Name: Renee R. Whitener
Chapter: Tar Heel Chapter, NC
Current position: Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation
How long in current position: 18 years
First PR job: Newspaper Reporter covering crime, local government and education.
Where you attended college: Appalachian State University
If you weren’t doing PR, you’d be……I loved being a news reporter so I’d likely be doing that in some form! Perhaps by podcasting (which I think is great because I spend so much time in a car!). I love encouraging people and helping to make a difference so I’d develop stories with those goals in mind.
Proudest professional accomplishment: Helping my company successfully manage public and media relations during its worst crisis in decades: an ice storm that devastated our system and caused a week-long power outage to a third of our consumers who live in a very scenic, mountainous area of NC. Media attention went all the way to Good Morning America. Media interviews, arranging footage of our crews, monitoring reports, securing photography/video, working with internal staff as part of our emergency response plan and constantly updating our communications channels was a non-stop effort from the time the storm began on Christmas Day 2009 to full restoration on New Year’s Eve 2010. In addition to a strong media relations effort, we used social media, which was relatively new at that time, to keep our message consistent, accurate and timely. We also developed a dark website, which was also a relatively new concept at the time, to provide a more complete online source for a wide variety of information including news releases, photos, tips for safety and local emergency response resources, and more. We won a national award for our efforts but my greatest pleasure was the fact our efforts helped the consumers we serve. It gave them constantly updated information, helped alleviate fear and frustration and was a trusted resource 24/7 during a very frightening time for those affected. Our social media in particular gave our consumers a more personal way to connect with us during the crisis.
What is your passion? Many! If I had to pick, I’m most passionate about: yoga, hiking, photography, makeup artistry, and social media. I like finding creative ways to impact people through effective communications and I volunteer these services for my church, a local cancer charity and hospital foundation.
Why you are a PRSA member? PRSA keeps me updated on relevant issues and offers critical skills improvement in a field that is changing and evolving with technology and the world around us. It helps me become a more valuable public relations practitioner, which in turn benefits my company and the consumers we serve. I like the variety of online, print, workshop, webinar and on-site conference options. It also provides a network of PR professionals who share the same goals and values.
Each week, the PRSA Southeast District highlights one of its 2,700 members. To join PRSA, visit prsa.org.