Speaking Up After the Women's March - What's Next - CommPRO.biz
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Speaking Up After the Women’s
March – What’s Next
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, Founder of the
Speak Up Women Conference
As the sun set on the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday,
many have been asking, “What’s next?” As many women who
marched returned to their homes and social media feeds, they
found and heard from other women about their March experiences
and also from those who did not march and in some cases did
not understand what the March was about.
“What’s next” is about first making sure you raise awareness
about the march and why it happened. This means getting in
touch with this answer not based on the reports in the media,
the March website, or even what your friends have posted on
your social media feed, but rather why YOU marched. What
compelled you to go out and spend your Saturday locally or to
travel to Washington, D.C., on a plane, bus or train, to
participate in this historic demonstration of our 1st Amendment
rights to assemble and speak up? What was it about the march
that hit home for you?
When you know the answer to this for yourself, your “what’s
next” will be clearer and provide you with a path for the
right “what’s next” for you.
What’s next is continuing to raise your voice to speak up for
the issues and rights and topics that are important to you.
When you do this, you make an impact. It makes a difference –
for others as well as yourself. During the March, there wasn’t only one message on a single type of sign held by many. There were multitudes of messages from multitudes of people of all ages, races, religions and backgrounds. Everything from women’s rights of all kinds to messages about climate change and comments about justice and peace as well as a variety of messages directed at the new President. If you want to address these or other ones, it is easy to find efforts that are culminating to push these messages forward. There is a Planned Parenthood March scheduled in February. There is a Climate Change March scheduled in April. There are Senators and Congressional representatives who have asked for constituents of not only their states but everyone nationally to respond as to why they marched; how they feel about the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare); what they think of the Presidential Cabinet nominees; and so on. If you want to continue your efforts, all you have to do is look into the areas that you felt compelled to march about. Spend a few minutes and you will find avenues to pursue the reasons you marched. Some of them take just a few minutes to speak up and voice your opinions and concerns. If you have encountered those who don’t understand the march, why it happened, what it was all about, or opposed it, share with them why YOU marched. This is not about persuading someone about a different paradigm you have and expecting that if you keep at it, they will change their minds. It is about being respectful of all voices and also listening to understand why they chose not to march. It is about the dialogue and how we keep it going. If we attempt to shut down those with whom we don’t agree, then it will make it more complicated to keep the dialogue going. The road to peace is paved with dialogue and an effort to understand one another’s opinions and feelings, not
bullying and oppressing others until they shut up. This is exactly what happened to so many women and men over the years in their own experiences that forced them to stop speaking up in so many areas of their lives. In order to invigorate the conversation, we must have a discourse. It is important for you to speak up and share your own thoughts, just as it is important to allow others to speak up and share theirs. So when you think about that question that is on everyone’s mind – What’s next?, pick the points you feel most compelled to address and invest your energy in these. Do it respectfully while you are doing it passionately. Speak up so we can all keep the dialogue going.
About the Author: Jennifer S. Wilkov is the founder and producer of Speak Up Women (www.SpeakUpWomen.com), a national conference designed to support women with understanding the importance and impact speaking up has in their personal, professional and philanthropic lives. The 2017 conference is set for March 3rd at the United Nations. Communicating in a Trump World: What the New Administration Means for Our Industry (Live Event)
Event Overview Please join the PR Council and Global Strategy Group for a discussion on “Communicating in a Trump World: What the New Administration Means for Our Industry.” We will examine key insights from the elections and have a lively discussion on changes our industry will face from the new administration. The communications world will be altered, and this panel will debate expectations vs. reality. There will be a light breakfast and coffee served. Speakers Donald A. Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO, Burson-Marsteller Don Baer is Worldwide Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the strategic communications firm Burson-Marsteller, a WPP company. Don’s career has spanned leading roles as a media, communications and creative executive for a wide range of business, government and non-profit organizations. Previously,
Don served as Senior Executive Vice President for Strategy and Development at Discovery Communications and as Assistant to President Bill Clinton and White House Director of Strategic Planning and Communications, as well as Chief Speechwriter. Don is Chair of the Board of Directors of PBS, the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Meredith Corporation. He is a lawyer and was Assistant Managing Editor at U.S. News & World Report. Kelly R. Cushman, Executive Vice President, JDA Frontline Kelly is a top communications and government relations strategist to clients across the corporate and public policy worlds. She previously led the Government Affairs Outreach Program for Altria Group and was an official in the George W. Bush White House, she served in senior roles in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, the Federal Housing Finance Board and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Jefrey Pollock, Founding Partner and President, GSG One of the nation’s top political strategists, Jefrey has twice been named “Pollster of the Year” (2015, 2011) by the bi-partisan American Association of Political Consultants, has been included in the Crain’s NY Business “40 under 40”, and was most recently named to City & State’s Albany Power 100. Jefrey is regularly sought by Democratic presidential candidates, governors, members of Congress, leading advocacy organizations, and Fortune 100 companies for his research acumen and strategic vision. Jefrey appears on numerous television programs as a political pundit for CNN, MSNBC, and the FOX News Channel and is regularly quoted on politics in New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, and other outlets. KayAnn Schoeneman, Senior Vice President, Ketchum KayAnn is a veteran corporate communications professional with nearly 20 years of experience in public affairs, public policy
and consumer advocacy. She currently serves as senior vice president and practice director of the public and corporate affairs team in Ketchum’s Washington D.C. office. KayAnn creates innovative, data-driven campaigns for global clients including Fortune 100 companies, governments, nonprofits and leading trade associations. Her clients include Anthem, CDC Foundation, The Clorox Company, H&R Block, The Hershey Company, Merck KGaA, Whirlpool Corporation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, the American Seed Trade Association, the Smart Electric Power Alliance and U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. KayAnn has been active in national, state and local politics for more than two decades. In 2002, she was a key part of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s historic $50 million issue advocacy effort to expand the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. KayAnn also served as an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University for the Master of Arts in Communication program teaching public opinion polling. Moderated by Jim Papa, Executive Vice President, GSG Jim runs Global Strategy Group’s Washington, D.C. office, where he advises CEOs and other C-suite executives as they grapple with public affairs challenges and opportunities across multiple industries. A former Special Assistant to President Barack Obama, Jim played a role in high-profile policy initiatives and pieces of legislation such as the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform, middle class tax cuts, and the repeal of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell. Prior to serving in the White House, Jim earned a reputation as a top flight communications and political strategist on Capitol Hill where he served in a number of senior roles, including as senior advisor to Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel.
Register Now
5 Communications Lessons from
Trump’s Victory
By David E. Johnson, CEO, Strategic Vision PR Group
Americans elected Donald Trump as President on Tuesday. It
was the political upset heard around the world as every poll
and pundit had predicted a Hillary Clinton victory. Without a
doubt it was our version of the famous Harry Truman upset over
Thomas Dewey in 1948. Even more so for business communicators
Trump’s strategy provides some lessons on how to effectively
communicate.
So what were the lessons?
1. Have a message. Whether you liked Donald Trump’s
message regarding immigration, the Affordable Care Act,
or banning Muslims, he had a message and stayed on those
major points throughout the campaign. People knew where
he stood on issues and by his consistency of message
appeared to be a strong leader at a time when America was looking for a strong leader. Clinton on the other hand seemed bland with her statements which seemed as if they had all been focused group tested before she made them. A clear message will win every time. 2. How you say it matters. Trump had an almost uncanny sense of what voters wanted to hear and how they wanted to hear it. He realized more than what he said, how he said it to voters mattered. 3. Social media is effective. Trump was mocked for his late night tweets on Twitter. Yet he understood the power of social media far better than anyone else. It wasn’t by accident that he has more followers on Twitter than President Obama has. He understood that social media provided a cost-efficient way to reach voters and engage them. 4. Be true to your brand. Trump was attacked time and again for his over the top statements and being politically incorrect. Yet that was his brand that he had developed over the years through Celebrity Apprentice, media interviews, and business deals. He was being consistent with that brand identity and that is why he was not hurt with his statements. Clinton on the other hand seemed to be rebranding herself throughout the campaign, leaving voters to wonder who was the real Hillary. 5. Know your audience. Trump knew throughout the campaign who he was trying to reach – the Silent Majority as Richard Nixon called them or the Reagan Democrats as they were rebranded – and tailored his statements and appeal to that audience. Clinton on the other hand never seemed to know who she was trying to reach. Was it the Obama coalition? Disgruntled Republicans? Undecided independents? And at the end that was fatal as her vote totals among core Democratic constituencies was far lower than that of previous Democratic candidates.
The 2016 election will be studied for years. Donald Trump
will become the modern day version of Harry Truman with
Hillary Clinton as the Thomas Dewey foil. Yet for
communicators, the key is learning and incorporating the
successful communications strategies from the election.
About the Author: David E. Johnson is the CEO of Strategic
Vision PR Group, a public relations and branding agency that
specializes in crisis communications, branding, and media
relations. Additional information on Johnson and Strategic
Vision, LLC may be obtained at www.strategicvision.biz.
2016: Workplace Trends To
Watch
Workplace trends
are always an
interesting
phenomena. Will
they come true?
Will they really
change things? Our
economies are
changing and we are
a much more
culturally diverse
world with global
interests. How
will these facts
come into play? GoodHire has developed a list of 11 legal,
tech and cultural trends that will shake up 2016. Here’s alist of the key trends and likely outcomes: 1. Telecommuting will continue to grow. Millennials want to work remotely and 80-90% of the U.S. workforce says they would like to telework at least part-time. 2. Workforces will become increasingly blended. Employers are leveraging freelancers as part of their blended workforce. For ad hoc needs, companies are finding that a mix of full-time, part-time and freelance workers is beneficial. 3. Wearable technology and wellness programs grow. Currently two-thirds of U.S. employers offer wellness programs. 2016 should show us an increase in engaging wellness programs and competitions. Fitness trackers and activity-based competitions have increased participation and engagement. 4. Broader family leave and benefit policies. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t have a national paid family leave policy. Major companies are adding more family-friendly policies to their benefit packages. 5. Ban the box spreads. This legislation has been passed in 19 states and 100 cities in the U.S. and many nationwide retailers have implemented ban-the-box practices. GoodHire is predicting that more companies will ban the criminal-history box on their applications. 6. Health care reform reports will require more time. Employee healthcare benefits will remain a top priority with the Affordable Care Act Employer Shared Responsibility Provision coming into full use. 7. Overtime pay for more workers. The Department of Labor has proposed changes to overtimes regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is expected to issue its final rule altering white-collar exceptions from overtime pay sometime in 2016. The DOL is proposing that the minimum salary requirements and compensations levels for executive,
administrative and professional employees change. They proposed to raise the salary threshold for exemption to the 40th percentile of weekly earnings for full-time salaried workers (to $921/week, $47,892 annually.) 8. Employee-first tools emerge. Employee check-in tools, self-assessments and constant feedback capabilities will increase work-life balance, on-the job skills training and productivity. 9. Gamification livens up recruiting. A system of reward and recognition in the workplace can increase engagement among existing employees as well as provide an effective way to assess skills and abilities for particular roles. 10 New software advances feedback, engagement and culture management. A 2014 Gallup poll found that 70% of U.S. works say they are not engaged at work. New tools from pulse surveys to engagement monitoring will help benchmark employee engagement and happiness. 11. Mobile apps take over. Expect employee demand for apps that make work easier. Whether it’s an online job application, performance management tools, attendance management, or expense reimbursement, apps will make it easier to recruit and engage with employees at any time. Wells Fargo Names Amy Bonitatibus as Chief
Communications and Brand
Officer
CommPRO Editorial Staff
Amy Bonitatibus
(Photo: Wells Fargo)
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) announced today that Amy
Bonitatibus has been named Chief Communications and Brand
Officer, effective Sept. 12, 2022. Bonitatibus will report to
Bill Daley, vice chairman of Public Affairs.
Bonitatibus joins Wells Fargo from Chase, the retail arm of
JPMorgan Chase, where she served as Chief Communications
Officer. In her role, Amy led all aspects of the company’s
media relations, public affairs, internal communications,
social media, and reputation management. She joined Chase in
2012 and has held a number of senior marketing and
communications positions, including Chief Marketing Officer
for the Home Lending business. Under her leadership, the
business achieved record volume and brand consideration
ratings.
“Amy brings a wealth of experience in financial services
managing a large-scale communications organization as well as
deep expertise in brand management,” said Daley. “We look
forward to having her join the company in the fall to leadthis important function within our Public Affairs team.”
Prior to joining Chase, Amy was a senior director at Fannie
Mae, where she managed executive communications and media
relations and led a grassroots media campaign for the U.S.
Department of the Treasury’s Making Home Affordable program.
She began her career as deputy press secretary to Senator
Hillary Clinton, where she drafted and edited speeches,
congressional testimony, press statements and op-eds for the
senator. She also served as communications and policy director
on a number of congressional campaigns.
Bonitatibus holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown
University and a Master of Policy Management from the
Georgetown Public Policy Institute.
Lumeris Hires Health System
Executive as Chief of
Marketing and Communications
CommPRO Editorial Staff
Lumeris, a value-based care company
helping health systems improve both
clinical and financial outcomes,
today announced the appointment of
health system marketing veteran
Valerie Simon as SVP and Chief of
Marketing and Communications.
Valerie brings more than 20 years of success driving revenuegrowth, brand awareness, and organizational reputation. Her executive experience includes serving as the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Atlantic Health System and Chief of Strategic Marketing for Plymouth Rock Assurance. Valerie has also held leadership positions in customer service, operations, and sales capacities for media intelligence provider, Burrelles, where she served as Senior Vice President. “Our decade of experience helping health systems create high performing networks has allowed us to develop a clear blueprint for the next gen health system and a proven path to achieving improved clinical and financial outcomes,” said Mike Long, CEO and Chairman of Lumeris. “Valerie’s marketing expertise and experience as a health system executive will be instrumental as we share our story, elevating all aspects of our brand and go-to-market strategies.” Recognized as the PRSA NJ PR Professional of the Year, the Millennium Alliance Healthcare Marketing Innovator of the Year and an Aspen Scholar, Valerie has earned a reputation as a passionate and innovative healthcare marketing leader. “Health Systems are facing unprecedented pressure, including unsustainable cost growth, labor shortages, fee-for-service revenue declines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and an increased focus on health equity. Providing high quality care in a manner that is accessible and affordable requires both the commitment and expertise to develop and enable a high performing network,” said Valerie. “I look forward to helping Lumeris’ health system partners leverage their brands and capabilities to build lifelong partnerships with consumers and healthier communities.” Valerie earned a BA in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government from American University. She and her husband live in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey and have two children. A social media enthusiast, Valerie can be found on
Twitter @valeriesimon or LinkedIn.
Let’s Go To Blockbuster
Tonight
“Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mentionI did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each chartered course
Each careful step along the byway
But more, much more than this
I did it my way”
– Paul Anka
Between October 19, 1985, and January 12, 2014, Blockbuster
went from a single mega-store with 8,000 tapes – unheard of
at the time – to over 9,000 stores, employing more than 84,000
people. David Cook, its founder, had glimpsed the future in
the limitations of the small, locally owned neighborhood video
stores and knew there was a better way. Subsequent owners
would expand Blockbuster beyond his wildest dreams, but none
could appreciate the future. Pay per view, on demand, Amazon
and Netflix – even though a young Reed Hastings had come to
Blockbuster hat in hand asking to be bought – would turn the
omnipresent blue and yellow signs into antiques. Sometimes we
can see what’s next and sometimes we cannot even read the
present.
With the exception of Merlin in the Arthurian legend Le
Morte d‘Arthur – who lived backwards so that his past was our
future – we’re all guessing, doing the best we can to read the
tea leaves. The epithets of formerly great companies that
helped invent the future only to become too comfortable with
the present are a reminder to us all.
Sears, whose annual catalog was first released in 1888, served
as a model for the internet, seemingly providing endless
access to the world of commerce by simply turning a page. Five
generations of children grew up waiting in anticipation of the
annual phonebook-sized catalog every summer so they could
circle their wish list for Christmas.
Radio Shack had a 30-year head start on Apple and ironicallywas the store where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak bought their Tandy computer to connect to a television and create the first visual computer. “You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers,” although apparently not about anything most people are interested in buying anymore. Avon, which all but invented multi-level marketing and provided whole generations of women a path to entrepreneurship, now struggles with relevancy. Kodak, which had the patent on digital photography, making too much money from film development to consider what was next. The road to success is littered with the skeletons of formerly great companies who invented the future only to lose their way. What would happen if we could live more like Merlin, and see the future? This week on In House Warrior, the daily podcast I host for the Corporate Counsel Business Journal, I interviewed five trailblazers – people who see the future for the benefit of the rest of us: Marisa Calderon, Executive Director of the NCRC Community Development Fund, Inc. (CDF), a U.S. Treasury-certified community development financial institution that supports economic mobility and bridges the nation’s racial wealth gap, expands access to affordable homeownership, and provides loan capital for Black-, Brown- and woman-owned businesses to help them thrive. Sally Schmidt, President of Schmidt Marketing and the founder and first President of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) (formerly called NALFMA), which revolutionized law firm marketing. Andrew Gratz, Associate General Counsel at LyondellBasell, on what in house counsel want, specifically on ESG and how ESG demands by multiple constituencies are going to change in the
near future.
Jim Pattillo, a partner with Christian & Small – a member firm
in the Primerus law firm network – a veteran of more than 70
trials to verdict in both state and federal courts, on
litigation trends since the start of COVID.
And finally, Kailash Ambwani, Chief Executive Officer
at Constella Intelligence, on what companies can
do before there is a breach to reduce risk. Constella is a
leading global Digital Risk Protection business that works in
partnership with some of the world’s largest organizations to
safeguard what matters most for each company and defeat
digital risk. While most discussions of breaches are about
what to do afterwards, Constella focuses on providing the
intelligence to help reduce risk and prevent cyber-attacks.
It seems so much of our lives are like the old FRAM oil filter
commercials – “You can pay me now or pay me – a whole lot more
– later.” Why not spend some of today eliminating future
risks?
Robert Zemeckis, who – along with Bob Gale – made the
famous Back to the Future movie trilogy, found accidental
inspiration for the film when visiting his parents in St.
Louis and looking at his father’s high school yearbook.
Sometimes we have to look backwards to see forwards.
Since the theme music scored by Alan Silvestri for Back to the
Future was instrumental, we’ll need to go to another movie
– The Rocky Horror Picture Show – for the music to take us
out.
“It’s astounding
Time is fleeting
Madness takes its toll
But listen closely
Not for very much longer
I’ve got to keep controlLet’s do the Time Warp again
Let’s do the Time Warp again”
– Richard O’Brien
Enjoy the listens.
Richard Levick
Listen to Bridging the Nation’s Wealth Gap
Listen to The Founder of Law Firm Marketing
Listen to Getting ESG Right and Why So Many Are Getting It
Wrong
Listen to COVID-19’s Impact on Litigation Trends
Listen to Closing the Cyber Barn Door Before the Horses Leave
I Know The Most Pressing
Problem In American Society
(It’s the Same Problem that
Affects Our Business)Arthur Solomon Academics, sociologists and philosophers are attempting to find the problems of American society. Only they know how many hours and how much money has been devoted in an effort to learn the root cause that has divided Americans. They still don’t know the answer. But I do: It’s “tunnel vision.” A definition of “tunnel vision” by Merriam-Webster is “extreme narrowness of viewpoint: NARROW-MINDEDNESS also: single-minded concentration on one objective.” That’s also a major problem for practitioners of our business. I’ve experienced “tunnel vision” many times. So have you, even if you don’t recognize it.’ A few of my own encounters with “tunnel vision.”
A friend, who is a physician, invited me to a party at
his house. Other than members of his family, my wife and
I were the only none physicians. I had a passing
acquaintance of many of the guests. But I knew a few for
many years. They were my physicians.
After a polite “hello,” the doctors huddled together,
resembling a football team, never to speak to me again until
it was time to say “goodnight.” Chances are that the doctors
were talking “doctor talk,” meaning what we can do to increase
our billings. “Tunnel vision.”
Another time I was invited by the same friend to the
wedding of one of his children. My wife and I were the
only none physicians at the table. All the physicians
had different specialties, so chances are they couldn’t
have been discussing the latest medical advances in
their field. And they weren’t. They were discussing how
unfair it was to them because Democratic leaders,
especially Hillary Clinton, wanted to make health care
more affordable. “Tunnel vision.”
Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, I worked at a
political PR firm. Today it would be called a boutique.
During campaign seasons the work day never ended before
11 p.m., often into the early a.m. hours. The owner of
the firm thought it was unsafe for me to take public
transportation at those hours. When a taxi was not
available, he would drive me home along with a high-
ranking political figure who dominated an aspect of
Brooklyn politics. As far as the political mogul was
concerned it was as though I wasn’t there. Even though
many of my truly unique approaches to publicity proved
successful, only my employer would say, “Good work.” The
political higher-up would only talk to others of his
rank at campaign headquarters and during my ride home.
“Tunnel vision.”“Tunnel vision” is the incurable disease of our society. Unlike the vaccines combating Covid-19, there is no cure for it. It permeates all aspects of American society: Politics, activism, including, but not limited to, LGBTQ rights, racial issues and illegal immigration (I know that term is considered derogatory by proponents of people who enter our country illegal, but a rose by any other name …etc.) Promoter of these and other issues, like Donald Trump’s Big Lie, all suffer from “tunnel vision.” If you don’t agree with them 100%, you’re considered a right wing nut, a Homo neanderthalensis, a left wing fanatic or not woke enough. Their philosophy is “my way or the highway.” These advocates all suffer from the same problem “tunnel vision” and they together with the fanatic Trump followers are largely responsible for the divide in our country. Missing from their game plan dictionary is the word. “compromise.” (Also, it appears from Mitch McConnell’s vocabulary.) “Tunnel vision” is not limited to people of different political positions. It is inherent in many businesses, especially ours. During my days as a reporter and editor, I was always sympathetic to PR people. I helped when I could, but all too often what they were pitching had a problem. The pitches all seemed familiar because they were. If the pitches were human, they would have “tunnel vision.” Many years ago, someone at a PR agency co-opted the phrase “work hard, play hard,” first used in a 19th century ad for a religious school, which included “work hard, play hard, pray hard.” My first job at Burson-Marsteller was to evaluate pitches for their news content and attend creative meetings to develop client publicity programs. Multiple lifestyle programs wanted to use the theme “work hard, play hard,” even though I advised against it because another agency used it first and it would
seem stale to editors.
Account people would often ask me why their pitches were
rejected without a journalist explaining why. “I’ll give it a
look,” was the most frequent answers from a journalist.” I was
asked by high management to find out the reason that so many
pitches were rejected.
As a former reporter and editor, I knew the reason, but
management persisted and I had to follow through. The main
reason, I was told, was prevalent with pitches from all PR
agencies. Pitches all seemed the same. If reporter “A” did a
story on a subject, the journalist would receive multiple
pitches about the same subject. Missing was new news
information. The difference most often was the name of the
client; even the quotes seemed similar. (That is especially
true today in quotes regarding a PR crisis. See one, see them
all.)
Too often, PR people play follow the leader. That results in
publicity pitches being rejected by journalists because of the
similarity to previous ones. Instead of “work hard, play hard”
PR people should “think hard, think smart.”
Doing that might cure the “tunnel vision” in our business.
About the Author: Arthur Solomon, a
former journalist, was a senior
VP/senior counselor at Burson-
Marsteller, and was responsible for
restructuring, managing and playing
key roles in some of the most
significant national and
international sports and non-sports
programs. He also traveled internationally as a media adviser
to high-ranking government officials. He now is a frequent
contributor to public relations publications, consults onpublic relations projects and is on the Seoul Peace Prize
nominating committee. He can be reached at arthursolomon4pr
(at) juno.com or artsolomon4pr@optimum.net.
Madelyn De Los Santos is 2021
Art Stevens PRSA-NY CCNY
Scholar for Excellence in
Public Relations
CommPRO Editorial Staff
Madelyn De Los Santos, a junior in
the Advertising/Public Relations Program in the
Division of Humanities and the Arts at The City
College of New York, is the 2021 Art Stevens PRSA-
NY CCNY Scholar for Excellence in Public
Relations.
This marks the 14th year that Stevens has funded a $5,000
scholarship to support rising talent. Managing partner of The
Stevens Group and a CCNY alumnus (Class of ’57), he created
the scholarship in 2008 to support talented students majoring
in communications. Stevens’ commitment to both PRSA-NY and the
City College Communications Alumni Group inspired him to name
the scholarship for both organizations.
“Madelyn is a most worthy addition to the Stevens’ Scholars, a
group that has distinguished itself by what it has given back
to society, he said. Modeling a life of service, Stevensserves on the Boards of Directors for the Communications Alumni and Crossroads Theatre Company, among others. “I will take this gift with much responsibility as I continue to grow within the industry and connect with communications leaders,” said De Los Santos. In addition to excelling academically, she is interested in a career in the travel sector and currently interns at Palace Resorts, crafting newsletters, social media posts and strategic content for the luxury brand. Passionate about connecting with influencers, De Los Santos helps guide them through the process of visiting the resort properties and ensures content created and shared maintains Palace’s high standards. Active in the community, she’s on the election team of New York City Council candidate Troy Blackwell Jr. (District 15 – Bronx), a former Stevens Scholar (’17). Long term, she sees herself working for the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism, introducing global audiences to her family’s vibrant heritage. On campus, Madelyn currently serves on CCNY PRSSA’s executive board and was elected chapter president for the 21-22 academic year. “Madelyn is a supernova and among our brightest Ad/PR All Stars,” said Professor Lynne Scott Jackson, Faculty Advisor. “As a PRSSA officer, Madelyn has been an integral part of our Building Bridges Career Fair and also volunteered for PRSA- NY’s Big Apple Award Gala. A familiar face at industry events, she proactively makes things happen and is always eager to help classmates gain their footing. Understanding the strong connection between student leader and community contributor, she strengthens bonds between the chapter and other important industry groups such as the Hispanic Public Relations Association, Black Public Relations Society and others. This results in countless opportunities for Ad/PR students.”
Former Art Stevens scholars include, Kellie Jelencovich ’11, public relations manager, Global Travel Collection and immediate past president of PRSA NY; and Caterine Molina Barfell ’13, public relations manager at BODYARMOR; Brent Reams ’14, communications professional at Jackson Spalding agency, Atlanta; Susan Linet Akinyi ’15, account executive at VMLY&R); and Jody Karg ’20, account coordinator at SourceCode Communications currently pursuing her MPS in Branding + Integrated Communications at CCNY. “Art Stevens’ support plays an essential role in student success because it alleviates the tuition burden, so students can focus on their academics and careers,” said Ed Keller, professor and Ad/PR program director. “Beyond the financial support, Art continues to mentor his scholars and has built a family of Stevens Scholar alumni who meet annually to support each other. Art is a role model in our industry.” The Art Stevens PRSA-NY / CCNY Scholarship was conceived during the tenure of Ad/PR Professor Emerita Lynn Appelbaum, who continues to mentor and build bridges of support between students and the communications industry. For media inquiries regarding The Stevens Group, please contact Rich Jachetti, rich@theartstevensgroup.com at (914 318 4656). Students interested in the 2022 Art Stevens PRSA-NY / CCNY Scholarship should reach out to Professor Lynne Scott Jackson at (917 748 8917) or lynne.scottjackson@gmail.com. About The Stevens Group The Stevens Group facilitates mergers and acquisitions in the public relations and digital marketing industries, building bridges that create true synergy and cultural fit for buyers and sellers that meet the test of time. Art Stevens literally knows the PR industry at every level and in every aspect, from the inside out and from foundation to pinnacle, including what
makes a firm successful, profitable and valuable. A prolific writer as well as a dynamic executive, Art is subtle, observant and quietly creative, yet not opposed to a good measure of “brandstanding” when appropriate. He has been valuing agencies, brokering mergers and acquisitions, and providing strategic advice for ten years. Art is a former owner and CEO of LobsenzStevens, a Top-20 independent PR agency, which Publicis Groupe acquired. About the City College of New York Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high- quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
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In 2018, the Democratic Party won
control of the U.S. House from
the Republican Party gaining 40
seats, 17 more than the 23 they
needed to win control of the House.
That election was heralded as being a
prelude to a sweeping Democratic
victory in the 2020 presidential
election. It wasn’t. Joe Biden won the presidency, but the
Democrats lost House seats, gained only one victory in the
Senate (to date) didn’t win a single gubernatorial contest,
and lost seats in state legislatures. (Even if they happen to
win the two Georgia Senate seats on January 5, their Senate
showing was less than they anticipated.) The result of the
election clearly demonstrated that an anti-Trump vote, not the
issues Democrats campaigned on, was Biden’s not so secret
weapon, along with his tenure as Barack Obama’s vice-
president.
What happened?
In 2018, the Democrats campaigned on a single issue — health
care. In 2020 they reverted to what I call their “preaching
message” — a strategy emphasizing that all of America’s s
problems can be solved by erasing racial injustice.
Racial injustice is a sin and must be erased from American
society. But people don’t like to be considered racists
because they don’t agree 100% with the Black Lives Matter
agenda or that of the AOC squad, composed of less than a
handful of members in Congress.
Black lives do matter and their struggle for justice equality
should be shared by every person who believes in a just
society. But there are other problems that also matter to many
Americans that should receive equal attention — like jobs,
feeding families, taxes, providing the necessities of life tothe indigent, providing livable housing, affordable health care and better schools These topics, while supported by most Democrats in Congress, are drowned out by the consistent message and demonstration of activists shouting racial injustice and defund the police and Democratic Party leaders, fearful of being called racists, even though they’re not, stand by mostly mute. Moreover, people also don’t like to be categorized by politicians and the media as conservatives, moderates or progressives. One person can have different views on positions that would split that individual into all three of those activist and media components. Checking only eight of 10 boxes of an imaginary test devised by Black activists and the AOC squad does not make a person a racist or conservative, but that’s they way are designated by the far left. The Republicans understand that a message must appeal to all Americans, just not a percentage of Americans, and other than the defeat of a totalitarian, incompetent president, they easily won the 2020 election. The Democrats didn’t understand that, but with the help of the coronavirus they won the presidency, but finished out of the running in all other matters. The 2020 Democratic message didn’t work. Neither did it work in 2016, when Hillary Clinton campaigned on “Stronger Together.” Unless the Democratic Party changes their message a minority of the U.S. population –13.4 percent of Americans who consider themselves Black will continue to claim they are the backbone of the party. (They might be and if that’s so it’s too bad for the future of the party.) While African - Americans might be the most loyal voters the Democrats have, recent election history shows that it is not enough, as the results of the 2020 election proves. Trump, the most overtly racist president of modern times, picked up more support from Blacks and Latinos in 2020 than he won in 2016, demonstrating that the Democratic message is outdated, doesn’t
work and needs a make over. “While whites continued to favor the Republican candidate in 2020—as they have in every presidential election since 1968—it is notable that this margin was reduced from 20% to 17% nationally. At the same time, the Democratic margins for each of the major nonwhite groups was somewhat reduced. The Black Democratic margin—while still high, at 75%—was the lowest in a presidential election since 2004. The Latino or Hispanic and Asian American Democratic margins of 33% and 27% were the lowest since the 2004 and 2008 elections, respectively. These shifts do not apply to all states, and are not applicable to most battleground states where voters of color were crucial to Biden’s win,” said an article on the Brookings website by William H. Frey, a Senior Fellow – Metropolitan Policy Program. Frey also wrote that in the three major battleground states, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, “Exit polls in all three states indicate that more Democratic-favorable (or less Republican-favorable) margins among different white blocs between 2016 and 2020 contributed to Biden’s wins. (The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC.) Another article on the Brookings website written by William A, Galston, who also writes for the Wall Street Journal, on November 23, said, “The predicted outpouring of minority votes did not happen either. Although African Americans voted in greater numbers than four years ago, their share of the electorate was unchanged, and Biden received a slightly lower share of their vote than Hillary Clinton did. Early figures suggest that Trump improved on his 2016 showing among Black men and younger Black voters for whom the civil rights movement and the Great Society are history lessons rather than lived experience.” What the results of the 2020 election showed is that the
Democratic Party must broaden its message or it will suffer the same fate as the Republican Party did in the 1930’s to the early 1950’s. The 2020 election showed that the extremist liberal elements of the Democratic Party’s dream of a multiracial coalition of voters of different colors does not work. What the results did show was that it was the Republicans who have a better chance of forming a future multiracial party because they campaigned on bread and butter issues, support for the police and other every day matters that most Americans are concerned about, like “law and order,” which many racial activists consider a dog whistle phrase meaning support of racist policies, which it is not. People like to feel safe. In order to survive, the Democratic Party must change its message and realize that just as all whites don’t think alike, neither do all Blacks, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Catholics, Jews, Protestants and Muslims, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins by the dozen. People like to be treated as individuals, not like voting blocks. Want proof? Including the 2020 presidential elections, Republican have won eight of the last 14 elections, and as Gerald F. Seib reported in his November 24 Wall Street Journal column, “They have been in the majority in the Senate for the past six years, and 16 of the past 26. They have controlled the House for 20 of the past 26 years.” They have also dominated elections at the state level. In her December 5 “On Politics” newsletter, the New York Times’ Lisa Lerer wrote, “For years, Democrats have preached the gospel of changing demographics. “As the country grew more diverse, they argued, the electorate would inevitably tilt in their favor and give their party an unbeatable edge. “Well, the country is more racially diverse than ever before.
But exit polls suggest that Joe Biden lost ground among Latino, Black and Asian-American voters in 2020 compared with Hillary Clinton’s performance in 2016.” The headline over Ms. Lerer’s column should be taken as a wake-up call by the Democratic Party, which currently is embracing the policy of fratricide. It read “Joe From Scranton Didn’t Win Back the Working Class.” (Early in January, the control of the U.S. Senate will be decided in two Georgia run- off elections. In person voting began on December 14 and Election Day is January 5. The Democrats must win both seats in order to control the Senate. I’m willing to wager 90% of my nine million acre private island that they will not succeed, even though I hope they do.) Another warning sign for the Democrats is that Republicans, because they won almost every election where redistricting was at stake, are now favored to retake the House in 2022, unless the Democrats change their message and craft a message with greater appeal to all Americans, regardless of skin color. Despite what far left Democratic activists proclaim, Biden’s election does not show a Republican Party in disarray. What it does show is that the Democratic Party’s message has not registered with the broad American public for years, and unless it broadens its message the party will be reduced to a minority one for years to come. The progressive facets of the Democratic Party must come to the understanding that losing on principle gains nothing; that in order to make changes winning is necessary. In 2019 and 2020, the Democratic Party leadership largely kept mum when “defund the police” became the battle cry of leftist protesters and all the police were disparaged because of the despicable acts of a few. Acts of vandalism by protesters were excused by activists as “relatively minor” and condemnation of the violence by Democratic politicians were few. (True, police
brutality against Blacks has been a hallmark of America’s history, still occurring today, and remains a stain on our country. But this is 2020, not 1920, and crimes against minorities are now investigated and policemen who committed them are brought to justice. Protests against outrageous police actions do not have to lead to rioting and Democratic leaders must have the courage to condemn rioters and vocalize bringing them to justice.) The Democratic Party leadership is not fearful of speaking out against the white supremacists and Neo-Nazi protesters of the far right. In order to regain the trust of all Americans, they must also speak out against protesters of the far left. I believe that not doing so during the past two years was a contributing reason for the party’s poor showing in the 2020 election. (And then there are issue affecting only local communities that national Democrats do not talk about but influence how people vote. Two that I’m familiar with became divisive political conflicts in New York City, where I grew up and attended schools. There are eight “exam” high schools like the Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School and Brooklyn Technical High School. In order to attend these prestigious schools, a student must pass a standardized test available to every student. But activists’ minorities have fought to let in students without taking the tests. In my opinion, as a liberal (no matter how activists might categorize me because I don’t check all the boxes of so-called and self-proclaimed progressives), I believe that the proper method of achieving diversity in these “exam” schools is to provide better education in the lower school grades, so students can pass the tests, rather than lowering the admission standards of the high achievement schools. This situation is reminiscent of the Open Admissions program of the 1960’s,which allowed any student in the top half of a high school graduating class to enter one of the
city’s university’s four-year colleges, which until then were considered among the best in the country. (Prior to the Open Admission policy, which was enacted after a political fight, the city’s schools, with its free tuition policy, permitted rich, middle class and poor students, regardless of race or their country of birth, to gain a college education that was on par with many of the top-rated colleges in the U.S. Indeed, some of the city’s colleges were called “the Harvard’s of the poor.” Since Open Admission, the city colleges have never regained their previous prestige. (An article in the City Journal about the Open Admission policy said, “The new admissions policy had an immediate effect. Within months, City College alone created 105 sections of remedial English and hired 21 full-time faculty members to teach them. Whereas 70 percent of its English classes had been literature courses, now 70 percent were remedial. Nearly nine in ten City College students required remedial writing instruction. Professors found themselves facing students who had never read a book, some of whom had no experience with written language or standard English.”) As in many other programs sought by minority activists, the result was to lower the standards of the colleges instead of trying to raise the educational standards of people of color. Speaking out against such programs does not make a person a racist. It makes that person a realist. I believe that Joe Biden owes Donald Trump a big “thank you,” because it was the president’s inane, totalitarian and divisive actions that vaulted the former vice president to victory. The election showed that a more normal and less controversial Republican presidential candidate would have prevailed. Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president on January
20. He might remember that in the 1960’s “Pogo” was a famous Walt Kelly comic strip. It often was infused with comments about political situations. It is still considered one of the most literate and aware comic strips in the history of the genre and is famous for a comment attributed to Pogo: “We have met the enemy, and they are us,” referring to the turmoil caused by the Vietnam War. Pogo’s comment could be directed at today’s Democratic Party, which refuses to acknowledge that times have changed and continues to bow to the 13.4% of our population who are Black, while people who consider themselves white, including Hispanics who consider themselves white, are 76.3% of the population. The Democratic Party campaigns as if people’s attitudes are set in stone and all Americans feel that racial injustice and Roe v. Wade are the main concerns of all Americans. They are important issues, and not to be shelved or put on the back burner, but to many Americans they are not the most crucial ones and Democrats must realize that and also give at least equal emphasize to other issues in order to remain relevant. In the recently concluded presidential election, preliminary results show that President Trump won 63% of white voters to Joe Biden’s 36%. This was a four point decline of white voters who backed Trump in 2016. Nevertheless, while the change helped Biden win, it did nothing to help Democratic candidates down ballot, proving that the prime factor in the election was that the majority of voters were fed up with Trump’s clownish antics, not the Democratic message. The above stats are bad news for Democrats. Future Republican candidates might not be as sub-normal, delusional, egotistical, nasty, dictatorial and divisive as President Trump. In order to win, the Democratic Party’s messaging and tactics must change and appeal to a broad spectrum of the American public. More worry for the Democrats are how Hispanics voted in 2020.
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