Bill Barksdale drew on his 13 years in the U.S. Air Force as a Public Affairs officer to offer insights into effective media relations at the Sept. 19, 2002 monthly luncheon. In addition to movie clips, Bill referred to two major media events he handled before leaving the service: moving the Orca whale, Keiko, from Oregon to Iceland and the South Pole medical airdrop in 1999.

He emphasized three points as essential for a successful public affairs practitioner.

First, build relationships. They will help personally as well as professionally.
Second, accept responsibility. If you're not willing to take the blame, you can't expect to get the praise. Bill stressed the importance of taking leadership upon yourself as an essential part of responsibility.
Third, take risks in order for greater successes to be achieved. The South Pole medicine drop was a great risk, but it earned the Air Force 36 straight hours of live interviews on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, ITN, the Today Show, CBS Morning Show and others.

Barksdale left active duty in July 2001 and is now a spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service.