by PRSA Kansas | Jun 6, 2025 | Uncategorized
Now, more than ever, standing firm in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion is critical.
This commitment should not exist as lip service but as a tangible, actionable movement — rooted in purpose, not politics. Regardless of shifting government policies or evolving regulations, our role as communicators is to lead with integrity and push for what is right, not just what is safe.
Pride Month is underway, and I would like to invite you to pause and reflect on this question: Are you celebrating with intention or simply participating in a trend?
Today’s audiences—especially LGBTQIA+ communities—are more aware and engaged than ever. They SEE and remember when brands show up in June but stay silent the rest of the year. They know the difference between true support and rainbow-washing. As public relations professionals, we have the power—and the responsibility—to ensure that our campaigns and work reflect more than momentary momentum. They should express our organizations’ values, shape inclusive narratives, and inspire lasting change that doesn’t shift every 5 minutes like the Kansas weather.
Let’s ask ourselves the complex but necessary questions:
Have we created space for LGBTQ+ colleagues to lead the narrative?
Possible responses could look like:
- “Yes – our pride campaign was co-led by an LGBTQ+ employee resource group, from concept to content.
- “Not yet—but we’re working on shifting from representation to participation in campaign creation.”
- “We feature LGBTQ+ stories in our messaging, but realize we need to empower those individuals to tell their own stories in their own voice.”
Are our Pride efforts rooted in consistent advocacy?
Possible responses could look like:
- “Yes—we support LGBTQ+ causes year-round through volunteering, partnerships, and donations.”
- “We highlight Pride externally, but our internal policies are overdue for a DEI audit and update.”
- “We’re re-evaluating how we speak up during moments of injustice and ensuring our allyship doesn’t disappear after June.”
Are we taking real action that outlives the hashtags?
Possible responses could look like:
- “We’ve committed to LGBTQ+ inclusion training, equitable hiring practices, and safe workplace environments all year.”
- “We support Pride on social media, but we’re now exploring how our products, leadership, and partnerships align with our public values.”
- “This year, we’re pledging to listen more, learn consistently, and use our platforms to elevate LGBTQ+ voices beyond campaigns.”
Authentic allyship isn’t performative—it’s participatory, progressive, and personal. It appears in boardrooms, budgets, and brave conversations—not just in branding. Let’s hold ourselves and each other accountable for doing more than posting rainbows.
Let’s lead with courage, communicate with conviction, and take bold action that aligns with our values, regardless of the month or political season.
Here’s to a Pride Month that’s not just colorful but courageous—and a future inclusive by design, not by default.
by PRSA Kansas | Jun 3, 2025 | Uncategorized
By Ti’Juana Hardwell, Owner & Principal Consultant, Mamarazzi Communications, LLC
“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” That quote by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has always resonated with me—not just as a marketing professional, but as someone who serves business owners, organizations, and individuals navigating the power of branding every day.
In public relations and communications, we’re often tasked with telling other people’s stories, crafting messages, and polishing public images. But what about our own brand? What about how we show up?
It’s a message I repeat often to the entrepreneurs and organizational leaders I serve: you are your company’s walking billboard. Whether you’re pitching a service, leading a team, attending a networking event, or simply posting online, people are watching, listening, and forming opinions. Your personal brand is not just part of your business—it’s the heartbeat of it.
Branding Beyond the Logo
True personal branding is rooted in values, character, and credibility. It’s not about having a nice headshot or a perfectly curated social feed. It’s about being consistent in how you show up, what you say, and what you deliver.
People trust brands that align with clear values. They remember professionals who follow through, tell the truth, and bring a sense of transparency to their work. In my own career, building strong community ties and becoming a trusted voice in the field hasn’t happened overnight. It’s taken integrity, communication, and showing up with purpose again and again.
And yes—branding is also about visibility. If you’re doing good work, but no one knows about it, then your brand is incomplete. That’s why your network matters so much.
Your Network is Your Net Worth
One of the most overlooked elements of branding is your network. Relationships drive referrals, opportunities, and growth. A strong network gives you access to conversations, collaborations, and resources that can take your work to the next level.
That’s why I always encourage professionals to accept the invitation. Go to the conference. Attend the mixer. Join the association. Not because you’re collecting business cards—but because you’re welcoming connections. And those relationships often become your greatest advocates when you’re not in the room.
Avoiding the Pitfalls
While building a personal brand can unlock powerful opportunities, there are common pitfalls that quietly erode trust and credibility. Inconsistency in messaging or behavior, not honoring your word, and becoming complacent in how you show up can all diminish the impact of your brand.
It’s not about perfection, but about alignment. When your actions reflect your values—and your values are visible to others—you build a brand that lasts.
Protecting Your Brand
If you want to safeguard your personal brand, start by taking inventory of your values. What do you stand for? What are you known for? What would you want someone to say about you when you’re not in the room?
Next, be mindful of how you show up. Everything—from your email tone to your social presence to how you engage in meetings—tells a story. Be intentional about who you surround yourself with, how you communicate, and what energy you bring into a space.
Personal branding isn’t about performance. It’s about presence. It’s about purpose. And most importantly, it’s about people.
Branding That Speaks for You
Having earned recognition in my field, I’ve seen firsthand how a consistent, credible brand can open doors—not just for professional accolades, but for real relationships, trust, and long-term success.
Whether you’re working behind the scenes or leading from the front, your personal brand matters. You don’t need a massive platform to make an impact—you just need clarity, consistency, and intention.Because at the end of the day, you are your brand—and your brand is always speaking, whether you realize it or not.
by PRSA Kansas | Mar 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
We’re already three months into 2025, and PRSA Kansas continues to build on the momentum from the past with new energy focused on the organization’s mission to help communications professionals become smarter, better prepared and more connected throughout their careers.
Our board consists of nine returning chairs and seven new chairs who are all committed to working together to evolve the organization and promote the value of public relations, communication excellence and professional development.
Here are just a few areas PRSA Kansas is focused on this year:
1. Growing membership
We’ve hovered around the same number of members for the last two years. By increasing efforts to recruit and retain members, it would be a great achievement to get back to where our membership was pre-Covid. Our board has a variety of ideas for enhancing the PRSA Kansas membership experience and we look forward to rolling those out with everyone from seasoned pros to young professionals over the coming months.
2. Communicating the value of PRSA membership.
Membership in PRSA is so much more than attending local monthly programs and networking with local professionals. Membership also includes access to free and discounted national webinars, on-demand programs and workshops, PRSA’s APR credential and certificate programs, and connections to other PR pros through online community forums. We plan to communicate these offerings regularly to enhance the PRSA membership experience and value.
3. Hosting accessible and enriching programs.
Last year we diversified our programs beyond the monthly “Lunch and Learn” to include “Rush Hour” programs near the end of the day at various locations around Wichita. This has made attending programs more accessible for those who can’t get away over the lunch hour and gives participants an inside look at businesses around town. This program is growing in popularity, too. We hosted the first Rush Hour of 2025 at Intrust Bank Arena in February and experienced record attendance for this 4-5 p.m. program. We look forward to continuing a mix of both programs – as well as an occasional virtual meeting – so that we can continue to offer accessible programs that work for all schedules. We are also committed to evaluating every program so we can continue to refine and improve our program offerings.
The communication landscape is rapidly evolving, and PRSA Kansas is committed to staying ahead of the curve to ensure our members are equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to succeed in this ever-changing environment.
No matter where you are on your journey as a PR and communications professional, PRSA Kansas is here to support your career and development.
Thank you to our dedicated board, members, and the communications community for your continued support. Let’s make 2025 another year of growth, learning and success for the public relations profession in Kansas!
Carrie Lindeman
PRSA Kansas president
by PRSA Kansas | Jan 31, 2023 | Featured
Written by Meghan Carver, President of the PRSA Kansas Chapter
Hello, friend! I hope 2023 has brought you joy and fruitful reflection so far. This year, alongside our president-elect Ti’Juana Hardwell, I hope to lead the PRSA Kansas chapter with intention, humility and a heart for service. I’m a big fan of remaining grounded in your “why”, so I’d like to start the year by sharing mine with you.
Eight years ago, I was eager to start as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshman at Wichita State. I had one goal for college: focus on my career so I could land a job before graduation.
PRSSA was the first student organization that met my much-too-high expectations. I would learn from upperclassmen, network with Wichita-area professionals, travel to professional development conferences across the nation and experience leading as PRSSA president with the help of my incredible advisor, Eric Wilson.
I invested in relationships that eventually became colleagues, friends (shoutout to fellow board members Ashtyn and Madison), supervisors (looking at you, Cynthia) and mentors (Wendy and I still grab lunch, which we need to do again soon). I graduated with wonderful memories, a strong foundation for my career and an invitation to join PRSA.
I continue my work in this organization not only because it gave so much to me, but because communicators play a critical role in our communities. Communicators have near final say in the messages organizations put out into the world – down to the syllable.
They shape how, when and if we think about vital issues like politics, health, education, the products we consume and services we employ. It is critical that professionals like us are equipped with the tools, resources and connections we need to best inform our stakeholders. That means mentoring the next generation of communicators diverse in thought and background, testing our knowledge through accreditation, bringing critical thought to conversations about ethics and asking questions to develop an impactful strategy. I believe that means joining PRSA.
Whether marketing, communications, social media or PR is in your title or not, take this as your formal invitation: engage with PRSA Kansas! Our board is dedicated to advancing you and your organization through networking, programming and education.
Soon, I’ll share our key goals for 2023 with the hope that you hold us accountable, and, if you feel so moved, help us reach them. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out via email at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you and connect you with our outstanding board members!
by PRSA Kansas | Jan 13, 2021 | Featured, Food for thought
Welcome to a new year and a new PRSA Kansas Board! Many of the faces remain the same, but we have two new members joining our board: Ashtyn Rottinghaus, Communications Specialist at Textron Aviation, has joined as the Social Media & PR Chair, and Ashton Maxfield, President of Master Plan Communications, has joined us as an at-large member based out of Garden City. I look forward to serving with both of them this year and know they will do outstanding work for our chapter.
This is my third year to serve on the board, and I am pleased to be serving as your president in 2021. We’ve already had our first board meeting of the year, and I’m excited about the momentum and excitement we have going into 2021.
I would like to thank Kim Kufahl, our immediate past president, for her leadership during 2020. She found a way to keep us on schedule and accomplished great things during her term. Akeam Ashford is our president-elect and is in charge of programming this year. If you have thoughts or ideas, please reach out to him.
We plan to continue to host our monthly programs virtually through the month of June. We hope that we can see each other in person by mid-year, but all plans at this point are tentative. To help cover our chapter’s administrative expenses, we will start charging a minimal fee for virtual meetings starting in January. We hope this does not discourage you from attending the monthly meetings, as we have a great slate of speakers lined up and we don’t want you to miss out!
Wishing you great things in 2021 and hoping to see you all in person later this year.
Kristy Bansemer, PRSA Kansas Chapter President
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