October Conference

Meet and Greet | Thursday, Oct. 1 | 5:30-7 p.m.

SpringHill Suites Downtown at Cameron Harbor | 495 Riverfront Parkway, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Conference | Friday, Oct. 2 | 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Communication Arts Building at Lee University | 345 Church Street, Cleveland, Tenn.

Click Here to Register 

Communication comes alive through our senses, allowing us to perceive the world around us. Delve into this everyday phenomenon on Friday, Oct. 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. as nationally renowned communication leaders share their insights into how verbal and nonverbal communications shape reality.

“Perceptions — How Communication Shapes Reality” is hosted collaboratively by the Public Relations Society of America Lookout Chapter and the Cleveland Media Association in the newly constructed Communication Arts Building at Lee University. This one-day communication conference gives professionals in southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia the opportunity to network, engage and grow.

Join us the evening before the conference on Thursday, Oct. 1, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. for a one-on-one networking event with our speakers at SpringHill Suites Waterside Lounge. This added session is a great opportunity for those who want to further connect with the speakers and for those who may not be able to attend the full-day conference on Friday. Just be sure to select this option when registering.

We look forward to seeing you in early October!

 

The first 15 people to register will receive a complimentary copy of “All In: How Our Work-First Culture Fails Dads, Families, and Businesses — And How We Can Fix It Together,” which is written by our luncheon keynote speaker, Josh Levs.

 

 

 

Conference Tickets

After-Hours Event on Thursday, Oct. 1

$13 (One-flat rate)

Early-Bird Registration (Open until midnight on Friday, Sept. 18)

$65 — PRSA and CMA Members

$90 — Nonmember

$35 — Students

Standard Rate (12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 until midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 29)

$75 — PRSA and CMA Members

$100 — Nonmembers

$45 — Students

Luncheon Keynote Only (Open until midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 29)

$15 — Students

$20 — Professionals (One-flat rate)

 

 

 

*Programming may be subject to change.

 

Speakers

Mickey Nall
Managing Director, Ogilvy Public Relations, Atlanta

For nearly 20 years at Ogilvy Public Relations Mickey has built strategic communications programs for a variety of clients including, Brand Atlanta, Carolinas Healthcare System, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); Darden Specialty Restaurant Group, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), United Way of America; and The Coca-Cola Company.  Mickey was named managing director of the Atlanta office in 2005 after 10 years in the Washington, DC office.  His client expertise is concentrated in three practices, corporate, social change and brand marketing.

Mickey earned his M.A. in Journalism and Communications from the University of Florida and was named an alumnus of distinction in 2009.  Mickey was the first ever Public Relations Executive in Residence at the University of Oregon in 2011.   Also that year he was inducted into PRSA Georgia’s Order of the Phoenix and Georgia Public Relations Hall of Fame housed at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism in Athens, GA.   Mickey was the 2013 Chair & CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and has won numerous industry awards, including the Silver Anvil.  Mickey mentors public relations students throughout the US, frequently speaking on the power of personal branding and public relations.  Last year (2014) Mickey delivered the 14^th Annual Koten Distinguished Lecture at the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at the University of Alabama.

 

Meagan Johnson
Bright, Funny, Delightfully Obnoxious Generational Humorist

Meagan Johnson isn’t a typical motivational speaker… she’s more like a swift kick in the pants. Meagan engages her audience with useful info, hard-hitting facts and a wicked sense of humor.

Meagan is the co-author of the bestselling book Generations Inc., From Boomers To Linksters Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work. She is the de-facto expert when it comes to navigating the maze of generational quandaries’ every organization faces.

As a Gen Xer (people born between 1965 and 1980) Meagan takes on generational issues with an insider’s perspective. During the 1990s, while working for companies like Quaker Oats, Kraft Foods and Xerox Meagan often heard negative comments about Gen Xers. Terms like “slacker generation,” “gold collar workers,” and the “Beavis and Butthead generation” were not uncommon.

Meagan knew those terms were unfair and untrue, so she began researching small and large businesses to debunk generational myths and uncover the most effective way to solve multi-generational clashes. That research gave birth to her most popular presentation, ZAP THE GAP How To Make Peace and Profit in a Multi-Generational World.

Known as the generational humorist, Meagan has entertained and educated thousands of audience members from all around the globe. Amongst her many satisfied clients are companies such as Dairy Queen, Burger King, Cadillac, American Express, Harley-Davidson, Monster.com and the CIA.

A third-generation native of Phoenix, Ariz., Meagan lives with her tall husband and three dogs!

 

Josh Levs
Investigative journalist, expert on issues facing modern families and author of the new book “All In: How Our Work-First Culture Fails Dads, Families, and Businesses–And How We Can Fix It Together.”

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow called it “fantastic;” the Washington Post’s Brigid Schulte called it a “must read;” the Chicago Tribune called it “fascinating,” and Forbes asked in a headline, “Can This Man Get Corporate America To Rethink An Anti-Dad Culture?”  The book is endorsed by Maria Shriver, Bob Saget, the president of Change.org, a top official at Twitter and numerous other prominent figures.

After 20 years of reporting for NPR and CNN, Josh — a father of three —  focuses his book on dispelling myths about today’s dads and moms, and explaining the necessity of new policies such as paid family leave. All In shows that men and women gain from these changes.  Josh follows the money, detailing how and why the best family-friendly programs benefit businesses and the economy.

Josh tells his own story of taking on a policy at Time Warner that prevented him from being able to care for his newborn, preemie daughter and sick wife. As a result of his legal action and the publicity surrounding them, the company revolutionized its policy, making it much better for dads and moms.  The change made the company better and stronger.

Levs met with Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, pushing support for paid family leave.  He was invited to a meeting with Valerie Jarrett of the White House.  And he has teamed up with the non-partisan New Hampshire Women’s Foundation to make paid family leave a key issue in the nation’s first presidential primary. For all these projects, he’s asking this question: “Are you All In?”

Josh has received many of the highest honors in journalism, including six Peabody Awards and two Edward R. Murrow Awards.  A scholarship was awarded in his name at his alma mater, Yale University, and he was named a Journalist of the Year by the Atlanta Press Club.

He lives in Atlanta with his wife and children.

 

Conference Sponsors

“Perceptions — How Communication Shapes Reality” is made possible by the generous support of area organizations. We extend sincere apprecation to our sponsors.

With various sponsorship levels available, you have the option to choose the rate that best suits your needs. If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jessica McCosh.

We extend a special thank you to Lauren Carter, graphic designer, for the creation of the conference logo and conference collateral.

Presenting Sponsor

 

 

 

 

Gold Sponsors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silver Sponsors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friend Sponsors

 

 

 

 

 

Directions to SpringHill Suites at Cameron Harbor from Cleveland

495 Riverfront Parkway, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Please allow for approximately a 45-minute commute from Cleveland.

Take I-75 South to Exit 6 for TN-153 North. Take Amnicola Highway. Turn left at the end of the exit. Amnicola Highway will become Riverside Drive. Pass the Tennessee Aquarium and the Southern Belle Riverboat. SpringHill Suites is located on right. Park in the parking lot and enter the lobby for Waterside Lounge. If the weather is nice, the event will be hosted on the outdoor patio that overlooks the Tennessee River.

If you are lost, contact Jessica McCosh at (423) 834-1807.

 

Directions to Lee University Communication Arts Building from Chattanooga

345 Church Street, Cleveland, Tenn.

Please allow for approximately a 45-minute commute from downtown Chattanooga.

Take I-75 North to second Cleveland exit (Exit 25). Turn left at the bottom of the ramp onto 25th Street. Go straight on 25th Street until you come to the fifth red light at Ocoee Street. Turn right onto Ocoee Street. Go approximately one mile, and you will begin to see the Lee University buildings on the left. Keep going and when you see the two monuments on your left, the road splits and the road you are on becomes Broad Street. Go to the very next light and turn left onto Central. At the next light you will see the two-story brick Communication Arts Building on your left.  If you go through this light, you can turn into the parking lot on your left. If you turn left at the light, you will see the other parking lot on your right. Once these two lots on either side of the building are full, look for street parking or downtown parking lots near the Communication Arts Building.

 

Click the image above to download a map of Lee University indicating the parking areas. If you are lost, contact Dr. Patty Silverman at (423) 715-7642.