Brenda Siler
Director of PR American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Rockville, MD 301/897-0104
[email protected]
History B.A.,
Spellman College. Then held PR posts with Metro Atlanta chapter of the American Red Cross, Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA-TV, United Way of Metro Atlanta, Ketchum Atlanta, the Points
of Light Foundation, AARP Atlanta and the Council on Competitiveness, a DC-based nonprofit think tank.
Present Spearheads media relations, marcom and advertising for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a 100,000-member professional organization for speech-
language pathologists, audiologists and scientists/researchers of communication disorders. Oversees a staff of five. Works in partnership with editorial and Web teams.
Budget $800,000 (includes advertising, but not salaries).
Agencies Fenton Communications (PR) and August, Lang & Husak (advertising), both in DC.
Biggest challenge "Credibility. We still struggle to make our leaders understand the role that PR plays in organizational management. I see interviews in the trades
all the time with CEOs about how much they value PR. It's all blah blah blah. It's lip service."
On nonprofit vs. corporate PR "In a nonprofit environment, you have to be more creative about stretching your dollars. Plus, you tend to be more of a generalist. But
it's stupid that people think if you've worked at a nonprofit or association, that your skills aren't transferable to the corporate side. Maybe the perception is that media
relations isn't as intense because you're not going through the same public policy, regulatory and merger issues. But when I was with the Red Cross, if there was a natural
disaster, the media called us first. We got the information before they did."
Nonprofit sell "In some cases, nonprofit PR is harder because you're basically selling an intangible. I once interviewed with Ortho Pharmaceuticals. They said, 'If you
can position an intangible, we figure you can certainly sell a product."
Best advice From Linda Stewart, retired head of communications for Cox Communications in Atlanta. "She said, 'As a communicator, don't think you are not a business
person.'"