How Professional Communicators Can Help Executives with Conversations about Diversity & Inclusion, Disinformation, and Civility

Copper State of Mind: public relations, media, and marketing in Arizona

In this episode, Abbie Fink and Dr. Adrian McIntyre talk with Michelle Olson, APR, chair of the Public Relations Society of America, the nation's leading professional organization serving the communications community. With nearly 30,000 members, PRSA is the principal advocate for industry excellence and ethical conduct and provides members lifelong learning opportunities and leading-edge resources to enhance professional connections and support them at every stage of their career.

Michelle began her tenure as national chair of PRSA in January 2021, having previously served on the national board of directors and as a leader at the chapter and regional levels. As chair, Michelle aims to help equip PR practitioners to identify and combat mis/dis/malinformation, break down barriers for diverse students and professionals to enter the industry, and set the tone for civil discourse across the country.

With more than 30 years in public relations and integrated marketing, Michelle has served clients across the U.S. and internationally, and has significant experience in corporate communications and issues management across industries. She is managing partner of Lambert, a full-service integrated communications firm with offices in Michigan, New York, Houston and Arizona. The nationally recognized firm works with clients ranging from global brands to emerging leaders in a variety of industries including automotive and mobility, consumer, education, financial, B2B, and food and beverage. Michelle leads the firm’s automotive and mobility practice.

PR News named Michelle to the 2020 and 2021 classes of the Top Women in PR. She was named one of Arizona’s Most Influential Women in Business by BizAZ Magazine in 2018 and in 2003, she received the Phoenix PRSA chapter’s prestigious PERCY Award for her achievements in the public relations industry. Michelle is a past chair of Counselors Academy, PRSA’s international section for agency owners and leaders and served for two years as an advisor and mentor to the organization’s nearly 10,000-member student body, PRSSA, providing counsel to its national committee.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like the PRGN Presents podcast, hosted by Abbie Fink, featuring conversations about PR, marketing, and communications with members of the Public Relations Global Network, "the world’s local public relations agency.”

Additional Resources

• Voices4Everyone by PRSA
• "How To Combat Misinformation" by Scott Hanson
• "How to Control Misinformation" by Annelise Krafft
• "Are you being fed fake news during the coronavirus crisis?" by Marissa Baker
• "What is “News Literacy” in This Age of “Fake News?" by Scott Hanson

Need to hire a PR firm?

We demystify the process and give you some helpful advice in Episode 19: "How to Hire a Public Relations Agency in Arizona: Insider Tips for Executives and Marketing Directors"

Copper State of Mind is a project of HMA Public Relations, a full-service public relations and marketing communications firm in Phoenix.

The show is recorded and produced in the studio of PHX.fm, the leading independent B2B podcast network in Arizona.