024 NFPW Conference (Part 2)

I was back at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac on Saturday morning (22 June) for the concluding day of the 2024 National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Conference, hosted by Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC).

It started with a buffet breakfast and a presentation from Colorado Press Women (CPW), the host affiliate for the 2025 Conference in Golden, Colorado. CPW's Karen Petersen and Gay Porter DeNileon talked about Golden and the nearby area and how they plan to host a successful conference in September of 2025. Each table in the room had a Colorado flag and some Colorado rocks as centerpieces, with Golden tourism information at each seating place. If things work out for me, I would like to be at the 2025 Conference.

This was followed by a roundtable hosted by NFPW President Julie Campbell, titled "The Challenges of Local Journalism." There were three panelists involved in local media who talked about the challenges they face in providing quality news coverage for their audiences. On the panel were: Jacqueline Duty, publisher of the Collinsville (Illinois) Daily News; Nancy Krier, former attorney and open government ombudsperson, now a freelance reporter for ThurstonTalk in Thurston County, Washington; and Peggy Scott, publisher of Leader Publications in Festus, Missouri. It was good hearing how each panelist has dealt with their particular circumstances.

Psychologist and author Rita Ernst then took the dais to present "Liar, Liar: Jailbreak Your Life." This presentation was intended to enhance attendees' personal development by getting rid of that inner critic or imposter syndrome that might hold one back from professional success. It was quite an eye-opening program in feeling confident in yourself and the possibilities for greatness in career and life.

I went to the Silent Auction area after Ernst's program to make my final bids there. During lunch, the National High School Contest Awards were announced. One must feel confident that news media's future will be in such good hands after seeing those who do such great work be recognized here.

Next was a panel discussion, "Trends in Journalism Education." It was moderated by Eric Rothenbuhler, deal of the Wester University School of Journalism. The rest of panel consisted of: Mitch Eden, 2015 National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year; Gary Ford, professor at the Webster University School of Journalism; Amelia Hurley graduate candidate at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, reporter for Mizzou football, and editor of the city/county government beat on the Columbia Missourian; and Debbie Miller, a junior college journalism teacher. They discussed how best to teach journalism students at the high school and college levels and to prepare them for the evolving media scene.

The first of two workshops I attended that afternoon was one by MPC's Ruth E. Thaler-Carter on "Launching a Freelance Communications Business." Thaler-Carter, a freelance writer and editor, spoke on her experiences in the business and offered advice for anyone wanting to work as a freelancer. Her program was full of much information for me to ponder if I decide to go this route.

The second workshop was "Adventures and Options in Book Publisher," and it was given by two authors: Elizabeth Donald, a freelance journalist and educator who writes dark fiction; and Nicole Evelina (aka Niki Burgdorf), corporate communicator for a healthcare system who writes historical fiction and nonfiction as well as serve as a ghostwriter. Their talk was given in a conversational manner, as Donald and Evelina alternated in telling the good and bad points of their work. They also told of the challenges each faces in balancing their book work with day jobs and family life.

After these workshops, there was another Author's Alley set up in the foyer. I browsed among the authors but did not find anything to buy this day. I did go by the Silent Auction area and found that I had the winning bids on two items: a NFPW polo shirt and a necklace. The latter will be a gift for Julie.

After putting on my tie, I joined other attendees for the Communications Contest Awards Banquet. After a gorgeous feast, the report on the Silent Auction was given. Bids and donations raised $5050 for the NFPW Education Fund.

Then it was time for the contest awards. It was stated that there were 1841 entries in the contest across the county, with 541 first place entries going on to the national contest. They called out the names of those who were present, in alphabetical order, with the awards they won for their entries. I was so happy when my name was called to say I had earned an Honorary Mention in Information for Media - News or Feature Release - Single Release. The entry was the press release announcing IPMS Gateway's 2023 Invitational model contest. I received the award certificate from Julie Campbell. Four other MPC members were honored for their work that night: Joan Berkman, Suzanne Corbett, Rebecca Now, and Allison Stein.

Sweepstakes awards were announced for the affiliate with the most winning entries and the top three individuals with the highest number of winning entries. After the parliamentarian read a proclamation on the successful Conference, Julie Campbell led a final salute. Each participant picked up an artificial rose from the centerpiece, switched on the light inside each rose, and toasted each other to end the conference. I went to congratulate some of the other winners and was happy to get congratulations in return for my Honorable Mention. I also thanked Campbell for her work and for enjoying this Conference. I also posed for a photo with several other Missouri winners.

After that, I walked to my car and drove home after a most successful Conference. It was so great to have attended and I really felt accepted by the other attendees there. It gave me a great feeling to be among such great professionals and people. Here's hoping this leads to bigger and better things for my professional life in the coming months.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Hilton St. Louis Frontenac: Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel near Creve Coeur, MO

National Federation of Press Women: Home (nfpw.org)

Missouri Professional Communicators: Missouri NFPW affiliate | Missouri Professional Communicators | Clayton (moprocommunicators.org)

Colorado Press Women: Colorado Press Women

Collinsville Daily News: https://www.collinsvilledailynews.com/

ThurstonTalk: ThurstonTalk | Olympia Lacey Tumwater and Thurston County

Leader Publications: myleaderpaper.com | Leader Publications: news, sports, ads for Jefferson County, MO

Rita Ernst: HAPPINESS PRODUCTIVITY AND POSITIVE CULTURE - Ignite Your Extraordinary (igniteextraordinary.com)

Webster University School of Communications and Journalism: School of Communications | Journalism (webster.edu)

University of Missouri School of Journalism: Missouri School of Journalism – Official Website for the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri.