Julie Pedretti, President
The highlights of the Press Club of Southwest Florida Board meeting held on March 21 include discussions about upcoming programs and social events, journalism student scholarships and working journalist awards.
We have started a list of topics for our annual summer retreat—a time we can more thoroughly discuss a number of strategic issues such as how to meet the needs of working journalists so we can attract them as members, how to raise more funds for our Journalism Student Scholarship Program and what types of partnerships and programs will allow us to play an expanded role in education.
If you haven’t already done so, plan to register today for the special April 5 evening program featuring Fortune Magazine Executive Editor Adam Lashinsky. The lunch program on May 3 will address the Honor Flight program in Collier County, which is particularly timely with a flight scheduled for May 5. And, speaking of timely, just as hurricane season begins in June, NPC Vice President of Programs Mark Young is planning a program for June 7 featuring an expert from the Weather Channel to talk about their new digital use of on-the-scene coverage, which allows people in the middle of a weather disaster to share video and photos live with the station. Additional speakers may include local disaster preparedness/response leaders from the city and county.
An evening social event to honor the working media will be held Tuesday, May 22, at Seasons 52. Last year’s event was incredibly well attended and provided an opportunity for meeting new friends and catching up with old ones. Watch for details and information on how to register.
Once again, I would encourage those who wish to become more involved in NPC to let us know of your interest. We have many committee roles available, including publicity and fundraising.