Introducing Tom Garrity, President at The Garrity Group Public Relations. As co-chair for the Conference planning committee, Tom will be side by side with Dana to provide assistance throughout the conference. Keep reading to learn more about Tom’s career and public relations insights!
Getting to know you…
Name: Tom Garrity
Agency: The Garrity Group Public Relations
Position: President
First job in PR: Director of Communications for the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau (1994)
Your insights…
Most loved thing about being in PR: Having a passion to counsel clients through challenging times; making the complex simple; helping clients to be successful.
Best source for breaking PR news: Twitter
Number one recommendation to new PR professionals: Find a mentor, someone who has “been there and done that” to complement your passion for public relations.
About Counselors Academy…
Most valuable aspect of being a Counselors Academy member: Iron sharpens iron, the ability to talk about firm operations, industry trends, new business development and client service in a safe environment.
Role on the planning committee: I am a co-chair for the Conference planning committee working to help secure keynotes. However, my key role is to keep Dana smiling by providing conference assistance when possible.
Best thing about the Counselors Academy conference: The professional development. Senior level discussions take place here, we all speak the same “PR Firm Owner” language.
Most fun memory of a Counselors Academy conference: It is a memory captured in a formal picture. A group of us, dressed in 1970’s attire (it was a themed CAPRSA Dinner), saw there was a high school prom. We decided to commemorate the evening by getting a formal group picture taken by the official “prom photographer.” The picture is in my office and fun memories of the evening are engrained in my mind.
Counselors Academy Member Spotlight Blog Series:
Our very own Dana Hughens is the PRSA’s Counselors Academy Conference Chair for the 2013 conference June 9-11 in Austin, Texas. As conference chair, she has the privilege to work with other members of the conference planning committee, which consists of senior-level PR counselors and agency owners from across the United States and Canada. We caught up with these PR pros to find out their secret to success and what they love most about Counselors Academy.
I just had to go back to my room and change, didn’t I?
Yep, and you missed it. The greatest thing that ever happened. Well, the second greatest. The first might be that moment that you snapped that photo of me wearing that vintage dress and saying bye to you in the taxi. Or maybe it was when we “ding dong ditched” the conference chair. (Oh man, I hope I don’t get payback for that this year.) Or maybe it was singing at the dueling pianos place. Wow… I think all my favorite moments were at the Asheville conference with you!
You are doing a fabulous job of keeping me smiling! I couldn’t ask for a better conference co-chair — THANK YOU! And hey, what a quinky-dink, that prom photo is my favorite memory, too!