USFI Marketing Communications in Dallas seeks a full-time copywriter to generate strong concepts, big ideas and compelling short and long copy for traditional and new media. The client base includes companies in the hospitality, financial and telecom industries. Requirements include at least three years experience as a copywriter, a bachelor's degree in advertising, marketing, journalism, English or related area of focus, and an ability to meet tight deadlines and juggle multiple projects. USFI offers a fast-paced, friendly and team-oriented work environment. Send cover letter, résumé and writing samples/portfolio pieces to artjobs@usfi.com. The company also is looking for a full-time proofreader. Same e-mail contact.
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NEW MEMBERS
SPJ ... Tammy Jones, Kennedale News
PRSA ... Kyndall Cunningham, Fort Worth Country Day School ... Jennifer Green, the Law Offices of John David Hart
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Marc Flake, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
This is an important time of year for Greater Fort Worth PRSA, a time when we fill our elected board of directors and form the committees that bring value to your organization.
By the time you read this, nominating committee chair Holly Ellman will have received confirmations from board nominees. Let me add my sincere thanks to those who agreed to serve. I know how busy you are, and your commitment to the chapter is exemplary. I have found my time on the board to offer not only the satisfaction of serving my colleagues, but the joy of some very special friendships with people I might not have met if I only attended the monthly meetings. If you're ever asked to fill a position on the board, I hope you give it serious thought.
President-elect Laura Van Hoosier is looking for people to chair committees covering a variety of interests. To really get the most from your membership, consider serving as either a chair or committee member. The most challenging positions can help prepare you for a place on the board, which is a good way to increase your visibility in our profession.
It would take another 1,000 words to describe each of the positions Laura wants to fill. Many of you may still have the e-mail I sent out last October when I was recruiting for these committees. It still applies. If Laura calls, tell her yes.
I'm going to close with a not-too-original phrase that I used when I was membership chair: What you get out of your membership in the chapter has a lot to do with the effort you put into the chapter.
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PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
Betsy Boyett, IABC Fort Worth
IABC Fort Worth is movin' and shakin' during this busy time of year, with accreditation chair Lori De La Cruz, ABC, mentoring us with her IABC Accreditation 101 course. This is the first time the chapter has offered a series of brown-bag lunches to help members and nonmembers alike work toward this designation. A small group of guinea pigs has signed up, and there's room for more. Misery loves company, right?
The ABC designation says that you have met a global standard in organizational communication. You have a specific level of education and experience as a communicator or PR practitioner. Your work demonstrates that you can think strategically and can measure your success, establish meaningful goals, and have a well-rounded, problem-solving approach.
Most ABCs accumulate their professional knowledge through a combination of education and experience. Because of this, there are no required study materials. Accreditation covers a variety of skills.
We owe Lori a special thanks for volunteering to help IABC Fort Worth members work toward their Accredited Business Communicator designation. We'll let you know how the guinea pigs turn out!
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
SPJ.org launched two more blogs in September. In the first installment of Journo.edu, Dale Denwalt II tells fellow j-students that those who embrace a converged curriculum will be able to bank on it later. In technolo-j, fellow journalists teach how to get in touch with our techy side. ...
Meet former President George H.W. Bush's pool boy. ...
Visitors to Bill Clinton's presidential library probably wouldn't guess that they're treading on rubber-tire floors and looking up at soda-can ceilings. Before architects started designing, they knew Clinton wanted his library on the banks of the Arkansas River to be energy efficient. The final product is the only presidential library to earn an award from the U.S. Green Building Council for environmental design. Even the location relates to the theme. "This land was a contaminated brownfield," says David Williams, a volunteer who gives "green" tours of the library. "We've gone from a contaminated piece of property (to one) that now is a city park." ...
Closing words: "To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time." -- Leonard Bernstein ... "I don't try to describe the future. I try to prevent it." -- Ray Bradbury ... "One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." -- Germany's great man of letters, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Closing words II, mad lurch to the middle division: "None of you should believe we are winning this war. There is no evidence that we are winning this war. ... We were in charge for six years. I don't think you can look and say that was a great success." -- former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to 300 students attending a conference for college conservatives
Closing words III, if a Democrat said this, we'd call him a fool: "I heard somebody say, 'Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas." -- President Bush, in a press conference Sept. 20 in Washington, referring to Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, who is 89 and not dead
