NIOA members have elected Chuck Allen as Vice President for 2010-2011. Jack Goldhorn will advance as President of the organization. Marlee Boenig will continue to serve on the executive board for one year as Immediate Past President.

From Chuck’s recent election bio:

“…I have been with the Nevada Department of Public Safety-Highway-Patrol Division for twenty years and have spent the past six plus years as the spokesperson for my agency. I am also a twenty-six year member of the military and am currently assigned as the Human Resource Advisor for the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, and report directly to the Wing Commander.

I have been a member of the NIOA since 2004 and have attended every annual conference since then. Additionally, I assisted with a presentation detailing the lessons learned regarding the Steve Fossett search at the Sparks conference in 2008 and spoke at one of the breakouts in Nashville last year about doing more as a PIO.

The core values for my full time career are Dedication, Pride, and Service, and my Air National Guard core values are Integrity, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. As a public information officer I live by the core values of Approachability, Availability, and Visibility. With a belief system in applying all of these values, I truly believe I represent my agency in the most professional manner and believe that by building and maintaining relationships with the media is the key to being successful.

As for my involvement in the community, I have been a member of the Executive Board of Directors for the Nevada Humane Society for 4 years and am currently assigned as the Secretary. I am also heavily involved in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) in Nevada and coordinate and participate in a number of fundraisers every year benefiting the athletes in the Special Olympics Nevada program. I also sit on the board of directors for the Sparks Traffic Survival School, a non-profit group involved with providing teen and adult driving safety training.

…I will work as hard and as passionately as possible in promoting and expanding the growth of the NIOA. I love this organization immensely and will continue to be a proud member and a hopeful officer of the board…”

The NIOA Board members are working hard to prepare for the 2010 conference in Clearwater Beach, Florida. We know that there are budget concerns for many agencies, travel monies are few and some agencies are not providing funds for training.

We also believe that this conference is the finest conference available for PIOs to hone their skills, receive new insights to help them improve themselves as PIOs and therefore benefit their agencies, and of course, to build networks with others that can help when help is needed.

As past NIOA Presidents have done, I am providing a letter for members to share with their chief or administrator to help show the value of the annual training conference. Please download, print and present it to your leaders so that they might better understand the overall value of this conference.

We look forward to seeing you in Clearwater Beach.

Marlee Boenig
2009-2010 President
NIOA

Enclosure: 2010 NIOA President Letter to Chiefs

Jack Goldhorn, Norfolk Fire-Rescue, has been elected to the National Information Officers Association Board of Directors as Vice President for 2010. Elections were held Tuesday, August 25 during the 2009 Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Goldhorn has been an active member and has attended every training conference since becoming a member of NIOA. He assisted with the hosting of the 1999 Conference in Norfolk, VA.  He has worked for the City of Norfolk Fire-Rescue for 25 years and has been an active public information officer since 1995.

Jack says, “Being active on not only local and regional PIO councils has given me the passion to continue on the national level to share my experience and guidance with NIOA.”

Lou Thurston, Newport News Police Department, has been elected NIOA Secretary. This is a two-year term commencing at the end of the 2009 conference through the end of the conference in Phoenix in 2011. Thurston is not new to the role. He has served previously as secretary of the NIOA and is a past-president. Andrea Summers, Delaware Department of Highway Safety, served as secretary for two-years.

Marlee Boenig, Bowling Green Fire Department (KY), assumes the role of president of the NIOA for one year. She served as vice-president of the association this year and has been active in increasing communications to the membership and to the regional director team. Rich Palmer, Washington Township Fire Department (Montgomery County, OH), will continue to serve on the Board of Directors as Immediate Past President for one year.

from the May/June 2009 NIOA News

Two candidates have met the June 1st deadline established by NIOA by-laws* to declare their intent to seek the Vice-Presidency – Jack Goldhorn and Krystn McArthur. Lou Thurston is the only candidate to submit his intent to run for Secretary. Both positions will be up for election at the annual Training Conference in Nashville in late August.

If you would like to vote for one of these candidates, but are unable to attend the conference, absentee ballots are available. Please follow the directions* on the ballot clearly, or the vote will not be counted. Download the ballot form here.

Candidates for NIOA Vice-President

Jack Goldhorn, Norfolk VA Fire/Rescue
“As an NIOA Regional Director for six years and organization member for 13 years I have decided to declare for the office of Vice-President. I have been an active member and have attended every training conference since being a member of NIOA and hosted the 1999 Conference in Norfolk, VA. I have worked for the City of Norfolk Fire-Rescue for 25 years and have been an active PIO since 1995. Being active on not only local and regional PIO councils has given me the passion to continue on the National level to share my experience and guidance with NIOA. I look forward to another fine conference that has been planned for Nashville and ask for your vote.”

Krystn McArthur, City of Mukilteo, WA
“I am excited to have the opportunity to run for a leadership position within the NIOA. I have long believed our organization to be very unique and special, which sets us apart from other national organizations in our field. I value and appreciate the friendships, networking opportunities and wealth of information and training the NIOA provides to its membership, constantly working to keep abreast of the latest in media, ever-changing technology and best-practices. I spent more than a decade of experience in public relations, communications and over twenty four years in local government. I retired in 2004 from the United States Air Force and held positions in the Security Forces and the Office for Public Affairs, from 1984-2004. Presently, I am the Communications Officer and Assistant City Administrator for the City of Mukilteo, Washington (including the Mukilteo Fire Department) where I oversee media relations and community outreach efforts, direct the production of the city newsletter and is leading the city’s brand management campaign. I am also responsible for cable television programming, and other promotional strategies for the advancement of the City. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Public Administration from City University. I have been a member in good standing with the NIOA since 2005 and have served as Regional Director of Region 10 of the NIOA since 2006. I sincerely thank all of you for this outstanding opportunity to serve our membership and the NIOA.”

Candidate for Secretary

This candidate is running unopposed, therefore no ballot vote is necessary.

Lou Thurston, Newport News VA Police
“First of all I want to express my gratitude to the Board of directors and all who have worked diligently to provide what promises to be another outstanding conference. Until you have experienced the frustrations of putting such an event together, it is difficult to understand everything that is involved. I sincerely believe this year will be extremely beneficial to everyone who attends.

I have notified the Board of my intention to seek election to secretary at this year’s conference and I ask for your support. I have been an active member of the NIOA for over fifteen years, have served previously on the Board and hosted the conference held in Virginia Beach. I have watched this organization grow from a handful of public safety PIOs to the highly respected international organization of today. I am extremely proud to have had the opportunity to work with the NIOA to bring the high quality of training for, and the professional recognition to, the PIO profession. Having worked as a PIO, then in the media, and now as a PIO again, has provided me a much broader perspective and respect for what we do. I am extremely passionate about media relations, particularly when it comes to public safety agencies. I am a firm believer in “working with, not dealing with the media”. I carry this same passion when it comes to the NIOA. I will say this, if elected secretary, I will continue to work as a member of the “NIOA team”, which includes the Board of Directors, the Regional Directors, the Past Presidents Council and, most importantly, you the membership. I believe that in order for any organization to be effective there must be good communications with the membership. I pledge to make myself available to any member who may have a suggestion, question or concern. I can’t promise I will be able to fix every issue or make everyone happy all the time. I can promise to keep the best interest of the NIOA and its membership in the forefront and to communicate as a member of “the team”. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Nashville and hope that you will consider selecting me to be your secretary for the next two years. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or if I can, in any way, be of assistance.”

From the by-laws

*XII. ELECTIONS
C. Proxy votes may be cast by filling out a form provided by the Executive Director, and will only be counted if received by mail (USPS or commercial delivery service), postmarked by August 1st. No email proxy votes or proxy votes presented via other members at the Annual Training Conference will be accepted.

As we move toward the Nashville conference we must also prepare for a new year for the leadership of the NIOA. Nominations for Secretary and also for Vice-President are being accepted. The deadline for submissions is fast approaching.

Here is a quote from VP Marlee Boenig as it appeared the March/April 2009 issue of the NIOA News:

With the conference comes the important matter of electing officers. At this year’s event, we’ll be holding elections for Secretary and for Vice-President. The NIOA Secretary serves a two-year term, while the Vice-President serves a one-year term as VP, followed by a one-year term as President and a one-year term as Immediate Past President.

If you’re interested in running for either of these positions, you MUST declare before June 1, 2009. A Letter of Intent, a short biography and a photograph must be submitted to your Regional Director [or any member of the executive board] and Don Kelly, our outstanding NIOA News Editor, before June 1. This allows the membership time to get to know the people running for office so they can make an informed decision at election time.

Now is your opportunity to get involved in the NIOA. If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines for the perfect moment, here it is. If you’re not interested in running for office, that’s perfectly ok. Instead submit an article for the newsletter, make a worthwhile suggestion to improve our organization or encourage someone to join that isn’t already a member. There are tons of ways you can support the NIOA. Just find your place and help make the NIOA even better.

Happy New Year from your NIOA Board of Directors!  We wanted to update you with the changes that have just taken effect as of January 1^st and give you a summary of what occurred at the Board and Business meetings held at this year’s Annual Training Conference in Reno-Sparks.  We know not everyone is able to make it to the August conference so although the minutes for both the Board and General Business meetings have just been posted to the NIOA website, here are the highlights.

First of all, in August the Board presented to the membership a Vision Statement and set of Core Values for the Association, which it had crafted and adopted earlier in the year.  These two items are intended to give members – new and existing – a clearer understanding of what the NIOA stands for and why it exists.  They read as follows:  Vision Statement: The NIOA exists to serve the needs of public information officers, through education, networking and ongoing training opportunities.  The Core Values for the Association: Professionalism, Ethics, Education, Networking.  The Vision Statement and Core Values have now been added to the by-laws.

Deadlines for Dues and Voting Privileges

            Speaking of changes, at the Business Meeting in August the Board announced several important deadlines set in regard to payment of your annual dues which may impact your ability to vote in NIOA elections or on other items presented at the conference. 

1 )  All dues must now be paid by February 1^st each year in order for members to be able to vote during the conference Business meeting. 

2)  Additionally, if a Regional Director’s dues are not paid by February 1^st, they will be replaced by the Board. 

3)  Finally, any new member joining the Association on or before May 1^st will still be able to vote during the conference Business meeting.  Those joining after this date will not be eligible for voting privileges that calendar year.

These changes took effect January 1, 2009.   Executive Director, Lisa McNeal, sent out invoices for dues in December.  So please start looking for your invoices in the mail and if you have not received them by now you need to notify us or we will not know you didn’t get them.

Running for office changes

            Other changes to the NIOA’s election process have also been made.  Nominations will no longer be accepted from the floor at the Training Conference.  Anyone who would like to run for an office must declare their intention by sending an email to the Board (either to Executive Director Lisa McNeal, or Secretary Andrea Summers) by June 1^st.  Setting this deadline will give the Board an opportunity to ensure that the candidate is in compliance with by-laws in terms of membership status and conference attendance. 

The by-laws state “Any person wishing to run for office must have been a regular member in good standing for three consecutive years, including the year of the nomination and must have also attended at least two NIOA conferences in a five-year period, including the year of the nomination, in order to be eligible.” 

Changes for Regional Directors

Additionally, if a Regional Director position becomes vacant because they win an election (as was the case for former Region IV co-Director and now VP Marlee Boenig), or because they no longer feel able to fulfill their duties, a new Regional Director will be selected at the discretion of the Board.  That post must now be filled by October 1^st by the Vice President.  The Board met with the RDs at the Training Conference and discussed several items with them. 

1) Board meeting minutes will now be emailed directly to the RDs so that they may distribute them to the members in their region and improve the overall flow of communication within the Association. 

2) Recruiting new members continues to be a challenge, but Lisa McNeal has bundles of extra newsletters for the RDs to distribute upon request as a recruiting tool. 

3) The RDs will now be required to fulfill the following duties at the Annual Training Conference:  Assist ED Lisa McNeal as requested, help the Board when requested by agreeing to introduce speakers, assist the Secretary at the Business Meeting with the distribution and counting of ballots for elections, and meet with the Board to provide a status report of their activities during the year.

Recruiting and Marketing

While we’re on the subject of recruiting for and marketing the NIOA, let me update you on what has occurred in the past year and a new partnership that we hope will help.  In the spring of this year, Lisa sent out 7,500 brochures – to all PIOs in law enforcement agencies in Nevada, Arizona and in surrounding cities with 50K + population, hospital lists, and the California PIO Association to promote the conference.  5,000 postcards were produced for distribution and recruiting by the RDs and Lisa wants to do another 5,000 to mail to Safety Source.  Lisa also reports that there is an NIOA membership application form on the website.  Interested individuals need only print it out, fill it out, and mail it in! 

Through a trade agreement with Law One… an online law enforcement website…we received a banner ad on their website.  The NIOA also sent letters to Police Chiefs nationwide promoting the NIOA and encouraging them to get their PIOs involved.  The Board also looked into buying IACP and Fire Chief mailing lists as well as magazine ads; however, this was far too expensive so the Board opted not to pursue it.

            The Board also agreed to form a partnership with the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR).  The proposal came from LETR through Past President Don Aaron.  They offered several opportunities for both of our organizations to cross promote themselves including: The LETR agrees to promote the NIOA within its membership, provide NIOA opportunities to promote itself within the organization, and encourage its PIO members to join NIOA.  In turn, NIOA agrees to encourage its member agencies to get involved with the LETR and activities that promote and support Special Olympics, and provide the LETR with the opportunity to promote itself to NIOA members.  Immediate Past President Mike Tellef will act as the NIOA liaison from the Board to LETR. 

            In early December, our President Rich Palmer posted a note to the new website announcing a new partnership between the NIOA and the Performance Institute’s – Social Media for Government conference.  In exchange for the NIOA promoting the upcoming conference among its members (which we have on our website already and will through future email blasts), they have placed our logo front and center on their conference page, will provide 10% off tuition for anyone who hears about the conference through the NIOA, is placing our logo on their brochure cover, and is placing a full page NIOA add in the conference guide!  Hopefully this will be a win-win for both organizations in terms of additional training and cross organization promotion.

New website unveiled!

            Finally, we’re so pleased to unveil our updated website to you!  It looks clean, sleek, modern, and best of all, all the information you need is easy to find.  Props and many thanks go out to our website team:  President Rich Palmer, website guru Kevin Krepinevich and newsletter editor and Past President Don Kelly who works tirelessly to support the NIOA in a variety of ways.  Thanks to you all for taking on this major project.

            Well that’s it for this time.  The Board starts planning your August conference in Nashville at its January 17^th Board meeting.  We’ll post the meeting minutes soon after.  But why not mark your calendars NOW for the NIOA 2009 Annual Training Conference, August 23 – 26 at the Nashville Downtown Hilton!  If you have suggestions for conference topics or speakers…start sending them now…all ideas are welcome.  Thanks for all you do.  Best wishes for a happy, productive, safe and sane 2009!

I’m glad to present to you the updated NIOA web site.

With this new site, the board members can provide more up-to-date association specific information.  We can also provide you with information pertaining to activities by members, PIO news that may be of interest, or examples of PIOs doing great work!

Look for continued enhancements to this site.  We hope to add even more over the course of the year.  New options for sharing information are made available every day!  We’ll look at those that might be beneficial to the organization and we might explore some that are just evolving.

For those of you that are subscribers to news feeds from web sites, you should find the RSS options on this site a welcome addition.  You can subscribe using your favorite reader (such as Google Reader, FeedDemon, NetVibes, FeedReader and others).  You can even subscribe to feeds within your browser window (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Flock, etc.). There is a tutorial under the FAQ header for anyone that might like to explore this benefit.  Any news that is “quick” and time specific will be posted on the blog.  When you are a subscriber to the content you will receive it immediately in your reader of choice.

You can use these same readers to subscribe to content from many of the sites you may visit regularly.  Imagine how much more efficient you will be when you only have to visit one place!

Of course, the NIOA blog will offer the option for comments to the various posts. We plan to moderate these, of course, but it should offer us the opportunity to engage in conversation about current topics, news, interests, and activities.

Watch for more updates soon!  Thanks for a being a member of the NIOA.

Time is running out to qualify for the discounted early-bird conference registration rate for our 2008 NIOA Training Conference in Reno-Sparks, Nevada.

If you are planning to attend, it is important that you register prior to July 1st. Remember, you don’t have to pay until later. You can even bring it with you and pay at the door. But you must register prior to July 1 to get the discounted member rate of $495. If you wait until after July 1st, registration goes up to $695!

Also, due to a production error part of the agenda published in our May-June newsletter was inadvertantly omitted, but you can view the full agenda at www.nioa.org/tc.htm and you can view or print a corrected newsletter issue at http://www.nioa.org/news.htm.

Looking forward to seeing you soon in Reno-Sparks!

Judy Pal,
NIOA President

“Remember, you don’t have to pay until later.”