Introducing The 2013-2014 Women Communicators of Austin Board

Congratulations to the newly-elected board for Women Communicators of Austin! With this fabulous group of women, the year promises to be great. The new board term starts June 1. If you see them at Banner Brunch, Connect Over Cocktails or any of our WCA functions, be sure to say hello.

WCAustin 2013-2014 Boardmembers

Susan Moore, President – a 20-year member of WCA, Susan has served on the its Board in several capacities, including President-Elect, Treasurer (twice), VP of Member Retention (twice), Arrangements Chair, and Student Chapter Liaison. She is also active in Freelance Austin, serving as their Program Coordinator.

Lisa Maxwell, President-elect – this year’s recipient of the Leadership Award at Banner Brunch, Lisa is a long-time member of WCA and has served on the Board for numerous years. She is currently chairing the Transition Task Force and has led numerous committees at the local and national level. She has also been awarded the WCA Outstanding Chapter Member Award, the President’s Award, and the Anne Durrum Robinson Creative Initiative Award.

Dara Quackenbush, Past President – thanks to Dara for completing a successful year and leading our organization through its transition to become Women Communicators of Austin. Throughout the years, Dara has also served as VP of Career Services, VP of Programs and VP of Member Recruitment. She also started the Texas State student chapter and served as its faculty advisor for three years.

Laura Shankland, Treasurer – Laura is returning as Treasurer for a second term, helping to make our organization’s transition more seamless. She has also served as Website Editor for two years.

Allison Birk, Secretary – Allison served as Publicity Chair last year and is looking forward to continuing with the board as Secretary. She is a Career Advisor at Texas State University and involved in several organizations on that campus.

Nettie Reynolds, VP/Programs – Nettie brings a wealth of experience to the board. A writer and speaker, she is the owner of Nettie Ink, a digital and marketing consultancy, as well as a certified Laughter Yoga Instructor.

Emlea Chanslor, VP/Recruitment – Emlea is currently co-chair of Banner Branch and served on the Banner Brunch committee for the two previous years, including chairing an outstanding auction in 2011.

Lauren Appa, VP/Retention – Lauren is relatively new to Austin, moving here from Seattle where she was active in the Seattle AWC chapter. She has been active on the WCA website task force, helping with content for the new site. Lauren is also the owner of AppaInk Copywriting.

Susan Lahey, VP/Freelance Programming – Susan has been serving on the board as Secretary and will be returning to the board as VP of Freelance Programming. She has also been serving as Co-Chair for Freelance Austin this past year.

Glenda Beasley, VP/Career Services – Glenda has a broad background in marketing, communications, and entrepreneurship, and will lead our Career Services programs. She is currently the marketing manager for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. and was founder of Marketing Mileage.

Michele Schwartz, Co-VP/Special Programs (Banner) – Michele co-chaired the Get Smart 2010 conference and was VP of Programs in 2011. She returns to the WCA board to lead our Banner Brunch event. She is the creator and editor-in-chief of The Modern Jewish Wedding and The Modern Jewish Mitzvah, and has an extensive background in event planning, fundraising and strategic planning.

Cristen James, Co-VP/Professional Development (Get Smart) – After co-chairing last year’s very successful Get Smart conference which set attendance records, Cristen is continuing as Co-VP/Professional Development. Prior to this, she served on the board for two years as Co-VP/Development. She also served on the Transition Task Force.

Danielle Urban, Co-VP/Professional Development (Get Smart) – Danielle has been a WCA member since 2011. She was an active member of last year’s Banner Brunch marketing committee, and also led a team of volunteers in supporting marketing for Get Smart 2012. Danielle also serves on the Transition Task Force and is an assistant account executive for Pierpont Communications.

Laura Bond Williams, Co-VP/Development – Laura is a long-term WCA member and has been serving on the Development committee this past year. She is the principal and co-founder of Momentum Public Relations and brings great expertise in community outreach.

Julie Lara, Co-VP/Development – Julie co-chaired an extremely successful Get Smart conference in 2011 and 2012 and has also been an incredible asset to the Transition Task Force. She is continuing on the board this year as Co-VP/Development.

Emily Fraser, Online Newsletter Editor – This year’s Outstanding Chapter Member, Emily has previously served on the WCA board as VP of Member Retention, Arrangements Co-Chair and as Social Media Chair. She was also awarded the Anne Durrum Robinson Creative Initiative Award in 2011.

Christina Meisner, Design Chair – Christina has been a blog contributor for our Social Media committee and has a background that combines both design and writing. She is currently a brand specialist with CLEAResult and is looking forward to sharing her design talents to support our many events and programs.

Katie Shagman, Publicity – Katie has been active on the Social Media committee writing Member Spotlights, and also volunteered her photographic talents for the Get Smart conference. She is an account supervisor at Hill + Knowlton Strategies, as well as the owner of Her Side Project, an event and portrait photography company.

Joshunda Sanders, Co-Chair Social Media – Joshunda is a prolific writer and blogger, and is the Assistant Director of Communications within the University of Texas Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. She has been contributing her writing talents to the Social Media committee.

Sara Peralta, Co-Chair Social Media – Sara currently serves in this board position and will continue WCA’s social media reach for an additional year. She is a non-profit professional, as well as a graduate student at Texas State University studying mass communication with an emphasis in digital media.

Judi Hays, Website Editor – Judi is currently the Vice President of Communications for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and returns for a second year as website editor to help manage communications as we migrate to our new site.

Julie Mayne Barschow, Arrangements Co-Chair – Julie is looking forward to bringing her non-profit expertise to the board. She is the owner of Julie Barschow Consulting and was previously the director of marketing for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Austin.

Jaimie Lenhardt, Arrangements Co-Chair – Jaimie jumped in to WCA with both feet, and is currently chairing the Banner Brunch Auction committee. She is the publicity and events coordinator for the Center for Teaching and Learning at The University of Texas at Austin.

Samantha Furry, Student Chapter Liaison – Samantha is returning for a second year as Student Chapter Liaison. During her term, she has introduced a very successful speed mentoring program to help connect students to our professional members.