Yankee Chapter PRSA

06/01/2026

Marlana Trombley, operator and growth specialist at Prosper Peak, will teach participants five powerful psychological principles that influence audience behavior, media engagement, and brand perception in this interactive, one-hour virtual lunch and learn.

Attendees will leave with knowledge on how to apply these concepts strategically across earned media, thought leadership, influencer partnerships, and crisis communications.

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/6vuh349?source_id=6620d40b-f397-4668-a468-b1ba7d264e7c&source_type=em&c=q-yYl5wp4B9QfVDxpmgJPbrInxTUoXdq9AgsCBQAJglmLK-Cn2npOg==

05/29/2026

Harnessing the Power of Strategic Branding Services

In today’s competitive market, standing out is not just an advantage - it’s a necessity. Every business, whether in healthcare, travel, legal, or financial sectors, needs a clear and compelling identity. This is where business branding solutions come into play. They help shape how your audience ...

05/29/2026

As your 2026 PRSA Chair, I want to offer a clear and candid update on where we stand and where we are headed together.

We are seeing encouraging signs in PRSA’s financial position. While there is still important work ahead, our cash flow has stabilized. That progress reflects the difficult but necessary decisions made over the past year, along with the continued focus and discipline of our staff leadership team and Board of Directors.

At the same time, we need to remain realistic about the challenges ahead.

Membership decline, particularly among first- and second-year members, remains one of our most significant concerns. It’s important to put that in context. We are not seeing a sharp drop-off, but rather a gradual erosion over the last seven years that mirrors broader shifts impacting professional associations across industries.

Understanding the “why” behind these trends is critical. That’s the focus of our newly established Board task force, which is examining member behavior, expectations and long-term engagement patterns. The goal is to develop practical insights and tools that support Chapters, Districts, and Sections moving forward.

In parallel, we are advancing a comprehensive membership strategy centered on recruitment, retention, engagement and strengthening the value we deliver to communications professionals. Many initiatives are already underway, but meaningful results will take time. This work requires ongoing testing, refinement and sustained effort.

We are also exploring opportunities to strengthen and diversify revenue in ways that align with our mission and provide real value to our members and the profession. Programs like the Women of Impact Awards are part of that broader strategy as we work to build a more sustainable future.

There are bright spots worth highlighting. Registration for PRSA ICON is ahead of projections, which is an encouraging signal of engagement and momentum across our community. We know many of you are eager for additional details, and we look forward to sharing new keynote announcements very soon.

Progress will not happen overnight, and there is still significant work ahead. But we are moving in the right direction with greater focus, greater transparency and a clearer understanding of what it takes to strengthen PRSA for the long term.

That work will continue to require us to listen closely, test new ideas and remain willing to evolve alongside the profession we serve. Your engagement, feedback and partnership are essential to that process.

I’m deeply appreciative of the discipline and resolve demonstrated by our Executive Committee, National Board and staff as we continue this work. We are here to serve our members, and your trust and your contributions to PRSA’s success truly matter. This is a shared effort, and I’m grateful for the way we continue to move forward together.

Thank you.

Best,
Heide Harrell, APR
2026 PRSA National Board Chair

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the nation’s leading professional organization serving the communications community for PR Certification, Training and Professional Development.

05/28/2026

Please Join Yankee Chapter and Maine PR Council For Our June 23rd Summer Social At The 100 Club In Portsmouth on June 23rd!
On Tuesday, June 23rd from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the prestigious 100 Club in Portsmouth, Yankee Chapter PRSA Membership Committee will be co-hosting a summer social with the Maine PR Council. A special shout-out to Rebecca Emery, APR, President of the Maine PR Council for hosting us as a member of the 100 Club. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis as we have a limit of 40 tickets for this event. Register with this link:
Yankee Chapter PRSA and Maine PR Council Summer Social - Yankee PRSA
Tickets are $25/pp. for Yankee Chapter and Maine PR Council members (and “sister chapters”) and $35 for non-members. They include appetizers and a drink ticket for the beer and wine bar. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with PR and communications professionals from NH, Boston and Southern NH!

Event Start Date:June 23, 2026Event End Date:June 23, 2026Event Venue:One Hundred ClubJoin Us for a Summer Social in Portsmouth The Maine PR Council and the Yankee Chapter of PRSA are sponsoring an evening at the One Hundred Club, Portsmouth’s premiere event space with breathtaking views of histor...

05/27/2026

If you haven’t had an opportunity to sign up for Yankee Chapter’s next (virtual) lunch & learn on June 3rd with Marlana Trombley, the link is below:

https://www.yankeeprsa.org/event/5-psychology-hacks-to-test-in-your-marketing

Event Start Date:June 3, 2026Event End Date:June 3, 2026Event Venue:VirtualLunch and Learn Wednesday, June 3, 2026 12-1 p.m. ET Virtual Marlana Trombley, operator and growth specialist at Prosper Peak, will teach participants five powerful psychological principles that influence audience behavior, m...

05/26/2026

In New Hampshire, children enter the child welfare court system through multiple pathways: delinquency, abuse and neglect, or CHINS (Children in Need of Services) proceedings. On paper, these are distinct legal categories. In practice, they often reflect overlapping realities shaped by poverty, trauma, and unmet needs.

After more than two decades working in public interest law, attorney Lisa Wolford saw how broadly these systems converge, and how rarely they address the full scope of a child’s circumstances. In response, she founded the Children’s Law Center of New Hampshire (CLC-NH) in 2022, the state’s first civil legal services nonprofit dedicated exclusively to protecting and advancing children’s rights. Now in its fourth year, the organization is addressing the limitations of the current child welfare system and advancing what meaningful reform could look like for children and families across New Hampshire.

New Hampshire’s child welfare system often punishes poverty and trauma. The Children’s Law Center is advancing reforms centered on support, prevention, and equity.

05/22/2026

For decades, Southwest Airlines was the quirky, customer-friendly carrier that rewrote the rules of air travel. It won over millions of loyal passengers with its no-frills, low-cost model, featuring free checked bags, open seating, rapid boarding, and an easygoing, fun-loving company culture. It wasn’t just another airline—it was the people’s airline, offering affordable fares without nickel-and-diming customers like its competitors.

But that era has come to an end. In a bid to increase profitability and satisfy activist investors, Southwest Airlines is shedding the very policies that made it special. The two-free checked bags policy is gone, assigned seating is being introduced, premium seating options are on the way, and flights will now be listed on third-party platforms like Expedia and Google Flights. What was once a standout brand is now morphing into just another airline.

And the issue is, without business class, code-shares and any upper level services - how can they survive chaotic boardings, over stuffed bins and slow turn around?

For decades, Southwest Airlines was the quirky, customer-friendly carrier that rewrote the rules of air travel. It won over millions of loyal passengers with its no-frills, low-cost model, featuring free checked bags, open seating, rapid boarding, and an easygoing, fun-loving company culture. It was...

05/20/2026

Save $100 when you register this week for AI in Action: Practical Tools and Techniques for the Modern Communicator – Part 2 scheduled for June 8, 15, 22, 29, July 13 and 20 from 3-4:30 p.m. ET. Participants will learn how to work with AI as a collaborative partner—improving how they think, structure, and execute communication strategies.

Below are three reasons to attend this program:
Move beyond one-off prompts and create repeatable workflows for research, messaging, and campaign development.
Learn how to use AI as a thinking partner to refine ideas, challenge assumptions, and improve outcomes.
Structure your interactions with AI to create clearer, more aligned communication across channels.
Save $100 when you sign up by May 25!

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05/19/2026

Did You Know YPRSA Offers A Retiree Rate?

Yankee Chapter dues are waived for retired professionals. If you are a PRSA National member in good standing, we want you to stay involved at the local level and attend our programs and networking events.

For additional information pertaining to local Yankee Chapter PRSA dues, please contact Membership Committee co-chairs Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA, at [email protected], or Karen Ingraham at [email protected].

05/18/2026

Meta will begin tracking the mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes of its US employees to generate high-quality training data for future AI agents, Reuters reports.

The news organization cites internal memos posted by the Meta Superintelligence Labs team in reporting on the new Model Capability Initiative employee-tracking software. That software will operate on specific work-related apps and websites and also make use of periodic screenshots to provide context for the AI training, according to the memo.

“This is where all Meta employees can help our models get better simply by doing their daily work,” the memo reads, in part, Reuters reports.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told Reuters that the collected training data will help Meta’s AI agents with tasks that it sometimes struggles with, including “things like mouse movements, clicking buttons, and navigating dropdown menus.”

“If we’re building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how we actually use them,” Stone said, adding that the collected data would not be used to evaluate employees.

Move highlights the difficulty of finding high-quality interactive training data.