Aug 3, 2021 | Board Members Postings, Items of Note
We are saddened to announce that NIOA Past President Michael “Mike” Tellef, 67, of Mesa, passed away on Sunday, July 25, 2021 in Tempe, Arizona. Tellef served on the NIOA Board of Directors as Vice-President, President and Immediate Past President from 2005-2008.
Michael (Mike) James Tellef was born Feb 15, 1954 in Phoenix, Arizona to Robert and Ann (Staff) Tellef. A lifelong Arizona native, he was proud of his home.
His tenure with the City of Peoria began with the Peoria Police Department from October 24, 1977 to February 20, 1998 when he retired as a Sergeant. From February 23, 1998 to October 21, 2005 he worked for the Peoria Fire Department where he created and implemented their community and media relations programs.
On October 24, 2005 he returned to the Peoria Police Department as their PIO handling media and marketing. Mike was also certified in FEMA Basic as well as Advanced PIO and was one of the instructors of the FEMA Basic PIO Course in Arizona. Mike was part of a team of 12 PIOs from all levels of government from throughout the United States that worked with FEMA on upgrading the Basic PIO course and as a result two new courses were created. In February of 2008 he began handling media relations for the Peoria Fire Department in addition to the Police Department.
He was a Past President of the Safe Kids Maricopa County. He also served on the advisory council for the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona. On August 3, 2010 he was presented the Linda S. Kirby WATER Award by the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona for dedication and effort in promoting water safety. He has presented all over the country on media relations and crisis communications in places such as Delaware, FEMA EMI in Maryland and San Antonio.
In 2018, he sent a Facebook message to his high school sweetheart, Melissa Archer. She responded, and they ended up talking for hours. A new/old connection, and it was like no time had passed. They fell in love and got engaged. Covid threw off their plans for marriage, but they still lived happily together for a while.
Mike was known as Officer Friendly, as someone you could rely on, and was the nicest person ever in the world. That’s a fact. He cared about everyone he met, and is survived by a whole host of friends he cared about. His faith was also very important to him.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Bob and David Tellef and survived by his fiancée, Melissa Archer and (step)daughter Lisa Becker, brother Claude and sister-in-law Barbara, sons Adam and Chris and daughter-in-law Amber, as well as six grandchildren.
His service will be held on August 24th at 11am at Christ’s Church of the Valley, 7007 W Happy Valley Road in Peoria, AZ. There will be a celebration after at a venue TBA. Tempe Mortuary is entrusted with the arrangements. A GoFundMe account that was established to help with Mike’s medical expenses will now also assist the family with his funeral costs.
The NIOA Board of Directors, Past President’s Council, and all our members wish to extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the Tellef family, his fiancée and his many friends.
Lisa McNeal
Executive Director
On behalf of the NIOA Board of Directors
NIOA Past Presidents Council
& Region 9 Director Steve Berry
May 9, 2019 | Board Members Postings, Vice-President's Observations
Here’s a request from NIOA Vice-President Ashley McDonald:
I am conducting research for my Master Public Information Officer final paper. Members who want to participate will have to access this link using the Google Chrome browser.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MasterPIOresearchprojectAM
Thank you,
Ashley McDonald
Public Information Officer
City of Murfreesboro
Jan 24, 2018 | Board Members Postings, Items of Note, Leadership
After serving the NIOA as a Regional Director for seven years, Steve Davis is stepping down as he is retiring as PIO of the Lakewood (CO) Police Department.
As a result, we are seeking candidates for the Region 8 Director. The job responsibilities of the Regional Director include the following:
- Serve as a representative of the National Information Officers Association for their specific region.
- Monitor the membership status of their region. Pursue and provide membership information to non-member agencies and individuals within their region.
- Encourage training at the regional level.
- Provide a report on their activities to the Vice-President on a quarterly basis.
- Attend and assist the Board of Directors and Host Committee at the Annual Training Conference.
- Provide a report of the status of their region at the designated meeting with the Board of Directors at the Annual Training Conference.
- Conduct a Regional meeting at the Annual Training Conference.
- Submit content for the association newsletter based on a schedule set by the Vice-President
Additional duties as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.
Please note that you must attend the annual training conference in August to be considered for this position. If you are interested in becoming the Region 8 Director, please send an email and include a brief summary as to why you would like to serve in this capacity to Lisa McNeal, Executive Director, nioa@comcast.net, by Feb. 1, 2018.
We would like to thank Steve for his tremendous efforts over the years on behalf of NIOA. His are immensely large shoes to fill.
Stephanie Slater
Vice President
National Information Officers Association
Jan 2, 2018 | Board Members Postings, Items of Note, NIOA Board Insights, NIOA Conference
In a little over a week the NIOA board will meet to decide topics and speakers for the 2018 conference.
If you have an idea, please send it to nioa@comcast.net before Tuesday, January 9.
Please include the name of the suggested speaker and their contact information.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Lisa McNeal
Executive Director
Sep 12, 2017 | Board Members Postings, President's Point of View
Welcome to the National Information Officers Association!
The NIOA is an organization of spokespersons and communicators dedicated to getting the right information to the right people at the right time. We are passionate about the communities in which we serve, and we strive to better ourselves to in order to better serve our communities and agencies alike. It’s this passion that exemplifies our organization as a premiere venue for training and networking in the field of information gathering and dissemination.
Our annual training conference is held annually during the final week of August. It features presentations from some of the most high-profile incidents of the past year, as well as the hottest topics in the world of government communicators. While the annual conference provides incredible insight and knowledge from lessons learned, it is YOU – our members – that make this a dynamic training experience. The conference provides plenty of opportunities to meet and greet other members throughout the country whom you may one day rely on when you find yourself in the midst of a major incident.
Outside of the conference, throughout the year, the NIOA newsletter is another opportunity for you to keep up with the latest in our field. The newsletter allows you to keep up on the latest trends and topics outside our annual training conference. It also provides a venue for you to share your experience and knowledge with the entire organization! We all have some experience that can help our colleagues. To that end, I challenge each of you to write an article for the newsletter at some point over the next year.
In the past year, we launched the NIOA Facebook Group to provide our members unfiltered access to the entire NIOA community. By posting to the group, you can now rely on feedback from hundreds of PIOs throughout the country! So, even if you can’t get enough feedback from conference presenters, attendees, or newsletter articles, this opens up access to all members to provide you with the information you need to help you in any situation.
The 2017 training conference in Clearwater, Florida, was another great success and one of our biggest ever! Your NIOA Executive Board is preparing for the 2018 conference, and we are dedicated to bringing you an unparalleled experience each and every year. On that note, we ask you to send us suggestions on the presentations you would like to see in 2018.
Until we meet again in Clearwater in 2018, my message to you is to never stop training and never stop networking. It is an incredible honor to serve as your NIOA President while representing the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, and I cherish the opportunity to serve and represent you and our incredible organization.
Sincerely,
Brennan Matherne
President
Jul 26, 2017 | Board Members Postings, Items of Note, NIOA Conference
We are just a few weeks away from the 2017 NIOA Training Conference in Clearwater and there are a few things to remember.
Your conference fees must be paid at the time of conference check in.
It is your responsibility to ensure this is done. If you have questions, please check with your finance or training departments to see if those fees have been paid or email me at nioa@comcast.net
Fees can be paid at the door with cash, check or credit cards. There is a service charge on credit cards. You will not be permitted to attend sessions until your fees are paid.
Our events on Sunday and Wednesday nights are receptions with finger foods, not sit down meals. Only one adult guest is allowed to attend with you. Children are not permitted.
Please keep your phones on silent so as not to disturb other attendees or presenters. If you have to take a call, please leave the meeting room and remember to move away from the entrance as well, again, so other attendees and presenters are not disturbed.
If you have items from your agency that you want to provide as door prizes, we’d be happy to have them.
We have posted an updated schedule on the website. Please check it out when you have a chance.
I look forward to seeing you in Clearwater!
Lisa McNeal
Executive Director
