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.

Columbia Missourian: columbiamissourian.com | Serving the community since 1908

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter: Writer Ruth

Elizabeth Donald: | Elizabeth Donald

Nicole Evelina: Nicole Evelina – USA Today Bestselling Author | Stories of Strong Women from History and Today

 

  

2024 NFPW Conference (Part 1)

Last Thursday night after work (20 June), I headed to the St. Louis Artists' Guild for the Welcome Reception of this year's National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Conference. Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC), an affiliate of NFPW, served as the Conference's host. I joined with other MPC members in welcoming registrants to this event, which had a buffet dinner and wine tasting. Afterward, I helped my colleagues in cleaning up and taking some surplus food and drink home.

The Conference got well underway the next morning at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. The day started with a welcome breakfast. First time Conference attendees (including myself) stood up and introduced themselves. We each received a small gift (in my case, a pair of Rome socks). All attendees received a sheet of paper to seek fellow attendees who answered some items on that sheet, such as a current MFPW officer, someone who is retired from work, and a past Communicator of Achievement. The exercise was to help us get to know other attendees well. I completed my sheet the next morning and turned it in for entry in a raffle prize drawing the next day.

Theis was followed by the Keynote Session: "History in the Headlines." Speakers at this session were Lynne Jackson, great-great granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott and president and founder of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation and Dr. Jody Sowell, president of the Missouri Historical Society and a former assistant professor of journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. Jackson talked of how she helped preserve the memory of her famous ancestors. Sowell presented a talk about St. Louis historical items not generally well known to most people. Both were very interesting speakers.

Before the next program, I went into the room where the Silent Auction took place. I surveyed the items up for bid and started placing bids on items that particularly interested me. Proceeds from this auction will go to the NFPW Education Fund. Already, I was really liking the Conference and the people there.

The lunch program was "AI: Partner or Pestilence?" This panel discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it affects the news business had three speakers. Mary Ann L. Wymore, partner at UB Greensfelder law firm, adjunct professor of media law at Saint Louis University, and former journalism professor at the University of California-Los Angels. Also participating were Aisha Sultan, family and social change columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and John Stamm, CEO and founder of Hello Citizen, a St. Louis-based firm that enables uses to harness AI in following local government. This was quite a thought-provoking discussion.

I then attended two workshops in the afternoon. First, freelance photographer Rosalind Guy presented "Effective Storytelling through Photography," She talked about how she got into photography 45 years ago and her love of covering positive items in the community.

Then, I took in Anne Shaw Heinrich's presentation "Thriving in Nonprofit PR, Professionally and Personally." She spoke on her long experience working for both organizations and freelance along with balancing work with her family life. It was a very nice talk and I chatted with Heinrich afterward.  She said she would put me in touch with an educational public relations group in Metro St. Louis to help me in my job search.

The late afternoon saw me going through Author's Alley, where several attendees had their books for sale. I bought two books during this time: "Delivering Greatness: How I Found Success...and You Can, Too! by Tom V. Quinn from Connecticut, a personal motivational work; and "Touch," a young adult novel by MPC member Eileen P. Duggan. Both authors autographed their works for me.

I went to the hotel bar for a drink and conversation with MPC's co-presidents, Janice Denham and Deborah Reinhardt, who were major driving forces behind staging this Conference. Then, we headed back to the meeting area for the Communicator of Achievement Banquet. This included a nice dinner and introduction of the five finalists for this lifetime achievement award. The winner was then announced.

This was quite a start to this Conference with more to come the next day. I will tell about that in my next post.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

St. Louis Artists' Guild: St. Louis Artists' Guild (stlouisartistsguild.org)

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

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

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

Dred Scott Heritage Foundation: Dred Scott Lives | The Official Site of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation

Missouri Historical Society: Missouri Historical Society | Find Yourself Here. (mohistory.org)

UB Greensfelder: UB Greensfelder — Attorneys at Law (ubglaw.com)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Breaking News | Read St. Louis, MO and Missouri breaking news. Get latest news, events and information on Missouri sports, weather, entertainment and lifestyles. (stltoday.com)

Hello Citizen: Hello Citizen - Home - Hello Citizen

Rosalind Guy: (8) Rosalind Guy | LinkedIn

Anne Shaw Heinrich: (8) Anne (Shaw) Heinrich | LinkedIn

Tom V. Quinn: Tom V. Quinn (tomvquinn.com)

Eileen P. Duggan: Versatiliosity | A cafeterious selection of nonfiction, fiction, essays and feature articles (wordpress.com)

Catching Up in Mid-June

I realized that I have not posted here in just over one month. Somehow, I have not been able to post to this blog though some noteworthy things happened to me in that stretch. Here's a brief catch up.

My last youth soccer referee assignments of the season were on Sunday, 19 May at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. They were under 13/14 girls matches and they went well. (I had some tournament games the following Sunday the 26th, but they got called off due to stormy weather.)

The IPMS/Gateway meeting on Tuesday, 21 May had a good strong turnout of models for the Modeler of the Year Contest. I talked of the recent awards from Missouri Professional Communicators for editing the club's newsletter and writing and distributing the press release for their 2023 Invitational.

Memorial Day weekend started on Saturday, 25 May with going with Julie to the St. Louis CITY SC match against Seattle Sounders at CITYPARK. Julie and I had fun, except that Seattle won the match 2-1.

I did go to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town and Country for their Greek Festival on Monday the 27th. I had a nice lunch there before going to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield for the Wings over St. Louis program. I saw the Commemorative Air Force's B-25 Mitchell "Show Me" and some military vehicles on display.

Two nights later (29 May), Julie and I were together again at Missouri Botanical Garden for the first of their Whitaker Concert Series programs. We saw jazz singer and bassist Janet Evra perform, and I was most impressed by Evra's performance.

That Saturday morning (1 June), I was at the St. Louis Artists' Guild to join with other Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC) members in assembly goody bags. These bags would go to registrants at the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Conference in St. Louis later that month.

On Wednesday, 5 June, I worked the first of three straight Wednesdays as a volunteer for Circus Flora. Their show "Marooned!" played last month at the Big Top in midtown St. Louis. It was a rehearsal show that I witnessed on the 5th, a full show the following Wednesday (12 June), and an abbreviated daytime show one week later (19 June). I was so happy to help volunteer again with the circus, and Circus Flora's company appreciated me and the other volunteers for our efforts.

Julie went with me to see CITY host Portland Timbers on 8 June, which ended up a 0-0 draw. I went myself on 19 June for the match against Colorado Rapids, but CITY lost that one 3-0. Before the latter match, I won the "Schlaffle" raffle held at the St. Louligans' street party by Schlafly Tap Room. The prize package included: a four-pack of Schlafly Supporter Session Hazy Pale Ale; a CITY can coozy; a miniature soccer ball from CITY and University of Missouri-St. Louis; a pair of CITY socks; and a CITY/Lou Fusz Automotive Network banner.

Back tracking a bit, on Sunday 9 June I drove to Overland Park, Kansas for the concluding day of the Heartland Model Car Nationals, presented by KC Slammers. It was great seeing the over 600 car model entries on display, plus seeing fellow scale modelers.

I spent Sunday afternoon and early evening 16 June with Julie. We swam in the pool at her apartment complex, then watched some streaming TV in her apartment with her roommate Joan. Julie and I then had a nice dinner at Applebee's in Creve Coeur.

The June IPMS/Gateway meeting on the 18th featured the annual "Slam Fest," where participants had two hours to assemble and finish a model kit. I built a Spitfire that was in a post-World War II natural metal scheme. The finished models were entered in a People's Choice Contest, with votes determining the top three entries. My Spitfire did not make the top three, but it was a fun time, nevertheless.

Late last week was the NFPW Conference. I will tell you about that in my next post.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS Gateway Chapter: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church: Home | Assumption Greek Orthodox Church (assumptiongoc.org)

Missouri Wing, Commemorative Air Force: Missouri Wing (commemorativeairforce.org)

Missouri Botanical Garden: Missouri Botanical Garden

Janet Evra: Janet Evra

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

Circus Flora: Circus Flora | A St. Louis Tradition For Over 30 years

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

KC Slammers: KC Slammers – Model Car Club