PRSA Dallas
Welcome to our new website! PRSA Dallas is the top-tier, professional public relations and communications organization in Dallas. Serving more than 300 public relations practitioners in North Texas, the chapter is comprised of unparalleled public relations and communications talent who impact all facets of the business-to-consumer and business-to-business markets in the North Texas region. We are agency leaders, corporate communication practitioners, crisis communication experts, investor relations executives, strategic counselors to the C-suite, media relations and social media gurus, freelancers, “wordsmith” pros and so much more.
We strive to increase and develop the knowledge, skill set and abilities of our members, honing their potential for leadership. PRSA Dallas members leverage the power of professional networking, educational programs and partnerships to open doors in their own career paths and gain a seat at the table as a trusted advisor. Join today!
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Member Spotlight
Jamaison Schuler, APR, is a leader in the PRSA Dallas organization with a background that can motivate anyone. A PRWeek 2010 40 Under 40 honoree, Jamaison has nearly 15 years of corporate and agency experience, and currently leads external communications for the nation’s largest dairy company, Dean Foods. The company is known for its national TruMoo chocolate milk brand and numerous regional dairy brands from coast to coast, including Oak Farms Dairy in Texas. Read our Q-and-A with Jamaison below to learn about some of his greatest PR career moments, in addition to his PR insight and hidden talent as a stained glass artist.
Q: You were president of the Hoosier PRSA Chapter in Indiana. What are some leadership skills you took away from this position and how has it helped you in your career?
JS: Like many incoming presidents, I had a long list of things I wanted to accomplish in "my year." But a mentor taught me to focus on a few things and do them well. I also learned to better delegate as a leader and was fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing team of volunteers. I owe so much in my career to my PRSA (and PRSSA) involvement, that I can't point to the time I was president as being any more important that the rest of my PRSA stint. And I like to think the best is yet to come.
Q: What is your proudest professional accomplishment to date?
JS: Being chosen for the 2010 PRWeek "40 Under 40" was pretty amazing, but I will always look back at my time in pharma as one of great professional growth. It gave me an opportunity to further define my career interests, teaching me that I was most driven by external, consumer-facing communications work. I was fortunate enough to lead the U.S. launch PR efforts for a new diabetes therapy, BYETTA, and in doing so, I was able to lead a battery of tactics including a national media tour and 10-city roadshow with a celebrity spokesperson, 'Designing Women' star Delta Burke. My work with BYETTA resulted in two front-page articles in The New York Times, hanging backstage with Delta at 'The View,' and conducting an SMT live from a gila monster ranch about 30 minutes from the Mexican border in southern California.
Q: What is your favorite part of being involved with PRSA Dallas, and what advice would you give to current and prospective members who are thinking about becoming involved?
JS: My family and I moved here in the fall of 2010 and I didn't get involved for about a year, taking time to fully onboard myself in the new job at Dean Foods. As soon as I began engaging, I realized how much I had missed the opportunity to meet great professionals and know more about the Dallas communications field. My advice to others? Get out of your office or cubicle and meet people. Learn something. Take advantage of the membership and dive in. And then demonstrate the value of the membership by taking a key learning or two back from the luncheon and share it with others in the office.
Q: You recently received the 2012 President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Dallas Chapter. What advice were you given to make you want to be successful and involved in PRSA Dallas?
JS: When I decided “now is the time” and I wanted to truly engage in Dallas and the chapter here, I had coffee with Blake Lewis. Blake’s enthusiasm for this city, for the Dallas PRSA chapter and for the profession overall was electric. I couldn’t help but leave that meeting ready to roll up my sleeves and get busy.
Q: You have your Accreditation in Public Relations. What advice would you give PR practitioners looking to pursue an APR?
JS: There's often so much angst about this topic, and I simply don't understand why. Do you love your job and this profession? Then jump in and do it. It is not a daunting task. We have many professionals – and chapter volunteers – dedicated to helping you. I'm happy to chat with anyone about the process. I think there are too many myths that surround the APR.
Q: What would you say are the three qualities every PR practitioner should obtain to succeed in this industry?
JS: How do you pick three? I suppose what comes to mind first are strong ethics, a love for the craft of communication with your publics and interpersonal skills that just don’t quit.
Q: If you could choose to have any other career besides public relations, what would it be and why?
JS: I always think I might have been a strong recruiter because I enjoy talking with others about their career interests and opportunities. But my geeky love of weather tells me maybe I could have been the next Sam Champion. Professional lottery winner sounds good, too.
Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
JS: To grant wishes like a genie. But only those wishes that really make a difference in the lives of others, not the outcome of the Super Bowl or for the traffic light to change sooner.
Q: What are some of your hobbies outside of your job as senior manager, corporate communications for Dean Foods?
JS: I'm a self-taught stained glass artist, and before our kids came along (and when I had a basement workshop in Indy), I used to spend a lot of my free time crafting stained glass panels that I knew my family would treasure for years. But after moving to Dallas (the land of no basements), I haven't been able to do as much as I'd like because I don't have the workshop space. But my family has recently discovered geocaching, and we love it!
Q: If you were stuck on an island and could only have three items with you, what would they be?
JS: I guess if I said the obvious boat, raft, etc., then I wouldn't be stuck. So I guess I'd say my family, my iPad and a power source with built-in wifi.
