Speaker series to spotlight PR and advertising careers

Students will have multiple opportunities to learn about the advertising and public relations professions from Grand Valley alumni and industry professionals during the new APR Speaker Series, presented by the Advertising and Public Relations (APR) program.

“During these presentations, students will learn that the advertising and PR professions involve much more than people think at first blush, and that there is a lot of change happening in the fields right now with digital and other trends affecting the practice and study of advertising and PR,” said Tim Penning, APR program coordinator and associate professor.

The APR Speaker Series will also include presentations sponsored by the Public Relations Student Society (PRSSA) and the Grand Valley Advertising Club, as well as Pop Up Pedagogy events that will feature out-of-state professionals temporarily visiting the West Michigan area.

Below is a full schedule of APR Speaker Series presentations:

Taking Flight in Today’s PR and Advertising Agencies
Keith Donovan, ’97, vice president of Airfoil Group
October 22, at 6 p.m.
Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Over 30 years in the rear-view mirror: Life lessons from the corporate journey
Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Foods
November 6, at 7:30 a.m.
L. William Seidman Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
*This presentation is part of the Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture Series. For more information and to register, visit www.gvsu.edu/seidman.

Pop Up Pedagogy
All Pop Up Pedagogy presentations will take place at the University Club, located in the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, at 6 p.m.

September 30: Design Thinking and Marketing for Good
Mike Rios, ’04, chief innovation officer at 17 Triggers

November 5: Branding and Storytelling
Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Foods

PRSSA
All PRSSA presentations will take place in the Glenn A. Neimeyer Honors Hall, room 148, at 9 p.m. on the Allendale Campus.

October 7: Dress for Success, Hunt for Internships
Mary Sierawski, human resources, social media and community engagement manager at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market

October 21: Detroit Alumni Panel and Tweet Up
Kristina Green, ’12, intern recruiting team captain at Quicken Loans; Megan Peterson, ’13, communications executive at Mort Crim Communications; Meg McPhee, ’14, assistant account executive at Commonwealth/McCann

November 4: Social Media in Higher Education
Nicole Sunstrum, ’03, director of social media, University of Michigan

November 18: Big PR Firms
Sarah Myles, ’10, project manager at Edelman Berland; Stephanie Rice, ’11, and Jenni Omness of Weber Shandwick; Andrea Filter, ’13, trade marketing manager at Perrigo

December 2: Media Pitching
Kim Bode, founder of 834 Design, and Valerie Lego, WZZM anchor and health reporter

Advertising Club
All Advertising Club sponsored presentations will take place in Lake Ontario Hall, room 164, at 9 p.m. on the Allendale Campus.

October 6: Unlocking GR
Spencer Blanchard, founder of The Tillery

October 20: Personal Branding, Networking and Job Search Strategy
Blayne White, property/casualty underwriter at JM Wilson

November 3: Portfolio Ad School
David Haan, executive director at Creative Circus

November 17: Outdoor Digital Direct
Frank Diehl, sales manager at Lamar Advertising Company

For more information about the above presentations, contact Frank Blossom at (616) 331-8165 or [email protected].