2008 Officers
 |  |  |  |  | | Jim Braibish | Carolyn Green | Billy Brennan | Chuck Reitter | Rita Holmes-Bobo |
Jim Braibish, APR (President) - Jim is principal of Braibish Communications, providing services in public relations, media relations, crisis communications, marketing communications and fund-raising to a broad range of business and organization clients. Previously he served for nine years as public relations director for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter and handled media response for local and national disasters. He also has directed public relations for the service organization Optimist International and supervised client public relations programs with Edelman. He has been a PRSA St. Louis board member since 2003, serving as membership chair and co-chair. He was a Delegate in 2006. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, he earned his APR in 1991. 314-835-9883. Carolyn Green (President-Elect/Program Chair) – Carolyn is president of C. Green & Associates, a consulting firm that helps organizations build and maintain the management functions required to nurture key relationships. Since 1997 C. Green & Associates has specialized in facilitating collaboration and the development of the human systems needed to implement new ideas and services. Carolyn is serving her fifth year on the PRSA-St. Louis Board, having previously co-chaired the Career Academies and Job Bank committees and serving as a director in 2007. She holds a Master’s in journalism from Indiana University (Bloomington) and a B.S in public relations from Central Missouri State. (618) 659-0257. Billy Brennan (Secretary) - Billy is a senior account executive at Weber Shandwick St. Louis. In this position, he conducts media relations and internal and external communications activities for corporate and healthcare clients. Prior to joining Weber Shandwick in 2006, Brennan held a professional assistantship with Saint Louis University's Office of Marketing and Communications. Brennan holds a master of arts degree in communication and a bachelor of arts degree in communication from Saint Louis University. 314-552-6737.
Chuck Reitter (Treasurer) - A member of PRSA since 2002 and a past president of the Chapter, Chuck Reitter is a director with UCG Associates, Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in airports and governments. His current primary assignment is at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, where he was public information manager for the airport's recently completed Expansion Program. Prior to joining the aviation field, Chuck was director of marketing for a financial services firm, president and chief operating officer of a publishing company, and had been a group publisher, controller, circulation manager, M.I.S. manager, salesperson, internal management consultant, financial manager, editor, photographer and reporter in the financial services, publishing and direct-marketing industries. He has an M.A. degree in management from Webster University and a B.J. degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. 314-551-5006. Rita Holmes-Bobo, APR (Immediate Past President) - Rita serves as a managing supervisor in Fleishman-Hillard’s healthcare group. Her extensive experience includes media relations, corporate reputation, issues management, employee communications, community engagement, and fundraising. Prior to joining Fleishman-Hillard, Rita was employed by Express Scripts. She has also worked for Outsourcing Solutions Inc. and the St. Louis Public School District. In addition to her various volunteer roles for PRSA, she serves on the University of Kansas Black Alumni Chapter’s leadership team, the UMSL Multicultural Advisory Board and the National PRSA Audit committee. A native of Wichita, Kan., Rita graduated from the University of Kansas with an MBA and a B.S. in business. She earned her APR in 2003 and is a graduate of Coro Women in Leadership. 314-982-1710.  |  |  | Dawn DeBlaze
| Rob Staggenborg | Jeff Waldman
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Dawn DeBlaze (Assembly Delegate) Term Expires 12/31/09 - Rob Staggenborg, APR (Assembly Delegate) Term Expires 12/31/10 – Rob is the Director of Communications for Christian Brothers College High School (CBC), one of the oldest private high schools in the metropolitan St. Louis area. In this position, Rob, also a graduate of CBC, helps direct the school’s communications, marketing and new student outreach programs. A native St. Louisan, he attended the University of Maryland–Heidelberg while serving as a photojournalist and staff reporter for The European Stars & Stripes. Following military service, he joined the staff of the Suburban Journals and subsequently the staff of the St. Louis Business Journal. Rob entered public relations as a media relations coordinator for the Special School District of St. Louis County in the mid-1990s. Joining the CBC staff in 1998, he has helped direct the school’s communications and marketing programs as it moved from its Clayton home of 82 years to its new location in Town & Country. Rob also consults with clients in the technology, education and non-profit sector. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Webster University with an emphasis in media communications. Jeff Waldman (Assembly Delegate) Term Expires 12/31/10 - A member of PRSA since 1997, Jeff's service to PRSA-St. Louis has included being a director, program chair/president elect (2004), president (2005), an assembly delegate to the International Conference and chair of the nominations committee as immediate past president (2006). He headed the chapter's new member orientation in 2007. Professionally, Jeff is director of marketing at Bethesda Health Group following his position as communications and media relations manager at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. Having served on a number of community boards, Jeff has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a master of arts in media communications from Webster University. 314-878-5959.  |  |  |  | | Melissa Barreca | Regina DeLuca Imral | Jeanne Howard | Ron O'Connor |
Melissa Barreca, APR (Director) Term Expires 12/31/08 - Melissa is communications project manager with Ameristar Casinos, Inc. and has served on the PRSA St. Louis board since 2004 - as secretary (two years), publicity chair and in her current role as director. Born and raised in St. Louis, she began her PRSA affiliation in Phoenix with the Valley of the Sun Chapter in 1999 during her time at Cramer-Krasselt Public Relations, a regional PR firm. Melissa worked on the membership committee before co-chairing the 2001 Copper Anvil Awards for that chapter. Back to St. Louis in October 2001, Melissa joined Ameristar Casino St. Charles, as PR manager for the property, before being promoted to her current corporate communications role managing special projects for each of Ameristar's properties nationwide. Melissa has also served as the marketing coordinator for Sweet Traditions, the area franchisee for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in St. Louis and Chicago. She earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2004, holds a B.A. in communications from Truman State University and has completed graduate work in communications at Webster University. 314-308-7263. Regina DeLuca-Imral (Director) Term Expires 12/31/09 - With more than 13 years of public relations experience, Regina DeLuca-Imral has been an active member of the St. Louis Chapter of PRSA since 2000. This is her year as a Director after serving two years as secretary. Regina is a senior media specialist with Edward Jones, a global financial-services firm that caters to individual investors from one-broker offices throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. In this position, she works on media relations and internal and external communications for the firm's 30,000 associates, including 10,000 financial advisors. Regina also is the co-chair of her division's crisis communications efforts. Prior to joining Edward Jones, Regina was a media coordinator at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. Before that time, she was an editor and reporter for the Suburban Journals newspaper group in St. Louis. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Maryville University in St. Louis. 314-515-3050. Jeanne Howard (Director) Term Expires 12/31/09 - Jeanne is director of regional marketing for Commerce Bancshares Inc. In this position, she manages a team providing local and regional marketing programs and public relations for the corporation. Prior to this position, Jeanne was a consultant on Internet Banking services, the group vice president of Internet Banking Services at Wachovia Corporation in North Carolina, and manager of Online and Telephone Banking services at Boatmen’s Bancshares in St. Louis. Before her career in the banking industry, Jeanne managed Marketing Research for Sunmark (division of Nestle), a candy and snack food manufacturer, and managed Consumer Research for Schnuck Markets, Inc. She is a graduate of Washington University with a master's in business administration (MBA). Jeanne joined PRSA in early 2003. 314-746-3672. Ron O'Connor, APR (Director) Term Expires 12/21/08 - With nearly 30 years of experience in public relations, marketing communications and public affairs, Ron has worked on behalf of a variety of clients active in environmental protection, agriculture, financial services, tourism, hospitality, entertainment, professional services, healthcare, development and construction. A long-time member of PRSA, he served on the National Counselor's Business Standards and Practices Committee where he wrote the preamble to the Code of Ethics for American public relations counselors. His work has been recognized with more than 75 awards from his peers, including the Silver Anvil. He is serving as the professional advisor to the PRSSA chapter at SIU-E. Ron is managing partner of O'Connor & Partners, Inc. 314-421-3190.
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