From the President's Desk: Looking Back and Looking Forward

At the beginning of this year, we made a commitment to you that PRSA Chicago will continue to build an environment EVERYONE would want to and COULD be a part of—from rising professionals to seasoned leaders.

We committed to empowering our members to ensure awareness that everyone’s voice has an opportunity to influence our chapter’s direction. After all, this is not MY chapter but OUR chapter and every member should have the opportunity to benefit from the future of our membership.

We also committed to evolving as a chapter as our members, our community, our world and our industry also continue to evolve around us.

I hope you feel that OUR chapter has worked hard to deliver on those commitments this year.

As the year comes to a close, and I hand the proverbial baton over to our 2025 chapter president, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the journey we have shared together. 

Strengthening Our Partnerships
This year, the chapter launched a couple of new initiatives to help strengthen and grow our community.

At the start of 2024, thanks to our chapter partner, MSL, we launched the MSL Learning Initiative. This helped make the chapter’s educational events even more accessible to members of PRSSA chapters we sponsor and PRSA Chicago’s associate members with three or less years of professional experience.

This fall, our chapter partner, The Grossman Group, recommitted to collaborating with us to launch the chapter’s new Emerging Leaders Track. This will help subsidize the registration rates to the chapter’s educational and networking events by up to 75% for our associate members with three or less years of experience.

Thanks to these chapter partners, both programs help make PRSA Chicago events even more accessible for our rising professionals throughout the year.

Educational and Professional Development Events that Matter
Our colleagues on the Board also continue to amaze me with their dedication in advancing our chapter, and our industry in the Chicago area. 

This year, members of our board and volunteers brought forth timely educational topics that are meaningful for our industry’s professional development and growth. This included events on the current state of DE&I and communications; the Intersection of AI and PR; a dive into Chicago’s content creation scene with an influencer panel and meet-up; a delicious conversation on breaking through food media; and a how to human roundtable event with experts who provided best practices and refreshers for navigating the evolving work landscape in a post-pandemic world.

Celebrating the Best of the Best
During this year’s Skyline Awards, we recognized the best of the best within our industry in the Chicago area, highlighting the amazing work members of our community developed, launched and successfully implemented as part of in-house campaigns and projects or work completed on behalf of or alongside valued clients. It was a spectacular event and there was so much to celebrate at the gala!

Connecting With Our Membership
Our board and volunteers also brought forth creativity with unique and fun networking events that leverage some of the most iconic things Chicago has to offer. And they have helped us to become tourists in our own city again. This included the summer river boat cruise meet-up, and a night at The Field Museum.

Before the close of this year, we look forward to one more toast with our fellow chapter members and colleagues at the upcoming holiday party. Visit PRSAChicago.com to learn how you could join us for the festivities!

Past, Present and Future
For more than 75 years, our predecessors helped shape the trajectory of our chapter. My presidency this year was one more conduit that hopefully was reflective of what you needed and sought for your professional growth, and that we are creating an environment you are proud to be a part of. 

I am grateful for the support and dedication of our Board, our volunteers, and our members to PRSA Chicago. Thank you for advocating for the advancement of our industry. Your commitment has been the driving force behind our success. Your passion, dedication, and hard work have made my tenure as chapter president a rewarding experience.

It has been an honor and my privilege to serve as your chapter president this year. I am immensely proud of what we, and this year’s board of directors, have accomplished together.

As we transition to new leadership, I am confident that our chapter will continue to thrive and I cannot wait to see what my friend and colleague, Bridgette Russell, APR, will continue to bring forward to the chapter under her leadership in 2025.

Yours in service,

Kayee Ip
2024 Chapter President
PRSA Chicago