Welcome to Inside PR Newswire, a series that provides a special look into the people that make up PR Newswire. We'll share their stories about what they do, how they arrived at PR Newswire, and a little about themselves as individuals when they're not at work.

If you're wondering why we're profiling folks from PR Newswire, it's because ProfNet and ProfNet Connect are part of PR Newswire, and we'd like for you to know more about the organization and the people behind it. There's definitely more to us than just sending out press releases!

We hope you enjoy this inside look into PR Newswire.

 

Grace Lavigne is a senior editor of ProfNet. So Grace, tell us -- what do you do?

ProfNet is a service that connects journalists with expert sources.

Editing requests from journalists looking for sources is my main responsibility. I proofread, format and code these queries by topic for immediate distribution to ProfNet members. I also compile roundups of experts on trending news stories, respond to user questions and comments, and attend and blog about relevant industry events.

A chunk of my time is spent writing and researching two weekly columns: "Dear Gracie," which features advice experts on PR and media issues; and "Grammar Hammer," which makes the rules of American English easy and fun to learn.

Additionally, I rotate with two other ProfNet editors hosting the biweekly #ConnectChat, which is a discussion on Twitter featuring an expert guest on anything from media and PR to social networking and branding.

 

How did you end up at PR Newswire?

I started applying for media jobs right after I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in the fall of 2009 with a degree in Linguistics. During my job search, I found a listing for an "assistant editor" position with PR Newswire, and thought the description was right up my alley -- so I applied!

 

What does a typical workday look like for you?

ProfNet opens at 8 a.m. EDT, so I'm at my desk by then with coffee in hand. I always edit the "morning queries" first (those are the queries that were submitted by journalists overnight when ProfNet is closed). After those queries are taken care of,  I focus on other activities like compiling Experts Alerts (which are basically the reverse of regular ProfNet queries -- experts pitching to reporters), writing "Dear Gracie" and "Grammar Hammer," updating content on ProfNet Connect (like the homepage), answering calls and more. I edit queries as we receive them throughout the day too.

 

How large is your team?

ProfNet comprises four people including myself, but we rely on PR Newswire's product advocates, PRNJ employees and others for support.

 

What has changed since you started working at PR Newswire?

When I first started working at Harborside in Jersey City, PR Newswire employees were located on the non-window side of the building. About a year after I was hired, PR Newswire moved to the window side (score!) with a newly furnished office (double score!).

Additionally, for the first six months that I worked for ProfNet, ProfNet Connect was in the works and hadn't launched yet, so I didn't have any blogging responsibilities at that point.

 

How has social media changed your job or department?

Social media has been an incredible avenue for ProfNet to communicate with users directly and quickly. For example, if journalists need sources by the end of the business day (which we consider "urgent"), we can tweet the journalist's request out to @ProfNet's 18,000 followers.

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in particular have been great ways to promote content from ProfNet Connect, including blog posts, featured experts, job openings and more.

 

What is the most important lesson you've learned on the job?

To always ask questions! This lesson has served me well throughout my entire life, but has been particularly valuable to me here at ProfNet. By asking questions, especially about issues that are not "need to know," I've learned about the back stories, back systems and back roads that make me a more efficient and aware worker. You can never know too much!

 

What motivates you to do your best?

Knowing that journalists, PR professionals and experts rely on ProfNet to do their jobs and be successful keeps me focused. When we get positive feedback from ProfNet users, it's a great feeling that keeps me going!

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I hope I'll still be editing and writing, and somehow involved in media.
 

What do you do when you're not working?

I love reading (currently on "For Whom the Bell Tolls"), going to the gym and yoga class, lounging at the beach, watching horror movies, complaining about politics (lol), volunteering and relaxing with friends!

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by emai

Following is a roundup of 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories found online last week:

Five Reasons Why Talking Points Are Worth Using: Bullet-point documents with talking points are a staple of public relations, but clients sometimes try to reject them. The next time a client tries to push back against using talking points, PR agencies should consider these five reasons supporting their use: they help keep you on message, they help build consensus, they allow for multiple spokespeople, they help to maintain a consistent message over time and they allow you to practice for an interview. (PRBreakfastClub)

Seven Principles to Succeed in PR: Put aside talk of strategy, tactics, leads, conversions and sales for a minute, and consider the principles necessary to succeed in PR. Among the seven included on this list are: your word is everything; PR is a marathon, not a sprint; and it's OK to make mistakes. (Ragan.com)

Editors Expect Online and Social Responsibilities to Increase: According to a poll from Editor & Publisher and Ebyline, about three-quarters of editors expect their responsibilities for their online presence or social media to increase in the future. Original reporting, depth or subject expertise, and exclusivity or scoops were the top three "content success factors," according to editors. Search engine optimization, author byline or personal brand, and shareability or social media value were ranked as the least important factors. (Ebyline Blog)

The Washington Post's TruthTeller Project Aims for Real-Time Fact-Checking: The Washington Post's TruthTeller project has new life, thanks to funding from the Knight News Challenge's Prototype Fund. The project, which is working with less money than it requested, will be aiming to bring together technology and journalists to create real-time fact-checking. An example would be "a running stream alongside video of somebody talking," which could be used for the presidential debates. (Poynter)

Journalism Education Reform: Discussion about the possibility of journalism education reform is heating up. Topics of discussion include the need for more top professionals in journalism academia, the value of the research Ph.D., and the possibility of faculty being researchers and professionals. (Knight Foundation)

How to Tell if Your PR Needs a Reboot: Just because PR is ever changing doesn't mean PR pros don't fall into routine. Among the seven signs your PR plans have become stale and are in need of a reboot: you're relying on press releases without personal relationships and outreach; you only talk about yourself without any ties to trends or events; and you're not making new contacts. (Crenshaw Communications)

Five Reasons to Stick With Old-School PR: There's talk of social media replacing press releases, press conferences and in-person relationships. But this PR professional thinks otherwise: "To be sure, I’ve embraced social networking, geo-locating, and Instagram as much as the average up-to-date PR pro, but the more I look at the practice of public relations itself, the more I realize how much the old tried and true methods are the ones that continue to resonate and work." She offers her reasons why press releases, press conferences, key message development, eye-to-eye relationships and b-roll are still important. (JeffEsposito.com)

How and What Journalists Should Tweet: "No one cares what I have to say." "What should I tweet?" These are what journalists often say when learning Twitter. "My answer: Tweet about what you’re working on. And if no one cares about what you’re working on, find better stories or find another line of work." This helpful post discusses how journalists should tweet to converse with their community, tweet breaking news, tweet unfolding stories, live-tweet, crowdsource, tweet interesting things, tweet photos and tweet links. (The Buttry Diary)

Journalists vs. Curators: "We’re all in the same business in a way," said David Carr of The New York Times at South By Southwest this year. "Ours is supported by ads; theirs is supported by borrowing content from elsewhere. Both of them seem like fairly tenuous business models.” While journalists and curators both pull together relevant material from a range of sources, journalists actually create new material. Nevertheless, if you think these two groups are mutually exclusive, you should wake up. (Columbia Journalism Review)

Job Market for Journalism Graduates Improves: The annual journalism jobs survey from the University of George found that the job market for U.S. graduates from journalism and mass communications programs improved in 2011 and 2012. Salaries for graduates landing full-time jobs are up, but they just barely beat the rate of inflation. (JimRomenesko.com)

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

ProfNet is a free service that provides journalists, bloggers, authors and other writers with links to experts and story ideas on the topics they cover. You’ll also find links to job opportunities and other news and resources we think you’ll find useful. To receive these updates by email, send a note to profnet@profnet.com with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition.

If you are in need of an expert source, you can also submit a free ProfNet query and have qualified sources come to you, or search the free ProfNet Connect database, which features nearly 50,000 user profiles, all searchable by keyword. If you are looking for Spanish-speaking experts, you can also opt to send your query via ProfNet en Español; just select that option when submitting your request.

Submit a free ProfNet query

Search the ProfNet Connect experts database

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For Part 1 of this roundup, please see here.

HIGHER EDUCATION (continued):

Amjed Saffarini
Vice President of Graduate Programs
Kaplan Test Prep
Saffarini is an expert on graduate school-level admissions and trends; and the MCAT, DAT, OAT and PCAT. He is responsible for the design and delivery of Kaplan’s test-prep programs for the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, DAT, OAT and PCAT. Originally a Kaplan MCAT instructor, Saffarini took on the role of assistant director for pre-health a few years later. During that time, he was instrumental in transforming Kaplan’s MCAT prep course to reflect the 2007 MCAT changes, which included moving from a paper-and-pencil format to a computer interface. With more changes to the MCAT on the horizon, Saffarini is spearheading efforts to develop a new course to reflect the upcoming changes. Saffarini graduated from Rutgers University with a dual-major B.S. in neuroscience and cognitive science.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1- 212-453-7538

Michael Steidel
Director of Admission
Carnegie Mellon University
Steidel unknowingly began a lifelong career in college admissions in 1974 as a Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) student tour guide. He has served as director of admission at CMU since 1986 and can provide expert advice on topics ranging from finding the right fit to making the most of campus visits. Steidel has served in numerous leadership roles for national and international organizations, including stints as chair of the board for The Common Application, co-chair of the National Association for College Admission Counseling's National Task Force on Technology in Admission and Counseling, president of the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling, and member at large of Educational Testing Service (ETS)'s Test of English as a Foreign Language Policy Council. Steidel regularly serves as a reader for the ETS College Scholarship Service Sponsored Scholarship Program, and works as consultant for college and university admission operations.
News Contact: Abby Simmons, abbysimmons@cmu.edu or +1-412-268-4290

Jeff Thomas
Director of Pre-Law Programs
Kaplan Test Prep
Thomas is an expert on LSAT and law school admissions issues and trends. He manages the company’s LSAT business, including marketing, program development and delivery. A veteran Kaplan LSAT instructor, Thomas helped develop Kaplan’s new suite of 2010 LSAT products, including Logic Games On Demand and the LSAT Experience, the industry’s first fully simulated test-day experience. Thomas also maintains close relationships with admissions deans at the nation’s top law schools. A successful entrepreneur, Thomas received a B.S. in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a JD, magna **** laude, from Albany Law School.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1- 212-453-7538

 

Lee Weiss
Director of Graduate Programs
Kaplan Test Prep
Weiss is an expert on the GRE and graduate school admissions issues and trends. He manages the company’s GRE business, including marketing, program development and delivery. He began his Kaplan career as an instructor, teaching the GRE, GMAT, SAT, ACT and PSAT. A published author of fiction and criticism, Weiss’ professional experience includes management roles with a K-12 education nonprofit and in business development and finance at American Express. He graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in international and comparative relations in 2002, and completed his master’s in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1- 212-453-7538

 

Anne Witchner
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Director of the Office of Orientation and First-Year Programs
Carnegie Mellon University
Witchner has facilitated Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)'s weeklong orientation program for more than 20 years, helping freshmen and their families navigate the academic, personal and social transitions to college. She can provide tips for preparing for move-in day, supporting students who are adjusting to college life and making the most of your first year on campus. For more information about CMU's Orientation and First-Year Programs, see here: bit.ly/PFA7wu
News Contact: Abby Simmons, abbysimmons@cmu.edu +1-412-268-4290

 

HEALTH:

Christine Cheng, Ph.D.
Psychology Training Coordinator, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Montefiore School Health Program in New York City
Cheng is an instructor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. She helps children cope with various difficulties, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, bereavement and loss, impulse control, and adjustment issues, and she enjoys seeing children overcome them and blossom in their natural social milieu. Children, as well as teens, are often anxious about going back to school. Anxiety can be a result of a transition from elementary to middle school, or challenges socially or academically. Cheng can comment on a wide variety of back-to-school psychological issues. The Montefiore School Health Program, the largest of its kind in the U.S., offers a wide range of medical, dental, mental and community-based services to students and their families in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the Bronx. Since its inception more than 25 years ago, this essential program has steadily grown to 18 full-service centers throughout the borough.
News Contact: Helene Guss, hguss@montefiore.org or +1-718-920-4011

 

Kate M. Cronan, M.D.
Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine
Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del.
Every year, about 300,000 kids go to the emergency department because of bike injuries. A head injury can lead to a brain injury, so it’s important for parents to encourage the use of a helmet. A bike helmet should fit your child properly. The straps should always be fastened and snug enough so that your child can’t pull or twist the helmet around on their head. If you have any questions about the fit of the helmet, consult someone at the bike shop. Most importantly, make sure the helmet has a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) or Snell sticker inside. These indicate that the helmet meets standards set by the CPSC or the Snell Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit group that tests helmet safety. And, while your child may want to be one of the “cool” kids and wear a hat under their helmet, this is not recommended. Cronan can discuss other top tips for bike safety, including: 1) Ensure your child’s bike is the right size: When your child is standing on the bike, he should straddle the top bar of the bike so that both feet are flat on the ground. There should be 1-3 inches of space between him and the top bar. 2) Make sure your child can be seen by others using the road. Wearing bright clothes and putting reflectors on your child’s bike also can help him stay safe. It helps other people on the road see him. And if they see your child, they're less likely to run into him. Daytime riding is the safest, so encourage your children to avoid riding their bike at dusk and later.
News Contact: Allison Pope, apope@fhbnet.com

Owen Farcy
Director of Pre-Health Programs
Kaplan Test Prep
Farcy is an expert on MCAT and medical school admissions issues and trends. He is responsible primarily for marketing, operations and program development for the company’s MCAT, DAT, OAT and PCAT groups. An interest in global health and student advocacy has led him to work closely with several pre-health student groups, including the American Medical Students Association, Phi Delta Epsilon and the Flying Samaritans. A longtime top-rated MCAT instructor for Kaplan, Farcy has worked in a variety of roles within Kaplan and has been integral in the delivery of free online content to pre-med students throughout the world. He holds a B.S. in biology from Emory University, and has previously worked in environmental education and sustainable development.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1- 212-453-7538

 

Sarah Feuerbacher
Director
Southern Methodist University's Center for Family Counseling
Dr. Feuerbacher is an expert in parenting and child development. She has been featured in a variety of articles dealing with parent-child relationships and child-development issues. She was most recently featured in The Dallas Morning News regarding children and economic difficulty and helping talented children deal with stress. Recently, she was a featured speaker at a back-to-school community round table regarding the pressure placed on children in today’s society.
Bio: bit.ly/P7YU1G
News Contact: Christina Voss, cvoss@smu.edu or +1-214-768-7641

 

Dr. Mary Foley
Chairperson
Safe in Common
Foley is a safety expert and former head of the American Nurses Association (ANA). She’s currently the chairperson of a nonprofit organization called Safe in Common, whose mission is to raise awareness surrounding the threat of needlestick injuries and propose how we can eradicate them. Foley is a world-renowned health care safety advocate and is available to discuss needlestick safety and  the Needlestick Safety Pledge that thousands of health care personnel have already signed in an effort to combat the hidden danger of needlestick injuries, among other back-to-school issues. As we approach back-to-school season, nurses across the country are expecting an influx of children and young adults in their offices, and a brand-new crop of student nurses will be heading back to their classrooms and rotation programs this fall. At this time, more than ever, the safety of our health care personnel should be top-of-mind. With the flood of patients -- from back-to-school checkups through the cold and flu season this winter -- comes increased danger: There are 5.6 million health care personnel in the U.S. that lack access to safety-engineered medical devices that can fully protect them from occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis C, and the higher the frequency of patient activity, the greater the risk of incurring a needlestick injury.
Website: bit.ly/QlBMrK
News Contact: Rachel Peck, rpeck@kcsa.com or +1-212-896-1254

 

Lauren Graf, MS, RD
Clinical Dietitian
The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City
Graf is a specialist in general pediatric nutrition, with a subspecialties in renal, heart and healthy cooking for pediatric patients. Whether packed in a brown bag or served on a cafeteria tray, a nutritious school lunch that’s tasty and satisfying is a welcome midday break for kids and gives them energy to get through the rest of the day. Graf has tips for parents and kids as they gear up for another school year, from packing a colorful lunch with fresh fruits and vegetables, to spotting healthy choices on the cafeteria line. Even for the pickiest of eaters, parents can find the right nutritional balance for their kids and help them adopt good eating habits that can last a lifetime.
News Contact: Anne McDarby, amcdarby@montefiore.org or +1-718-920-4011

 

Shelby Harris, Psy.D., C.BSM
Director, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center
Montefiore Medical Center in New York City
Harris is assistant professor of neurology/psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Typically during the summer, children go to bed later and wake up at different times because they do not have to follow a school schedule. Harris can discuss how a child can adjust his/her sleep schedule to once again become acclimated to getting up earlier for school. She can provide advice on how kids can start school well-rested and establish a consistent sleep schedule that can help optimize learning. Her pointers include: 1) Maintain a steady sleep-wake schedule seven days a week. No catching up on the weekends! 2) Have a regular and relaxing bedtime routine to wind down the hour before bedtime. 3) Make sure each step of the bedtime routine slowly moves closer and closer to the bed (e.g., bath, brush teeth, then into bedroom for PJs, book and finally bed). 4) Get back on a good, healthy diet overall. Oftentimes, kids’ diets will change over the summer. Limit sugar, chocolate, soda -- especially from lunch onward. 5) Limit electronics and schoolwork within an hour of bedtime (and don’t allow them during the night, either).
News Contact:  Helene Guss, hguss@montefiore.org or +1-718-920-4011

 

Charlotte Havely
Director, Marketing
DenTek Oral Care, Inc.
Havely can discuss brushing your teeth as it relates to kids going back to school. Brushing your teeth and *not* flossing is like cleaning only 65 percent of your body. Floss picks and flossers are among the must-haves for after-school snacks, lunchboxes and backpacks for kids of all ages, to encourage healthy oral-care habits for life. Havely is an expert on overall oral care and encouraging kids to practice healthy oral hygiene.
Website: www.dentek.com/kids
Twitter: @dentek
News Contact: Tyra E. Haag, tyra@marybethwest.com or +1-865-982-6626

 

Vicki Helgeson
Professor of Psychology
Carnegie Mellon University
Diabetes is a difficult disease to manage. Changes in routine and activity level affect how much and how often insulin is needed. As diabetic children transition from summer vacation to the school year, it may become difficult to control their sugar levels. Helgeson researches how people adjust to chronic illnesses over time and the role that social environment plays in facilitating adjustment to disease.
News Contact: Shilo Rea, shilo@cmu.edu or +1-412-268-6094

Daphne Hsu, M.D.
Chief of Pediatric Cardiology
The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City
Hsu is an expert in pediatric cardiology and has been an advocate for increased cardiac testing for young athletes to prevent sudden cardiac death on the playing field. Sudden cardiac death, or SCD, is the leading cause of death in athletes and remains one of the most devastating medical events in sports. Though the condition is rare, occurring in only 2 out of 100,000 children each year, it is the leading cause of death in young athletes. SCD may be due to a genetic predisposition or undiagnosed congenital heart disease, heart arrhythmia or abnormalities in the coronary arteries. Pediatricians recommend that every child have an annual physical prior to participating in strenuous exercise or competitive sports. If any heart irregularities are detected, a pediatric cardiologist should be consulted for an electrocardiogram (EKG) or an echocardiogram, which uses sonar to diagnose congenital heart problems.
News Contact: Mike Quane, mquane@montefiore.org or +1-718-920-4011

 

Susan Levine
Professor of History
University of Illinois at Chicago
Students returning to school in the fall will encounter altered cafeteria menus as new federal nutrition standards for healthier meals go into effect. Levine, author of "School Lunch Politics: The Surprising History of America's Favorite Welfare Program," can discuss the origins and evolution of school lunches and provide historical context to the latest regulations.
News Contact: Brian Flood, bflood@uic.edu or +1-312-996-7681

 

Norman Medow, M.D.
Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology
Montefiore Medical Center in New York City
Medow is a pediatric ophthalmologist with expertise in glaucoma, cataract and corneal disorders in children. The start of a new school season is the best time to have your child’s eyes examined. Medow can discuss the signs that a child may be having vision problems. Some are obvious, such as sitting close to the TV or holding toys close to the eyes. Squinting to see at a distance, or covering or closing one eye to see may also indicate a need for glasses. Medow reminds parents that many eye disorders are inherited, especially a need for glasses. If mom or dad wore glasses at an early age, it would not be unusual for their child to need glasses as well.
News Contact: Anne McDarby, amcdarby@montefiore.org or +1-718-920-4011

 

Meir Scheinfeld, M.D., Ph.D.
Attending Physician, Division Head of Emergency Radiology in the Department of Radiology
Montefiore Medical Center in New York City
Scheinfeld can discuss the role of radiology in health care and the importance of teaching children about their health from an early age. Kids can play an active role in their own health and safety. To help teach them how to do this, Scheinfeld has created an interactive radiology teaching kit that consists of a variety of images of bones, as well as orthopantograms of teeth and ultrasound images of fetuses, allowing doctors to speak about various disciplines within health care and educate children about radiology as well as broader topics, such as oral hygiene. Scheinfeld uses the kit to teach kids about the human body, provide important safety advice and encourage children not to fear the hospital environment. A video of Scheinfeld teaching kids with the kit can be found here: bit.ly/RprDhA
News Contact: Rachael McCallen, rmccall@montefiore.org or +1-718-920-4011

James Sublett, M.D.
Allergist and Chair
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Indoor Environment Committee
Immunizations and physicals shouldn’t be the only items on your child’s back-to-school health checklist. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), allergies and asthma account for more than 14 million school-day absences annually. Much like germs and cold viruses, there are many allergens lurking in the classroom. These surprising allergens include chalk dust, the classroom pet, snacks and more.
“Children with allergies and asthma should be able to feel good, be active, and not miss any classes or activities this school year due to their condition. Helping your child understand what triggers their symptoms can keep them focused on their studies and not their allergies.”
News Contact: Christine Westendorf, christinewestendorf@acaai.org or +1-847-427-1200

 

Wendie Trubow, M.D.
Founder and Quality Director
Visions HealthCare
Visions HealthCare is an integrated health care facility based in Wellesley, Mass. It provides exceptional patient care by combining traditional primary-care services with cutting-edge nutritional and biochemical tools. Trubow can speak to whole-life care for families, including: ADD management, healthy eating (preparing lunches for school), asthma, fall allergies and combating flu season proactively.
News Contact: Whitney Ferguson, wferguson@thecastlegrp.com or +1- 617-337-9517

 

RETAIL/SHOPPING:

Lylah Alphonse
Senior Editor
Yahoo! Shine
Alphonse covers various lifestyle topics for Shine, including healthy living, parenting, life management, finances and politics. She is a journalist with more than 15 years of major metro newspaper experience, and more than five years of experience editing and writing online. She is also a mom and stepmom to five kids, who range in age from late teens to pre-kindergarten. Prior to coming to Yahoo!, Alphonse was an editor at The Boston Globe, where she covered hard news and soft features. She is based in Boston. Alphonse can discuss the following back-to-school topics: trends, from clothing to gadgets; money-saving tips; tips to transition your family back to school; and how to cut college tuition costs.
Twitter: @writeeditrepeat
News Contact: Becky Auslander, beckya@yahoo-inc.com or +1-212-381-6909

 

Howard Dvorkin, CPA
Founder
Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, Inc.
Dvorkin, who is an expert in personal finances, wants to help families save money in the back-to-school shopping season. He can specifically discuss strategies parents can implement to adhere to a budget while purchasing all the necessary items for their kids. Setting priorities is one of the strategies that Dvorkin recommends.
“Before going shopping, prioritize your needs. For example, ask yourself, does your child really need three new pairs of shoes? Or could they easily function with one or two new pairs of shoes? After identifying the most important items your children need, make a list and stick to it!”
News Contact: Ines Mato, +1-954-377-9339

 

Fred Felman
CMO
MarkMonitor
In 2012, parents feel the pressure to go beyond the usual pencils and notebooks with large-ticket items such as tablets and laptops, so deal-hunting is a must-do. According to Forrester, by 2015, 82 million U.S. consumers (about one-third of U.S. online consumers) will be using a tablet, and students are no exception. Fraudsters are paying attention. In a special edition of its Brandjacking Index, MarkMonitor, a brand protection firm, found more than 23,000 listings for counterfeit, cloned or gray-market tablet computers in one day. Felman can share some simple tips for parents to avoid getting scammed when looking to save a buck this summer: 1) Be careful what you search for: counterfeiters use seasonal keywords to their advantage. 2) Pay close attention to the website name in the address bar. Oftentimes fraudsters will purchase a misspelled “brandname.com,” a technique known as “typosquatting,” to divert traffic to counterfeit e-commerce sites or even adult sites. 3) Be wary of highly discounted goods. As the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Counterfeiters have become more sophisticated in their pricing techniques, but still reel in unsuspecting consumers with the promise of the deal of a lifetime. 4) What is the reputation? Is the site or seller mentioned on any of the scam-warning sites? Do a search for “[vendor name] + scam” and see what comes up.
News Contact: John Moore, John.moore@zenogroup.com

 

Howard Kahn
CEO
Kahn Lucas
As a fourth-generation leader of one of the largest girls' dress manufacturers in the U.S., as well as the Madame Alexander brands, Kahn can speak to back-to-school retail trends in shopping and apparel. He is able to comment on regional shopping trends and the importance of experiential shopping.
News Contact: Nataly Blumberg, natalyb@bromley-group.com or +1-212-696-1100, ext. 17

Penny McIntyre
President
Newell Consumer Group, Newell Rubbermaid
McIntyre is expecting to see growth from this year’s back-to-school season vs. previous years. She is betting on parents “buying smarter” with products that are known for quality (and fun for kids). Newell Rubbermaid provides students with products for test time to lunch time. Its brands include Sharpie and Paper Mate.
News Contact: Lindsay Ash, Lindsay.Ash@edelman.com or +1-404-460-9666

 

Sarah Platte
Consumer and Money-Savings Expert
PromotionalCodes.com, a brand of SurfMyAds.com Inc. in Santa Monica, Calif.
“The best thing families can do to save on back-to-school shopping is to take inventory of what they currently own at home, hold off on certain items that will go on sale later in the school-shopping season and purchase transitional clothing instead of the early release of fall collections. Here’s why: First, shopping at home can uncover many forgotten everyday items and can help to avoid making a double purchase. The best prices for back-to-school basics like pencils, crayons, backpacks and notebooks are during August, but unless you have a valid college ID in the family, hold off on the laptop or tablet. These electronics historically dip in price during late September. And lastly, purchase summer apparel that transitions well into cold weather rather than the fall collection. The department store summer sales are going strong, where you can easily score 40 percent off summer apparel. Look for light sweaters, tanks and dresses to layer; hold off on cold- weather clothing until the middle or end of the season when stores will slash prices to make way for holiday promotions.”
Platte is a consumer savings expert dedicated to helping consumers apply savvy shopping and money-saving strategies to reach their financial goals more quickly. She regularly provides her savings tips and insights with top print and broadcast at the local and national level. From smart budgeting and spending advice, to tips for experiencing life’s luxuries for less, Platte enjoys helping consumers and their families discover new ways to keep more cash in their wallet.
News Contact: Sarah.Platte@SurfMyAds.com or +1-424-214-5483

 

Charles Schmidt
Director of Public Relations
National Association of College Stores (NACS)
NACS is the national trade association of the collegiate retailing industry. As the official spokesman for the college store industry, Schmidt can speak about national trends impacting this market and college students, such as textbook sales and formats (rental, digital, etc.), college student attitudes toward e-textbooks/e-readers/tablets. He can offer tips to college students and their parents on how to obtain the course materials they need as affordably as possible. Schmidt can also address how the collegiate retailing environment as a whole is changing and how college stores are adapting to better serve the college/university of the future.
Expert Contact: cschmidt@nacs.org

Farnoosh Torabi
Personal Finance Expert and Host of “Financially Fit”
Yahoo! Finance
Torabi is a personal finance expert and host of “Financially Fit” on Yahoo! Finance, where she offers advice on topics including budgeting, saving and smart spending. She specializes in what The New York Times calls “perfectly practical” financial advice and easy-to-follow money saving tips for consumers. She is the author of the book “Psych Yourself Rich: Get The Mindset & Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life,” as well as a highly sought-after speaker and frequent financial contributor to the “Today” show and CNN. Her advice has been featured in Real Simple, Glamour, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Torabi can discuss the following back-to-school topics: back-to-school money-saving tips, advice to maximize your college expertise, how to attend college for free, common back-to-school money pitfalls and tips to protect your money.
Twitter: @farnoosh
News Contact: Becky Auslander, beckya@yahoo-inc.com or +1-212-381-6909

 

BULLYING:

Kimberly Allen
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences
North Carolina State University
Dr. Allen is a parenting and youth-development specialist in the areas of relationship development and bullying. She is the lead author of a guide to bullying prevention programs published by the National 4-H Council. The guide highlights best practices for youth professionals, with emphasis on protecting young people who are most vulnerable to bullying, including LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or questioning), youth with disabilities, members of religious minority groups and targets of cyberbullying.
"We can all contribute to building a kinder and braver world by teaching youth how to be upstanders -- youth who stand up to bullying."
Twitter: @drkimallen
Expert Contact: kimberly_allen@ncsu.edu

Velma L. Cobb, Ed.D.
Director, Equity Assistance Center -- Region II; Associate Professor, Lander Center for Educational Research
Touro College Graduate School of Education
The New York State Dignity for All Students Act, signed into law Sept. 13, 2010, took effect July 1, 2012. The intent of the Dignity Act is to create a safe and supportive school climate where students can learn and focus, without fear of being discriminated against and/or harassed, including being bullied, taunted or intimidated. The Dignity Act states “*No* student shall be subjected to harassment or discrimination by employees or students on school property or at a school function based on their actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or sex.” Most districts already have policies in place or codes of conduct to address bullying and harassment. The Dignity Act builds upon these existing policies, providing greater guidance for districts and schools, with the intent of addressing overall school climate in addition to bullying and harassment. Cobb can comment on existing policies and how the Dignity Act is expected to impact schools and districts.
Website: www.touro.edu/eacregion2
Expert Contact: velma.cobb@touro.edu

 

Cheryl Hurst, LCSW
Senior Social Worker
Montefiore School Health Program in New York City
Hurst provides individual mental health counseling using therapeutic modalities to help children and adolescents cope with family, academic and environmental stressors. Bullying can impact the well-being of children and young people and have serious long-term consequences. It can undermine educational attainment and self-esteem and can destroy a sense of security. The most common forms of bullying reported by children are being verbally bullied, followed by exclusion and physical bullying. Parents and schools also need to be aware that cyberbullying is affecting younger age groups as more children get mobile phones and have computer access. Over the past four years, the Montefiore School Health Program mental health division has developed a curriculum called S.T.A.R. (Strengthening Tween and Adolescent Relationships). This is an eight-week classroom-based program designed to foster healthy relationships between students and reduce teen dating violence. S.T.A.R. was created by Hurst, a senior social worker at PS/MS 95 in the Bronx, one of 18 schools that make up the Montefiore School Health program, to teach 12- to 14-year-olds how to develop healthy friendships and communicate in nonviolent and supportive ways. She identified such a huge need, learning about the problems these kids face: cyberbullying, financial pressures on parents who have lost jobs, poor parental support and more.
News Contact: Helene Guss, hguss@montefiore.org or +1-718-920-4011

 

Victoria Kempf, RN
Founder and COO
ScreenRetriever
Kempf is an Internet safety expert and speaker. She brings the management skills, passion and drive that she used during her nursing career at Boston-area hospitals to serve as ScreenRetriever’s COO. As an Internet safety expert, she advocates for the health and safety of children as they explore the online world. She strongly believes that every parent should be keeping their kids safe online and teaching appropriate and responsible online behavior. With a recent study citing that more than 70 percent of kids hide what they do on the Internet from their parents, cyberbullying and other crimes are on the rise. Many schools have Internet policies/contracts that children sign, but the responsibility for teaching school-aged children about online safety and responsible behavior resides with the parents. Kempf can speak to trends in this area, offer tips for parents in dealing with kids and the Internet both at home and in school, and more.
Website: www.screenretriever.com
Twitter: @ScreenRetriever
News Contact: Margaret Bonilla, bonillacomm@gmail.com or +1-603-548-0693

 

Paul Langhorst
Co-founder
GroupCast, parent company of the CyberBully Hotline
"As you know, bullying in school is hardly a new problem, but in today's 'connected' world, it does not look like it once did. Face-to-face harassment incidents, once confined to the schoolyard, have gone high tech, making it even more difficult for today's victims and bystanders to successfully deal with bullying and cyberbullying episodes. With access to computers, cellphones and other technologies, young people today are easily able to target one another using social media outlets like Facebook and YouTube; or other means such as email, instant messaging and text messaging. While no national law against cyberbullying currently exists, many states are putting anti-cyberbullying laws into effect. Of course, a good way for school administrators to help tackle the issue is to stop it before it starts."
Langhorst is passionate about creating a safe and respectful learning environment for students and can provide a host of ideas and essential tips to educators on ways to prevent bully and cyberbully actions from occurring.
News Contact: Charlotte Andrist, Charlotte@Eichercommunications.com or +1-770-578-8007

 

Colleen Logan, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT, NCC
Program Coordinator for the M.S. in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling Program
Walden University
Logan specializes in bullying issues stemming from verbal, physical and cyberbullying attacks, and the impact on youth. She served as the president of the American Counseling Association (ACA) from 2008-2009, and has been instrumental in working with school counselors and administrators to institute and implement zero-tolerance policies toward bullying, with an emphasis on creating an affirmative environment for all students.
Bio: www.waldenu.edu/News-and-Events/42108.ht...
News Contact: Tamara Chumley, tamara.chumley@waldenu.edu or +1-443-627-7495

 

TECHNOLOGY:

Stephen Canipe, Ed.D.
Program Director of Science, Mathematics and Instructional Design and Technology in the Master’s Program
Walden University
Earlier in his career, Canipe held positions at various public and private schools and organizations, specializing in technology implementation. Canipe specializes in educational technology and its integration into the classroom; the importance of teaching 21st century skills to students; and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). His research interests include why 21st century skills are important for American children to be competitive in tomorrow's world, as well as what makes some specialized science and technology schools achieve at a higher level. Canipe has extensive experience teaching courses, workshops and training experiences in STEM, including how to integrate technology into classrooms.
Bio: www.waldenu.edu/News-and-Events/41412.ht...
News Contact: Tamara Chumley, tamara.chumley@waldenu.edu or +1-443-627-7495

Frank Menchaca
Executive Vice President, Library Research
Gale, Part of Cengage Learning
When today’s college students need to conduct research, they go directly to search engines and Wikipedia. However, despite being "digital natives," most college students lack even the most basic information-literacy skills. Menchaca can discuss this space and ways in which students, professors and librarians can work together to prepare students for success in the information age.
News Contact: Kristina Massari, Kristina.Massari@cengage.com or +1-203-965-8694

Chris Vento
Executive Vice President, Technology and Development Services
Cengage Learning
According to countless surveys and white papers, most of today’s students have their own portable electronic devices -- iPods, iPads, tablets, laptop computers, smartphones, etc. -- and are looking to use these various items in the classroom. Vento can speak to these technology trends within higher education this back-to-school season -- the "bring your own device" movement, emerging education technologies for the new school year, where ed-tech is headed in the future, etc.
News Contact: Lindsay Brown, Lindsay.brown@cengage.com or +1-203-965-8634

Russ Wright, Ph.D.
Senior Web Developer
Stetson University College of Law
Wright can discuss social networking as it applies to student life, and the relationship between time spent online with campus-based social networks and matriculation. Three years ago, he developed and tested StetsonConnect, which uses Web 2.0 technologies to provide a Facebook-like platform where students can create their own space on the Web, post messages in a blog format, and share pictures and links to videos. Users can connect across the social network with other students to learn more about student organizations and campus life, or link with admissions counselors for information about the nuts-and-bolts of law school at Stetson. While face-to-face interaction is invaluable, users can use the social networking website to build collegial relationships and find out if life at Stetson Law is a good fit. Wright teaches courses on information technology-computer information systems as an adjunct faculty member at St. Petersburg College and Strayer University.
Expert Contact: rwright1@law.stetson.edu

Samia Zaky
Social Media Manager
Kaplan Test Prep
Zaky is an expert on how social media sites like Facebook are changing the admissions landscape. She manages social media and digital marketing campaigns for Kaplan’s graduate programs division. She has a passion for building social media communities that enhance the educational experience for all Kaplan students. A Kaplan SAT and GRE prep alumnus, Zaky received a B.A. in English and communication from Pace University, and an M.A. in public communication and media studies from Fordham University. She has been with Kaplan Test Prep since 2010.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1- 212-453-7538

 

ProfNet is a free service that provides journalists, bloggers, authors and other writers with links to experts and story ideas on the topics they cover. You’ll also find links to job opportunities and other news and resources we think you’ll find useful. To receive these updates by email, send a note to profnet@profnet.com with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition.

If you are in need of an expert source, you can also submit a free ProfNet query and have qualified sources come to you, or search the free ProfNet Connect database, which features nearly 50,000 user profiles, all searchable by keyword. If you are looking for Spanish-speaking experts, you can also opt to send your query via ProfNet en Español; just select that option when submitting your request.

Submit a free ProfNet query

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EXPERT ALERTS

• Sikh Temple Shooting: Tragic Result of the Growing Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the U.S.?
• Football Season Brings Fresh Focus on Safety
• Life Changes Can Wreck Relationships
• Personal-Pleasure Products Are Becoming More Mainstream
• Sitting Is Not Killing You

MEDIA JOBS

• Senior Editor - NYC
• Social Editor - NYC
• Reporter - Wichita Falls, Texas
• Online Editor - Washington, D.C.
• Reporter - Lawrence, Kan.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Media News Highlight
• Beverage Blogs: Bottoms Up!
• Grammar Hammer: Since vs. Because

********************

EXPERT ALERTS

Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts

 

Sikh Temple Shooting: Is It a Tragic Result of the Growing Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the U.S.?
Zainab Al-Suwaij
Executive Director
American Islamic Congress (AIC)
"While details of the horrific and heartbreaking incident in Wisconsin are still emerging, many are wondering what motivated such an act. Sikh cultural and religious identity is widely misunderstood. Because of their ethnicity and appearance featuring visible religious symbols such as turbans, bracelets and beards, American Sikhs are often confused with Muslims. In fact, the Sikh community has suffered greatly since 9/11 as they've been subjected to much of the same profiling, discrimination, hate crimes and other hardships experienced by the American Muslim community. As Americans try to make sense of this tragedy, it is important to provide them with facts and context. Considering the second -- and this time successful -- attempt to burn down the mosque in Joplin, Mo., that followed one day after the shooting, we must ask the hard question of whether these events are symptomatic of deteriorating religious freedom for the religious minorities in the U.S."
Al-Suwaij, the executive director of AIC since its inception just after 9/11, is a leader in the interfaith community and can speak about: 1) why Sikhs are mistaken for Muslims and what this has meant for the Sikh community since 9/11; 2) how actions and rhetoric from the nation's top leaders on down creates an environment of hate, discrimination and violence against certain religious or ethnic groups; 3) the status of interfaith dialogue in the U.S. and what it can do to help during times like these; 4) how Sikh and Muslim groups work with entities such as the Department of Justice, schools and community groups to dispel stereotypes and fears.
News Contact: Aimee Chiu, aimee@aicongress.org

 

Football Season Brings Fresh Focus on Safety
Eugene Egdorf
Sports and Entertainment Law Attorney
The Lanier Law Firm in Houston
"As high-school and college football workouts get under way, the safety of student-athletes is again in the spotlight. Heat-related issues during summer drills, and the threat of concussions once full-contact practice starts, are among the top concerns for coaches and officials. First and foremost, coaches, trainers and school officials need to look out for the safety of their student-athletes. The Texas UIL instituted rules this year regarding practice in the heat, and last year the state legislature addressed concussions in football because too often, we see too much of an emphasis on winning, with exhausted players told to work harder, and injured players told to 'shake it off.'"
News Contact: Alan Bentrup, alan@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534

 

Life Changes Can Wreck Relationships
Brad LaMorgese
Family Law Attorney
McCurley Orsinger McCurley Nelson & Downing LLP in Dallas
"Major life changes for one or both partners can strain a marriage to the point of breaking. When one partner retires from a highly successful career and the other remains in their profession, the change in perspectives is often impossible to overcome. The toll paid on a marriage when a spouse has a major change in their professional life can be irreparably compounded when the other is still moving ahead full speed in their chosen field. The initial compromises a high-power couple forges to make their relationship work may not be able to withstand the seismic shift in goals and expectations."
News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534

 

Personal-Pleasure Products Are Becoming More Mainstream
Carol Carrozza
Vice President of Global Communications
Ansell Healthcare Products LLC
“As someone who has been in the sexual-health industry for more than 20 years, I have seen attitudes evolve and trends change in terms of the way female sexuality and personal-pleasure products are perceived. Most recently, we have all seen resurgence in female sexuality and a conversation surrounding personal-pleasure products, as is evidenced by the phenomena of movies depicting male dancers, and best-selling books detailing sexual encounters that involve sex toys and adult themes. As the stigmas surrounding personal-pleasure products are fading, these products are making their way from the discrete shelves of sex shops to the prominent displays of mainstream retailers, neighborhood drugstores and even grocery stores.”
Ansell Healthcare Products LLC a major manufacturer of latex products. Throughout Carrozza's career at Ansell, she has worked in the communications area developing marketing programs for the LifeStyles brand of condoms, household and latex examination gloves, home diagnostic kits, and work gloves. She has worked to promote condom awareness and condom usage throughout North America and has appeared on NBC’s "Today" show, Fox’s "The O'Reilly Factor" and CNN’s financial news network. Carrozza continues to interview and lecture on radio stations and college campuses throughout the United States.
News Contact: Samantha Wannemacher, swannemacher@5wpr.com or +1-212-584-4281

 

Sitting Is Not Killing You
Kevin Butler
Senior Ergonomist
Steelcase
"The latest research confirms that sitting smart, when combined with standing and walking options can have a big impact on worker wellness and productivity. Three recent American studies performed by Marc T. Hamilton (2007), Pedersen (2009) and Stephens (2010) have shed new light on the relationship between long periods of sedentary behavior and pervasive health problems such as weight gain, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. While these studies inspired sensational media coverage warning consumers 'sitting is killing us,' such headlines misstated the findings."
Butler can speak to how a palette of posture in the office, including options for sitting, standing and walking can improve the health of employees.
News Contact: Sarah Sanzari, ssanzari@peppercom.com or +1-212-931-6175

********************

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Senior Editor - NYC
• Social Editor - NYC
• Reporter - Wichita Falls, Texas
• Online Editor - Washington, D.C.
• Reporter - Lawrence, Kan.

See more listings here.

********************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

• MEDIA NEWS HIGHLIGHT: ProfNet Editor Evelyn Tipacti shares articles and stories that might be of interest to newsroom professionals: bit.ly/QVdISV

• BEVERAGE BLOGS: BOTTOMS UP!: PR Newswire's Thomas Hynes shares some of the best beverage blogs he's seen lately: bit.ly/NjPPkS

• GRAMMAR HAMMER: SINCE VS. BECAUSE: ProfNet Editor Grace Lavigne reviews when to properly use these words: bit.ly/NnVqD5

ProfNet is a free service that provides journalists, bloggers, authors and other writers with links to experts and story ideas on the topics they cover. You’ll also find links to job opportunities and other news and resources we think you’ll find useful. To receive these updates by email, send a note to profnet@profnet.com with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition.

If you are in need of an expert source, you can also submit a free ProfNet query and have qualified sources come to you, or search the free ProfNet Connect database, which features nearly 50,000 user profiles, all searchable by keyword. If you are looking for Spanish-speaking experts, you can also opt to send your query via ProfNet en Español; just select that option when submitting your request.

Submit a free ProfNet query

Search the ProfNet Connect experts database

********************

With back-to-school season approaching, we compiled the following list of 89 experts who can discuss various aspects of back-to-school season. Photos of some of these speakers are available on ProfNet Connect. You can view them here: bit.ly/NemIkM

EARLY/PRIMARY/SECONDARY EDUCATION:

Amie Beckett, Ph.D.
Early-Childhood Education Specialization Coordinator for the Ph.D. in Education Program
Walden University
Beckett has devoted more than 35 years to early childhood, primary and multilingual education. She began her career as an early childhood, English as a second language and bilingual teacher in Austin, Texas; worked as an early-childhood education specialist at the Texas Education Agency; and then transitioned to the world of higher education. She specializes in early-childhood education and primary education and focuses on addressing complex issues affecting young children and their families, early intervention, cross-cultural issues in early childhood and early foundations of literacy.
Bio: www.waldenu.edu/News-and-Events/41409.ht...
News Contact: Tamara Chumley, tamara.chumley@waldenu.edu or +1-443-627-7495

 

Donna Bell
Senior Specialist
National Center for Family Literacy
Bell can discuss topics such as parent engagement, early childhood, early reading, and early language and literacy development. Curricula and materials on early literacy learning and parental-involvement projects that she has managed include the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL)'s partner role with Edvantia for the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center and West Virginia’s Parent Involvement Resource Center; development of Becoming Readers infant and toddler toy/text sets available through Kaplan Educational Resources; Bringing Literacy Home training and materials for pilot home visitation project; "What Works," a teacher’s guide for implementing the research findings of the National Early Literacy Panel; "The Literacy House," "How would you feel?" and "Find the Flags" interactive online learning materials; "En Camino," an online resources for parents, children and staff regarding postsecondary education; and "Helping Your Child Grow, Learn and Succeed," a parent resource for the Kansas State Department of Education. As well as managing various projects, Bell contributes as a team member to many other NCFL projects, such as the Family and Child Education (FACE) Program and Wonderopolis. She has led the development of parental-involvement webinars, podcasts, trainings and print materials currently available online. NCFL is a leader in family literacy. More than 1 million families have made positive educational and economic gains as a result of NCFL’s work, which includes training more than 150,000 teachers and thousands of volunteers.
News Contact: Carla Blanton, cblanton@famlit.org or +1-859-608-4850

 

Dom Belmonte
Executive Director
Golden Apple in Chicago
"The testing mania in this country is negatively impacting the ability of the superior teacher to teach children in a holistic, healthy manner that uses assessment to inform instruction. We must avoid becoming the testing systems of China, South Korea or Japan. There are other ways to **** without removing the creativity out of the school experience."
News Contact: Eileen Rochford, eileenr@theharbingergroup.com or +1-312-953-3305

Yasmin Bhatia
CEO
Uplift Education, based in Dallas
Bhatia is the CEO of Uplift Education, a nationally recognized network of 26 public charter schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Bhatia’s international business consulting background meshes fully with Uplift Education’s mission to create and sustain public schools of excellence that empower each student to reach their highest potential in college and the global marketplace. Uplift Education serves more than 7,500 students, with the majority being low-income and minority students, many of whom are the first in their family to attend college. Uplift Education schools are public schools, and students are selected by a blind lottery with no information collected on the student’s past academic performance. One-hundred percent of Uplift's graduates have been accepted to college.
“We have proven that the achievement gap, regardless of students’ ethnic or socio-economic backgrounds, can be closed. Low-income, urban students can excel, even if they are the first to graduate high school in their family, if English is not their first language and if away from school they face obstacles to success many of us can only imagine.”
News Contact: Kelly Lane, +1-214-351-1586

 

Barry Birnbaum, Ed.D.
Special-Education Specialization Coordinator for the Ph.D. in Education Program
Walden University.
A devoted educator, Birnbaum has held teaching and leadership positions in schools as a classroom aide, teacher, assistant principal and principal; and at universities as an assistant professor, associate professor and full-time professor. He specializes in special education, assistive and adaptive technology for persons with special needs, and child advocacy. Birnbaum is an expert on methods of identifying and teaching exceptional children, including those with learning disabilities. He also focuses on training special-education teachers to work in inclusive environments, and prepares teachers and schools to integrate technology into the classroom for students with special needs.
Bio: www.waldenu.edu/News-and-Events/41408.ht...
News Contact: Tamara Chumley, tamara.chumley@waldenu.edu or +1-443-627-7495

Marcella L. Bullmaster-Day, Ed.D.
Associate Director, Lander Center for Educational Research
Touro College Graduate School of Education
"A vision of every student proficient in English language arts and mathematics by 2014, with none left behind, sounded equitable, bipartisan and unassailable as a national goal in 2002, at least from the 30,000-foot perspective of policy formulation. Yet no sooner had the ink dried on the 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, then referred to as No Child Left Behind, or NCLB) than a rising chorus of voices swelled to decry flaws and limitations in the law. NCLB called for students to be merely proficient, as determined by a battery of standardized tests. Today the focus has moved from proficiency to preparedness. Students must be ready to meet the challenges of an ever-evolving global economy driven by information and social media technologies never seen before in human history. The goal of graduating all high-school students genuinely ready to take advantage of rewarding postsecondary opportunities requires a well-aligned, tightly integrated system of standards, curriculum, instruction, assessment, teacher preparation, professional development, school culture and processes, family and community support systems, K-12-college collaboration, and data. Again, the operative word is 'system.' All of these interrelated components must roll forward together in the same direction."
Bullmaster-Day can comment on these elements of the system: instruction, teacher preparation and teacher professional development.
Expert Contact: marcy.bullmaster@touro.edu

 

Martha Cheney, Ed.D.
Program Director for the Teacher Preparation Program with a Master of Arts in Teaching
Walden University
Earlier in her career, Cheney taught preschool through fifth grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and preschool in Woodland Hills, Calif. Cheney specializes in early-childhood education and focuses on profound connections between children's early development and learning, specifically in children from birth through age 8, when the earliest learning takes place in the context of the family, with parents and other family members as the first and most important teachers of infants and young children.
Bio: www.waldenu.edu/News-and-Events/41411.ht...
News Contact: Tamara Chumley, tamara.chumley@waldenu.edu or +1-443-627-7495

 

Jieun Choe
Executive Director of College Admissions and K-12 Programs
Kaplan Test Prep
Choe is an expert on SAT, ACT, PSAT and other college admissions trends and issues, including the financial aid process and how social media is changing the admissions landscape. She is executive director of college admissions and K-12 programs for Kaplan Test Prep, where she leads marketing strategy and communications, as well as partnerships. In addition, she heads up marketing for Kaplan Kids’ personalized online learning program for children in grades K-8. Prior to joining Kaplan, Choe worked at Tiffany & Company in category management for diamond rings and spent six years at Guidant in strategy and product management for medical devices. She was also a consultant for Strategic Decisions Group before attending Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she earned her MBA. Choe received her B.A. in economics and public policy from Stanford University.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1- 212-453-7538

 

Molly Cinnamon, Ed.D.
Manager of Client Services
Teacher Peach!
Cinnamon will conduct outreach work and professional development for teachers and principals in the Chicagoland area and across the country using Teacher Peach! tools. She will also oversee general management of the Teacher Peach! retail location in downtown Highland Park, assist with hiring of staff and participate in the design of Teacher Peach! products. As manager of client services, Cinnamon will guide principals, teachers, parents and students on how to incorporate the use of Teacher Peach! products in the classroom and home.
News Contact: Karolyn Raphael, Karolyn@wingermarketing.com or +1-312-494-0422

 

Sherril English
Clinical Assistant Professor
Southern Methodist University's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development
Southern Methodist University (SMU) education researchers have learned that developing early math skills is as important as developing early reading skills. In research with kindergartners, they tested new techniques for teaching math. The result? Kindergartners, particularly at-risk kindergartners, who were taught using the new techniques were better prepared for future math studies. English, one of the lead researchers on the study, is an expert on simple things parents and day care and preschool teachers can do to help children develop math literacy. She often speaks to parent organizations and preschool teachers about the importance of early math literacy and how simple games like rolling a ball, counting, sandbox or bath play can help even infants develop math skills.
News Contact: Nancy George, ngeorge@smu.edu or +1-214-768-7674

 

Patricia Feldman
Senior Associate Director
Southern Methodist University's Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center
Time-management problems cause 90 percent of failures in college. A calendar, weekly schedule and daily to-do lists will help students anticipate the term’s tests and papers, and also plan specific times for study, sleep, meals and fun each week. See more of Feldman's tips here: bit.ly/QiyfKH
News Contact: Sarah Hanan, shanan@smu.edu or +1-214-768-7622

 

Linda M. Gojak
President
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
“We must be our best and do our best for every child who enters our classroom, whether it’s the kindergarten student going to school for the first time, or the college senior who will soon begin a new career. They are our responsibility. They are why we teach. A new calendar year often brings resolutions to become a better person. Why not consider making resolutions for the new academic year? Think about beginning the school year with one or two resolutions that will help you become a better teacher.”
Gojak began her term as NCTM president at the close of the 2012 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Philadelphia. Gojak’s two-year term will run until April 2014. After 28 years of teaching mathematics at the elementary- and middle-grade levels, Gojak has directed the Center for Mathematics and Science Education, Teaching, and Technology at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, since 1999. She has served in many roles with the council over the years. Most recently, she was a reviewer for "Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten Through Grade 8 Mathematics: A Quest for Coherence," published in 2006. Read Gojak’s latest "Back to School Issue President’s Message," which includes some ideas to help teachers get started, here: bit.ly/QJIlZw
Website: www.nctm.org
News Contact: Tracy Withrow, twithrow@nctm.org or +1-703-620-9840, ext. 2189

 

Gloria Harper
Chief Program Officer
Golden Apple in Chicago          
"The heart of teaching is the quality of the teacher. We can attract better teachers by spending more time on searching, preparing, compensating and retaining. Mentoring and instruction will help our young teachers become resilient in the classroom and more successful at instruction."
News Contact: Eileen Rochford, eileenr@theharbingergroup.com or +1-312-953-3305

 

Maria Heim, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Touro College Graduate School of Education
Reconciling the needs of children with disabilities and the mandates of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) continues to be an arduous task for states to accomplish. The homogeneous assessment of *all* students and the push for teacher accountability has led to educational practices that focus a great deal of classroom time on preparing students for these yearly assessments in reading and math. Simultaneously, more children with special needs are being included in mainstream classes. Are these children able to meet the challenges of these yearly assessments? New York State has been granted a waiver from the core provisions of NCLB, agreeing to meet new, more stringent standards. Will teachers be able to address these new standards, meet the specific needs of our students with disabilities and leave "No Child Behind"? Heim can comment on this topic. She has been teaching graduate-level special-education classes for 28 years, and has worked as a school psychologist in NYC and Nassau County for 30 years.
Expert Contact: maria.heim@touro.edu

 

Alison Hilsabeck, Ph.D.
Dean
National Louis University's National College of Education
With back-to-school season just weeks away, discussion continues regarding how to prepare teachers to truly make an impact in the classroom and accelerate student learning. Hilsabeck has been instrumental in National Louis' engagement in many of the most innovative teacher-preparation partnerships in the country (e.g., Academy for Urban School Leadership, Chicago Urban Teachers Academy, Grow Your Own, etc.), which help the school children of Chicago and offer field-study opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students. She can speak to the importance of teacher-students having an integral field experience as part of their teacher preparation, along with the value of exploring different approaches to teacher training.
News Contact: Kellie Kennedy, kelliek@theharbingergroup.com or +1-312-933-4903

Dennis Hogan
Executive Director
National Geographic Learning, part of Cengage Learning
One in four students under the age of 6 comes from an immigrant family with at least one parent who does not speak English (according to a recent article by District Administration), which will make it inevitable that the majority of teachers in the U.S. will come across an English language learning (ELL) student. Hogan can speak to the importance of English language teaching (ELT) and trends among the various products, programs and techniques used by educators to teach the approximately 5.5 million current ELL students.
News Contact: Lauren Eddy, Lauren.Eddy@cengage.com or +1-203-965-8609

 

Christine Jax, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Doctoral Programs in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership
Walden University
Prior to her career in higher education, Jax was Commissioner of Education for Minnesota and she also founded the Learning Center for Homeless Families, an elementary-school and support agency for homeless children in Minneapolis. Jax specializes in various areas of education, including K-12 statewide standards, education policy, charter schools, early-childhood education and spirituality in education.
Bio: www.waldenu.edu/News-and-Events/82892.ht...
News Contact: Tamara Chumley, tamara.chumley@waldenu.edu or +1-443-627-7495

Jennifer Johnson
Assistant Professor
Touro College Graduate School of Education
As school begins and numerous children enter the school system for the first time, many parents, teachers and administrators will be a part of the special-education evaluation and referral process for these students. Many of these students will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. What are some of the signs and symptoms of autism? How do each of the "5 Pervasive Developmental Disorders" delineated in the DSM present in children of different ages and backgrounds? What are some of the most cutting-edge interventions used with these children today? These are among the questions Johnson can address. She is the coordinator of the Multiple and Severe Disabilities Program at Touro, and has 10 years of experience working with young children on the autism spectrum, both in the New York City Department of Education and as an early-intervention consultant. She is currently working toward her doctorate in special education with an emphasis in autism.
Expert Contact: Jennifer.Johnson@touro.edu

Robert Kazanowitz
Assistant Professor
Touro College Graduate School of Education
This fall, New York City is planning on implementing controversial reforms in special education. The reforms would place more special-education students into mainstream classrooms across the entire system. Is the Department of Education ready to handle the changes? Are we ready to change? Can all schools keep children in the “Home Zone” regardless of the kinds of disabilities a child might display? Will younger special-education teachers find creative ways to implement Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that are workable for all stakeholders? Is the newly developed IEP System, SEISS (Special Education Instructional Support System) up to the task? Kazanowitz can comment on this topic. He teaches special education and for 32 years served as an administrator for the New York City public schools, including as an assistant principal for one of the largest special-education high schools in New York City.
Expert Contact: Robert.kazanowitz@touro.edu

 

Leanne Ketterlin Geller
Associate Professor
Southern Methodist University's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development
Ketterlin Geller is part of a national research team working on the George W. Bush Institute’s initiative Middle School Matters. Ketterlin Geller specializes in algebra readiness and currently assists the Texas Education Agency with an algebra-readiness screening tool for elementary- and middle-school students. She leads the Research in Mathematics Education program at Southern Methodist University, which develops instruction and assessment tools that K-12 educators can use in their teaching, and to support the needs of struggling students.
News Contact: Nancy George, ngeorge@smu.edu or +1-214-768-7674

 

Bonnie Lash Freeman
Senior Training Specialist
National Center for Family Literacy
Freeman can discuss topics such as family and community engagement, family engagement and reading, family literacy program development, early literacy, early childhood education (birth to third grade), parent education, parent and child interaction, literacy development for the elementary child, curriculum development for literacy, home and family visits (strategies for family engagement), designing literacy experiences cross-culturally, children’s literature, and designing technical assistance and professional development for classroom teachers and community agencies. She manages various projects and grants focused in the areas of family literacy program development, family engagement, trainer development, elementary and early childhood language, and literacy development. Freeman's expertise in program development includes National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL)’s Toyota Family Learning Program (where she develops training both face-to-face and online), the Kentucky Reading Project, the Head Start Family Literacy Project, the Parent-Child Interaction Project (a collaboration with the Louisville Science Center), the Prichard Committee Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership, and the Chase Building Readers Project. Freeman presently serves as a commissioner representing Kentucky on the Education Commission of the States. From 2004-2008, she served on the Kentucky Board of Education. Her leadership roles included chair of the Curriculum and Assessment Committee and vice chair from 2006-2008. In the last six years, Freeman developed and implemented parent workshops, and consulted with citywide family engagement efforts such as the Annie E. Casey Making Connections project and the Leadership Louisville Bingham Fellows Program. NCFL is a leader in family literacy. More than 1 million families have made positive educational and economic gains as a result of NCFL’s work, which includes training more than 150,000 teachers and thousands of volunteers.
News Contact: Carla Blanton, cblanton@famlit.org or +1-859-608-4850

 

Donna McClintock
Chief Operating Officer
Children's Choice Learning Centers, Inc., a provider of employer-sponsored early care and education
McClintock has more than 29 years of experience in early childhood education and has been in a senior executive leadership role for more than a decade. She has co-authored several books for children; worked with many companies to design and open state-of-the art child care centers; and is an industry trainer, speaker and blogger. McClintock can discuss early literacy, kindergarten red-shirting, developmentally appropriate curriculum for infants and toddlers, how employer-sponsored child care is a staffing solution for corporations and can increase employee productivity, child and brain development in the first five years, and more.
Twitter: @CCCLCchildcare
News Contact: Carlos Munguia, carlosm@allisonpr.com or +1-310-496-4452

 

Lynn Perkins
Founder
UrbanSitter
Perkins is a child care expert who can discuss: 1) creative strategies for finding the right back-to-school child care solution (e.g., sitter sharing, neighbors who swap off child care duties, etc.); 2) the baby sitter checklist every mom should have on her fridge; 3) what to do when your favorite sitter leaves for college; 4) average sitter rates around the U.S. (bit.ly/NbcDmA); 5) top child care mistakes that parents make; 5) tips for what to look for in a sitter, and how to reduce stress when transitioning to a new sitter or nanny.
News Contact: Sarah Tonzi, stonzi@rochester.rr.com or +1-585-905-1806

 

Steve Poizner
Founding Partner and CEO
Empowered UCLA Extension
A highly successful high tech entrepreneur with more than two decades of starting and running technology companies in Silicon Valley, Poizner founded and served as CEO of Strategic Mapping Inc., a software company that developed a program to display geographic data on digital maps. He then founded SnapTrack Inc., which pioneered technology that put GPS receivers into cellphones. Poizner turned his focus to education and public service, co-founding EdVoice, an educational nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public schools and serving the interests of K-12 children in California. He also served as a volunteer teacher in San Jose’s Mount Pleasant High School teaching 12th-grade American government. In 2003, Poizner co-founded the California Charter Schools Association. He was later elected statewide and served as California’s Insurance Commissioner from January 2007 through January 2011. Empowered UCLA Extension is an education program that seeks to provide real-world solutions to fill the skills gap and get more people in the workforce, specifically by targeting baby boomers who want or need to stay in the workforce longer and need to retrain to stay relevant. It provides job-centric, 12-month certificate programs designed to address real-world employment needs. The offering combines personalized, one-on-one career counseling with UCLA Extension professional training from a live instructor who is an expert in their field -- all through an iPad app, which places a community of instructors, peers, mentors and career advisers just one touch away. Certificate programs being offered are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ predicted areas of job growth over the next 10 years -- industries such as health care, IT, project management and sustainability. Most importantly, Empowered UCLA Extension is the first certificate course to offer one-on-one, personalized career guidance and coaching.
News Contact: Victoria Rangel, Victoria.Rangel@edelman.com or +1-323-761-6523

 

Sharon Pyeatt
Assistant Professor of Early Education
Oklahoma City University
Pyeatt taught kindergarten for 22 years and has taught as an adjunct periodically for 20 years. She is an experienced mentor teacher and residency-year teacher supervisor. She earned National Board Certification in 1999 and was the Norman Schools Teacher of the Year in 1994. Pyeatt is committed to arts integration.
News Contact: Rod Jones, +1-405-208-5347

 

Peter Scott
Publisher, Classroom and Library Solutions
Gale, Part of Cengage Learning
Preparing today's youth to succeed in the digital economy requires a new kind of teaching and learning. Skills such as global and computer literacy, critical thinking, and innovation have become crucial. What does it mean to be a 21st century learner? Scott can answer this question and discuss trends in K-12 education, learning and searching, as well as the benefits of digital curriculum and the importance of bridging the gap from the library to the classroom.
News Contact: Kristina Massari, Kristina.Massari@cengage.com or +1-203-965-8694

 

Robert Siegler
Professor of Psychology
Carnegie Mellon University
From factory workers to Wall Street bankers, a reasonable proficiency in math is a crucial requirement for most well-paying jobs in a modern economy. Yet over the past 30 years, mathematics achievement of U.S. high-school students has remained stagnant -- and significantly behind many other countries, including China, Japan, Finland, the Netherlands and Canada. New research from Carnegie Mellon University has identified a major source of the gap: students' inadequate knowledge of fractions and division.
"We suspected that early knowledge in these areas was absolutely crucial to later learning of more advanced mathematics, but did not have any evidence until now. The clear message is that we need to improve instruction in long division and fractions, which will require helping teachers to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts that underlie these mathematical operations. At present, many teachers lack this understanding. Because mastery of fractions, ratios and proportions is necessary in a high percentage of contemporary occupations, we need to start making these improvements now."
News Contact: Shilo Rea, shilo@cmu.edu or +1-412-268-6094

 

Dave Smith
Executive Director
Kids In Need Foundation 501(c)(3)
A new survey of 600 teachers conducted by Kids In Need Foundation, a national not-for-profit that provides school supplies to students in need nationwide, shows that teachers are spending more money than ever out of their own pockets to ensure that their students have the basic supplies they need to learn. Smith can discuss how much money teachers are spending out of their own pockets, as well as what supplies are most lacking in classrooms nationwide. He can also speak to the dire need for basic supplies, such as pencils, paper and even toilet paper, in classrooms nationwide.
News Contact: Mary Lester, mary@mplpr.com

Tim Sullivan
President
School Family Media, parent company of TeacherLists.com
"Families will spend an average of $641 per school year on supplies, and teacher requests influence more than 77 percent of those purchases. Parents want to know that they are spending money on items that will truly benefit the classroom."
Sullivan can discuss teacher resources and the types of products they need most, as well as the role technology plays in helping them to fulfill their classroom needs. According to research done by School Family Media, the most requested items on teachers' wish lists this year aren't pens and pencils, but tissues and paper towels. A recognized leader in all aspects of parent involvement in schools, Sullivan has spent his entire career in the education world. His unique perspective on the education world comes from a variety of angles – first, as a teacher and administrator at a NYC high school, then as a senior manager for a New England-based fundraising concern; and now as the founder and leader of School Family Media (SFM). SFM is the parent company of PTO Today magazine, SchoolFamily.com and the recently launched TeacherLists.com, a new website that connects parents and teachers to school supplies and teachers' wish lists. He has spoken at hundreds of parent group (PTO and PTA) meetings, and to tens of thousands of parent-group leaders all across the country. In print, on the radio and on national TV, Sullivan is a frequent contributor to national discussions on the importance of parent involvement in schools and the best practices for encouraging and enabling that involvement. He also maintains roles as a senior writer for PTO Today Magazine and as a featured blogger on both PTOToday.com and SchoolFamily.com. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Sullivan lives in Attleboro, Mass., with his wife Ellen and their four young children. He also served as the HSA (Home & School Association) president at his children's school.
News Contact: Stephanie Herzfeld, stephanie.herzfeld@mslgroup.com or +1-646-500-7653

 

Dara Williams-Rossi
Assistant Clinical Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs
Southern Methodist University's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development
Williams-Rossi’s expertise is curriculum development for K-12 science, and using e-readers to reach middle-school boys who are reluctant readers.
Skype: dwrossi
Expert Contact: drossie@smu.edu

 

Elizabeth Willner
Associate Professor of Elementary Education
Oklahoma City University
Willner’s main area of interest is elementary education, specifically literacy education. She has taught young people in Wyoming, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois and Korea, and has taught university students in Indiana, Oklahoma and Korea. She has been on faculty at Oklahoma City University since 2007 and is currently serving as director of teacher education. Willner presents at state and national education conferences. She has published articles focused on the respectful use of children’s literature in the classroom, and literacy practices that build on children’s strengths. In addition to conference presentations, Willner conducts workshops at schools around the state. She is active in professional organizations, and is currently serving as president-elect of the Oklahoma Reading Association (ORA), the state’s affiliate of the International Reading Association. She was also the chair of the March 2009 ORA conference in Oklahoma City. Her degrees are: an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction, literacy education from Oklahoma State University; an M.S. in curriculum and instruction, children’s literature from Purdue University; a certification in elementary education from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; a B.A.  in business administration and economics from Rocky Mountain College.
News Contact: Rod Jones, +1-405-208-5347

 

Kenneth D. Witmer Jr., Ph.D.
Dean
West Chester University’s College of Education in West Chester, Penn.
Witmer is an expert in improving how students are prepared for jobs in education. To help improve our nation’s troubled schools and to better prepare our teachers-in-training, Witmer advocates changing student teaching to a more extensive and robust professional classroom apprenticeship. Witmer is a board member of two influential national education deans associations: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), and has delivered two important presentations on this subject (available upon request) to state teachers’ associations in Pennsylvania and Missouri. West Chester University has been renowned for training teachers since 1871, graduates more teachers than any other university in Pennsylvania, and is where second lady Jill Biden (who possesses an impressive background in education) obtained her master’s degree in education.
Website: bit.ly/N41xjq
Expert Contact: kwitmer@wcupa.edu

 

Pat Wyman
CEO of HowToLearn.com
Professor of Continuing Education for Teachers at California State University, East Bay
"Learning is not about being smart, it's about strategy."
Wyman has 30 years of experience in all topics regarding back-to-school, including how to prepare for school success, faster learning strategies, learning styles, better report cards, learning and the brain, solutions for reading problems, spelling improvement, math mastery, schools, teachers, study skills needed for higher grades, test-taking strategies, learning disabilities and autism, food and learning connection, removing learning roadblocks to prepare for success. She is the author of several best-selling books, including the most recent "Amazing Grades: 101 Best Ways to Improve Your Grades Faster." It is the first book to ever include three learning styles -- visual, auditory and kinesthetic -- so that students can master the material in the way they learn best. Wyman is the recipient of many awards, including the James Patterson Page Turner Award for her work in literacy. She can address any audience on back-to-school topics that affect every student and family.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/howtolearn
Twitter: @howtolearncom
Expert Contact: Pat Wyman, patwyman@howtolearn.com

 

HIGHER EDUCATION:

Howard Bell
Vice President of Graduate Programs
Kaplan Test Prep
Bell is an expert on graduate school admissions issues and trends. He is responsible for helping deliver Kaplan’s graduate-level programs to employees and students at companies and community organizations. He spearheaded efforts in the launch of Kaplan’s new 2010 LSAT course, which includes the industry’s first ever simulated, realistic LSAT experience as well as more than 100 hours of classroom instruction. Prior to joining Kaplan in 2009, Howard held executive management roles at Scholastic and TechTown, a Detroit-based nonprofit. Previously, he spearheaded venture development at Wayne State University and also taught an MBA class on entrepreneurship. His professional experience also includes working on the expansion of the Continental Basketball Association and working in intellectual property law. Howard received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Brown University, a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1- 212-453-7538

 

Dr. Linda Bips
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Muhlenberg College
Bips is an expert on parents sending students off to college. She does workshops and seminars on "Letting Go." She is the author of several books on parenting freshmen and college students. She is also the former director of counseling at Muhlenberg College.
News Contact: Mike Bruckner, Bruckner@muhlenberg.edu

 

David Chard
Dean
Southern Methodist University's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development
Chard leads the Simmons School at Southern Methodist University (SMU), known for promoting excellence in education by training teachers and developing student programs based on scientific research. The U.S. Senate recently approved his nomination to the board of directors of the National Board for Education Sciences, a board that reviews federally funded education research. He frequently writes op-eds and speaks to journalists on education issues ranging from controversial textbooks to inadequate teacher training.
News Contact: Nancy George, ngeorge@smu.edu or +1-214-768-7674

 

College of DuPage
The College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill., can offer a number of experts who can discuss back-to-school topics related to the subjects of business and technology, career and technical education, college services, English and ESL, fine and applied arts, health sciences, humanities, mathematics and engineering, natural sciences, and social sciences. The college is the largest single-campus community college located outside the state of California. It has a study body of nearly 30,000. To see the College of DuPage's list of experts, which is updated regularly, see here: bit.ly/O3wQwm
News Contact: Brian Kleemann, kleeman@cod.edu or +1-630-942-2370

 

Sean Devine
CEO
CourseSmart
As world's largest provider of higher-education e-textbooks and digital course materials, CourseSmart provides over 30,000 titles from 33 publisher to users through a device agnostic platform at up to a 60 percent savings when compared to print. Devine can speak to the publishing industry, the shift to digital course materials, tablet and smart phone usage among college students, technology in higher education, college cost/savings and general back-to-school trends.
Website: www.coursesmart.com
News Contact: Jessica Nelson, jnelson@kwitco.com or +1-646-747-7141 or +1-612-269-7655

 

Mark Gasche
Senior Director of Career Services
Empowered UCLA Extension
Gasche has consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies related to helping their employees improve their career-planning and management skills, and former employers include University of Minnesota, University of Evansville, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and Capella University. He holds a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Minnesota, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota in higher-education administration. He provides this quote from Wolfgang von Goethe for inspiration as you continue your educational and professional adventure: "Seize this very minute; What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power magic in it." Empowered UCLA Extension is an education program that seeks to provide real-world solutions to fill the skills gap and get more people in the workforce, specifically by targeting baby boomers who want or need to stay in the workforce longer and need to retrain to stay relevant. It provides job-centric, 12-month certificate programs designed to address real-world employment needs. The offering combines personalized, one-on-one career counseling with UCLA Extension professional training from a live instructor who is an expert in their field -- all through an iPad app, which places a community of instructors, peers, mentors and career advisers just one touch away. Certificate programs being offered are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ predicted areas of job growth over the next 10 years -- industries such as health care, IT, project management and sustainability. Most importantly, Empowered UCLA Extension is the first certificate course to offer one-on-one, personalized career guidance and coaching.
News Contact: Victoria Rangel, Victoria.Rangel@edelman.com or +1-323-761-6523

 

Jeff Gawronski
CEO
DormCo.com
“There are a host of products needed for college dorm life, but none are more crucial than a student's dorm-room bedding. The trend in 2012 has been all about comfort dorm bedding. From extra-cozy comforters and sheets to bed toppers, bedside accessory holders and the newly introduced blackout blind, students are seeking a comfortable bed more like those at home than at summer camp. Overall, there are hosts of dorm-bedding products that are geared toward making sleep and relaxation an improved experience for soon-to-be college dorm dwellers. Important questions and answers that soon-to-be college students have to be aware of include: What size are dorm beds? What measurements must I be aware of before purchasing a dorm comforter, topper or sheet set? Does a dorm bed provide any thickness or support? What can I do to increase my dorm bed's comfort level? Will my dorm bed be bunked or lofted? How will I keep my items bedside without a nightstand? Will my dorm-room blinds block sunlight well? What can I do to block sunlight from waking me up or preventing a good college nap? Can I hang drapes/curtains?”
DormCo.com helps college students find products for their dorm rooms and small apartments.
News Contact: Todd Brabender, todd@spreadthenewspr.com or +1-785-842-8909

 

Cynthia Grunden
Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Financial Services
City Colleges of Chicago (CCC)
Grunden is an expert at helping new and returning college students secure an affordable college education while avoiding debt. She’s knowledgeable about every aspect of today’s financial aid landscape, from grants to  direct loan programs to private loans, as well as the importance of educating students about the consequences of their financial choices. She’s also available to discuss how community college can be a great last-minute option for students who can’t afford a four-year college. Students can save significant amounts of money by attending community college before transferring to a four-year school and earning a bachelor’s degree.
News Contact: Ana Vargas, avargas135@ccc.edu or +1-773-553-2788

Brandon Jones
Executive Director of Academics
Kaplan Test Prep
Jones is an expert on graduate-level admissions exams, issues and trends. He is responsible for building programs and setting standards to select, interview, train and develop Kaplan faculty. After joining Kaplan in 2000 as an SAT instructor, Jones has since taught GMAT, GRE and LSAT prep courses, and has coached and mentored more than 100 new Kaplan faculty members in his role as teacher trainer. Outside of the classroom, he has held a number of business and management roles for Kaplan, including running centers in Boston and Manhattan, working on the national pre-college team, and serving as regional director for the greater New York area. Jones graduated from Harvard University **** laude with an AB in English and American literature and language.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1-212-453-7538

Rick Kamal
President
EduNova
Kamal and his wife, Teena, founded EduNova to help prepare students to lead and thrive in the global economy. They worked with 33 top university education experts and many successful senior executives to develop resources to help students learn crucial life and learning skills.
"These skills can help students do better in school, work and life. They can also help with transitions from middle school to high school, from high school to college, and from college to the workforce."
Website: www.edu-nova.com
Twitter: @edunovaco
Expert Contact: rick.kamal@edu-nova.com

 

Lois Lawler-Brown
Professor of Education and Chairwoman of the Department of Education
Oklahoma City University
Lawler-Brown has more than 30 years of teaching experience in secondary and university education in Spanish, French and English as a Second Language. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and previously worked as the director of accreditation for the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Education. She has served on many boards, commissions, and the city council in Norman, Okla. She has served as president of the Oklahoma Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, state liaison to the national office of AACTE on national education policy, National Board of Examiners chairwoman for the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, former state director of accreditation for teacher preparation programs, and former coordinator for Education Leadership Oklahoma.
News Contact: Rod Jones, +1-405-208-5347

 

Lisa Lawter
Assistant Professor of Special Education
Oklahoma City University
Lawter taught education at East Central University and the University of Oklahoma, and is joining Oklahoma City University this fall. Prior to teaching in higher education, she was a special-education teacher. Her degrees are: a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma; an M.Ed. from the University of Central Oklahoma; and a B.S. from the University of Oklahoma.
News Contact: Rod Jones, +1-405-208-5347

 

Sarah McGinty, Ph.D.
President
McGinty Consulting Group
McGinty is the author of the newly released fifth edition of "The College Application Essay" from the College Board, her seventh book on the college essay. She is also president of McGinty Consulting Group, where she provides educational counseling to individuals, corporations and institutions. McGinty’s expertise relates to the college application essay and counseling students on how to stay calm when faced with a topic they know so well: themselves. With the college application season fast approaching, she can counsel students and parents on the following: the college application process in general; how the college essay process continues to evolve; what admissions officers are looking for in the essay; how to choose topics; techniques for editing; essay mistakes and key elements all essays should contain; survival skills for parents; tips for nontraditional applicants; and last-minute strategies for procrastinators. Through her years of experience with the writing faculty at Harvard and tenure as admissions director at Sarah Lawrence College, McGinty has fine-tuned the art of navigating the college application process. McGinty is a resident of Boston and has spent her career teaching and researching topics in admission and access.
News Contact: Shannon Watterson, swatterson@schneiderpr.com or +1-617-646-3327

 

Nivine Megahed, Ph.D.
President
National Louis University
As students begin to return to university campuses for the new school year, the discussion about the future of higher education continues. Dr. Megahed offers an authoritative voice for how higher-education institutions are transforming and why. She has led universities through the process of proactively reinventing themselves to adapt in the face of changing realities in the higher-education landscape. This process has not been easy. It has included changes to how classes are offered (including more online options, paired with classroom and experiential options) to what classes are offered as a core focus of the university. Through this process, Meghed has had a laser-like focus on realigning universities’ missions and how they best can serve students to position themselves for long-term sustainability.
News Contact: Kellie Kennedy, kelliek@theharbingergroup.com or +1-312-933-4903

Andrew Mitchell
Director of Pre-Business Programs
Kaplan Test Prep
Mitchell is an expert on GMAT and business school admissions issues and trends. He helps manage the company’s GMAT business, including marketing, program development and delivery. Still an active GMAT and GRE instructor, Mitchell is leading Kaplan’s efforts to revamp its curriculum to teach the GMAT’s new Integrated Reasoning section that launches in June 2012, and he helped to develop Kaplan’s 2010 GMAT course, which boasts the test-prep industry’s first interactive online center. He also led efforts in the development and launch of Kaplan’s highly successful multicity Road to Business School series, recruiting representatives from dozens of the nation’s top business schools. A best-selling author, his previous experience includes network defense consulting for the Pentagon and product development at Google. Mitchell graduated from Harvard University **** laude with a B.S. in physics in 2001. He completed his MBA in 2007 at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1-212-453-7538

Jeff Olson
Vice President of Data Science
Kaplan Test Prep
Olson is an expert on test-prep issues and trends, and consumer learning trends. He specializes in creating and analyzing market data, designing and conducting consumer research, and monitoring trends in education. Focused on marketing, product development, academic quality, inventory and communications, Olson’s work serves as a data and informational backbone for Kaplan’s curriculum, teacher training, communications, professional development initiatives, prompting course changes, system enhancements and more. He began his career as an instructor preparing Kaplan students for the GMAT, GRE and MCAT, and also taught biology at George Mason University. Olson received his B.A. at the College of William & Mary and completed a year of the M.D. program at the Medical College of Virginia before turning to education. He also trained in survey design and data analysis at George Washington University.
News Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or +1-212-453-7538

Bill Rieders
Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Business Development
Cengage Learning
Today’s college students consume data and curriculum differently than all past generations -- they have shorter attention spans and demand digital curriculum from professors. Rieders can speak on this topic and others, including but not limited to the increasing importance of using analytics in higher education; the evolution of the learning-management system (LMS) (what it was originally designed to do and what it is transitioning into); the growing trend of schools outsourcing educational services due to the tight economy; and the "changing student."
News Contact: Lindsay Brown, Lindsay.brown@cengage.com or +1-203-965-8634

 

For Part 2 of this roundup, please see here.

ProfNet is a free service that provides journalists, bloggers, authors and other writers with links to experts and story ideas on the topics they cover. You’ll also find links to job opportunities and other news and resources we think you’ll find useful. To receive these updates by email, send a note to profnet@profnet.com with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition.

If you are in need of an expert source, you can also submit a free ProfNet query and have qualified sources come to you, or search the free ProfNet Connect database, which features nearly 50,000 user profiles, all searchable by keyword. If you are looking for Spanish-speaking experts, you can also opt to send your query via ProfNet en Español; just select that option when submitting your request.

Submit a free ProfNet query

Search the ProfNet Connect experts database

EXPERT ALERTS

• Charges Levied Against Standard Chartered
• American Attitudes Toward Business

MEDIA JOBS

• Staff Writer - NYC
• Editorial Research Assistant - NYC
• Reporter - Rocky Hill, Conn.
• Online News Editor - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• News Associate - Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Grammar Hammer: Since vs. Because
• Interesting Expert of the Week, Navy SEAL Edition
• Tool Spotlight: Awesome Screenshot

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EXPERT ALERTS

Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts

Charges Levied Against Standard Chartered
Sarah Jane Hughes
University Scholar and Fellow in Commercial Law
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Hughes has studied the Bank Secrecy Act, OFAC and compliance issues for more than 20 years, and can discuss and address the charges levied against Standard Chartered; money-laundering statutes and laws; and the impact of the investigation on other banks and on domestic and foreign policy.
“This is one of the most egregious cases I’ve ever seen, far exceeding HSBC. The New York State Department of Financial Services doesn’t usually get things wrong -- with 30,000 detailed internal documents, these are very serious charges carrying criminal penalties. The announcements of the FBI and DOJ investigations following the announcement of the New York superintendent of financial institutions suggests that additional sanctions -- either civil or criminal, or both -- are likely to follow whatever actions the superintendent decides to take after the Aug. 15 hearing on the order to show cause.”
Bio: bit.ly/NF3gYh
Website: www.law.indiana.edu
News Contact: Brianne O’Donnell, brianne.odonnell@gabbe.com or +1-212-220-4444

 

American Attitudes Toward Business
Doug Pinkham
President
Public Affairs Council
"Everyone has an opinion about big corporations. Some see them as key economic players because they create jobs, reduce consumer costs and manufacture products on a global scale. Others see them as bad actors, seeking to monopolize markets, outsource workers and buy favors from politicians. The American public's view is complex, and it doesn't fit neatly into the conventional wisdom espoused by either conservatives or liberals. Two-thirds of Americans now have a favorable view of major companies -- up from 61 percent in 2011 -- according to the new Public Affairs Pulse survey (pac.org/pulse). Only 29 percent have unfavorable opinions. And yet, while overall attitudes toward business have become more positive, many Americans don't have confidence in major companies to 'do the right thing.'"
Pinkham, president of the nonpartisan, nonpolitical Public Affairs Council, which commissioned the survey, released July 31 and conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, is available for interviews on public views toward lobbying, big business, small business, corporate political involvement and government regulation of business. Here is Pinkham's recent C-SPAN interview on the Public Affairs Pulse survey: cs.pn/O3jy36
Website: pac.org/blog/pulse_2012
News Contact: Erika Compart, ecompart@pac.org or +1-202-787-5963

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Staff Writer - NYC
• Editorial Research Assistant - NYC
• Reporter - Rocky Hill, Conn.
• Online News Editor - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• News Associate - Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

See more listings here.

********************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

• GRAMMAR HAMMER: SINCE VS. BECAUSE: ProfNet Editor Grace Lavigne reviews when to properly use these words: bit.ly/NnVqD5

• INTERESTING EXPERT OF THE WEEK, NAVY SEAL EDITION: ProfNet Director Maria Perez interviews Chris Sajnog, a retired Navy SEAL sniper instructor who is currently vice president of training for Center Mass Group: bit.ly/ORFwT4

• TOOL SPOTLIGHT: AWESOME SCREENSHOT: ProfNet Editor Jason Hahn reviews a free browser extension that allows users to quickly capture what they see on their screen, including some nifty enrichment features: bit.ly/MnrvAg

Following is a roundup of 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories found online last week:

Twitter Bans a Journalist Who Criticized NBC's Olympics Coverage and Shared an Email Address: Guy Adams, the Los Angeles Bureau chief for The Independent, took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with the way NBC was covering the Olympics. He went so far as to tweet the corporate email address of an NBC executive, and that's when Twitter suspended his account for violating its policy of sharing the "private and confidential information of others." NBC filed the complaint that got Adams' account suspended, a move that received much criticism. Twitter reinstated Adams' account about two days later, but it did little to address the bigger issues at hand. "The company has yet to properly address growing suspicions that its decision to suspend my account was motivated by a business relationship with NBC. The firms are running a cross-promotion throughout the Olympics. Was that why it chose to ignore its own rules?" (Village Voice, Deadspin, The Independent)

Twitter's Fail and the Economics of Trust: Twitter's suspension of Guy Adams' account could be a defining moment for the company for all the wrong reasons. The company has to learn what newspapers did when they began to accept advertising: "that when trust is your asset, you must run your service and your business according to principles of trust." Twitter needs a wall between itself and its sponsors, or else it will lose trust and value. (BuzzMachine)

The Internet and the Shortening Life Span of a Plagiarist: Jonah Lehrer's recent resignation from The New Yorker after admitting that he made up quotes from Bob Dylan in his recent book has an interesting side plot: "Is it possible that the lifespan of a plagiarist is getting shorter?" The Internet may be making it easier to bust these kinds of offenses quicker. We could be witnessing the beginning of a new era of fact-checking. (The Atlantic Wire)

PR Lessons From Plagiarism Scandals: The Jonah Lehrer scandal is just one of a series of recent transgressions committed by members of the media. In these incidents are lessons for PR professionals, including: tell your clients that the vetting process for reporting might not be as stringent as it used to be, younger reporters are being thrust into the spotlight earlier than before and expect more corrections. (PR Daily)

Public Relations Is About Human Relations, Not Fake Familiarity: It's apparent that public relations firms are spending plenty of time, money and resources on getting away from the "spray and pray" way of sending pitches in order to get better at knowing their target market. Nevertheless, pitches are worse than they were before. Pitches are now falling somewhere in between those two methods – a slightly personalized message from an individual that you don't know. "And so, it turns out that faking familiarity has an air of creepiness that is somewhat more disturbing than the spam that came before it." Social media is meant to be used to connect to other humans, not manipulate them. (Six Pixels of Separation – The Blog)

Five Ways to Tweet Breaking News: Tweeting news involves volume, frequency and serendipity. "The combo deals a particular blow, however, when your latest tweet contains your big, hot breaking story." So what's the best way to tweet big news in order to get the clicks and engagement you want? Here are five possible ways to go: 1) ALL-CAPS; 2) #ALL-CAPS; 3) classic; 4) no distinction; and 5) retweet another account dedicated to big, breaking news. (Mediabistro's 10,000 Words)

Ten Lessons From Two Years of Blogging: Brad Phillips, the man behind the Mr. Media Training blog, recently celebrated his site's second anniversary. He shared 10 lessons from his two years of blogging. They include: daily blogging makes your work-life balance difficult; the hard work begins after you've written the obvious posts; and some people will steal your content without attribution. (Mr. Media Training)

How Journalists Verify User-Generated Content and Info Found From Social Media: Nieman Reports recently included a cover package titled "Truth in the Age of Social Media," which focuses on the "craft of verification." Included in the story is input from Chris Hamilton, BBC's social media editor, who says while correspondents and producers are honing their verification skills, there will always be a place for verification specialists, if only for efficiency. (Poynter)

Five PR Lessons From the Chick-fil-A Crisis: When Chick-fil-A president and COO Dan Cathy made comments about the company's stance on gay marriage, he committed at least five cardinal PR sins. Among them were: if you don't want to see it, hear it or read it, don't say it; have internal and external brand ambassadors ready; and never surprise your employees. (Inc.com)

The Top 52 PR Pros on Twitter: This list of the top 52 PR professionals on Twitter is up-to-date and based on unscientific criteria, including: they must be active on Twitter for at least six months; they must participate in the conversation and offers/adds/shares value; and their primary job is public relations or communications. Included on the list (which is compiled in alphabetical order) are @allanschoenberg, @davesaunders, @keithtrivitt, @markwschaefer and @valeriesimon. (CloudSpark)

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

ProfNet is a free service that provides journalists, bloggers, authors and other writers with links to experts and story ideas on the topics they cover. You’ll also find links to job opportunities and other news and resources we think you’ll find useful. To receive these updates by email, send a note to profnet@profnet.com with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition.

If you are in need of an expert source, you can also submit a free ProfNet query and have qualified sources come to you, or search the free ProfNet Connect database, which features nearly 50,000 user profiles, all searchable by keyword. If you are looking for Spanish-speaking experts, you can also opt to send your query via ProfNet en Español; just select that option when submitting your request.

Submit a free ProfNet query

Search the ProfNet Connect experts database

EXPERT ALERTS

• Improving Insulin Injection Technique for Diabetes Patients
• It’s Never Too Late to Innovate
• The Need for ‘Frugal’ Medical Technologies Around the World

MEDIA JOBS

• Associate Editor - NYC
• Deputy Editor - NYC
• Editor/Producer - NYC
• Business Reporter - Norfolk, Va.
• Sports Anchor/Reporter - Phoenix

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Media News Highlight
• Tool Spotlight: Awesome Screenshot
• Design Blogs: Everything in Its Right Place

********************

EXPERT ALERTS

Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts

 

Improving Insulin Injection Technique for Diabetes Patients
Dr. Larry Hirsch
Vice President of Global Medical Affairs, Diabetes Care
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) in Franklin Lakes, N.J.
"I've been fortunate to live a very active life with Type 1 diabetes and have taken insulin for more than 53 years. There are numerous things that pharmacists, diabetes educators and nurses can do to collectively promote increased patient compliance with insulin therapy. In addition to providing appropriate educational materials, discussions should also be had with patients about injection technique and what type of needles they're using to inject their insulin with."
Hirsch is board-certified in internal medicine, and endocrinology and metabolism. He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School. Hirsch can address challenges related to diabetes patient compliance and adherence to insulin therapy -- one topic being discussed at the American Association of Diabetes Educators annual meeting.
News Contact: Abigail Cardona, Abigail_Cardona@bd.com or +1-201-847-4605

 

It’s Never Too Late to Innovate
Dr. David Pensak
Author and Inventor
“The older you get, the more you have observed and experienced, and the more likely it is that you will be able to reach back into your memory and identify truly innovative solutions. It is similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Every day you pick up new pieces. The older you get, the more pieces you have seen and it increases the likelihood that you will assemble them in ways no one else has thought of. This is completely contrary to the popular belief that advancing age is accompanied by decreasing ability to innovate. I was fortunate to have been inspired to invent by our next-door neighbor Albert Einstein. He was a friend of my parents, and when I was a toddler he actually sat with me in my sandbox. He told me stories and asked me questions that stretched my imagination, but he made it fun. He was adamant, however, that my parents give me time to still be a kid.”
Pensak, a lifelong inventor, is the holder of 38 patents and author of “Innovation for Underdogs.” He’s based in Wilmington, Del., and is available for media interviews.
News Contact: Richard Berman, gobermanpr@gmail.com or +1-914-572-2707

 

The Need for ‘Frugal’ Medical Technologies Around the World
Renuka Gadde
Vice President, Global Health
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) in Franklin Lakes, N.J.
"I have personally traveled to countries of the developing world dozens of times. These countries are littered with donations of medical devices that are not in use. Philanthropic donations are an important part of addressing global health issues, but donations alone will never solve global health problems. Designing technologies specifically for use in the developing world should be a strategy for all medical technology companies. In doing so, companies can create a shared value by enhancing their competitiveness while simultaneously addressing unmet health needs.”
A new Lancet Report (bit.ly/MeWTL4) claims that “a concerted global effort to encourage the development and use of health technologies that can benefit the poorest people in the world is needed.”
Gadde can discuss “frugal technologies” designed specifically for resource-limited settings.
News Contact: Alyssa Zeff, Alyssa_Zeff@bd.com or +1-201-847-4358

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Associate Editor - NYC
• Deputy Editor - NYC
• Editor/Producer - NYC
• Business Reporter - Norfolk, Va.
• Sports Anchor/Reporter - Phoenix

See more listings here.

********************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

• MEDIA NEWS HIGHLIGHT: ProfNet Editor Evelyn Tipacti shares interesting articles and stories from the worlds of media and journalism: bit.ly/M8D90h

• TOOL SPOTLIGHT: AWESOME SCREENSHOT: ProfNet Editor Jason Hahn spotlights Awesome Screenshot, a free browser extension that enables users to quickly capture and annotate screen shots: bit.ly/MnrvAg

• DESIGN BLOGS: EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE: PR Newswire's Thomas Hynes shares some of the best design blogs he’s seen lately: bit.ly/Rhnqy0

This is part of a biweekly series on tools, resources and apps to help PR and media professionals be more productive and effective.

Awesome Screenshot is a free browser extension that enables users to quickly capture what they see on their screen, add annotations, then share or download the resulting image. In other words, it’s a nifty tool that allows you to create screen grabs enriched with helpful information.

The browser extension is available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. For the purposes of this post, we’ll mostly focus on how Awesome Screenshot functions in Chrome, which recently ousted Internet Explorer to become the No. 1 browser in the world.

Once installed, the Awesome Screenshot icon (which looks like a camera lens) will be visible in the upper right corner of the browser. Once you click on it, you will see three options:

• Capture Visible Part of Page: captures only the visible portion of the Web page you’re on (i.e., if there are parts of the Web page that lie below or above what you’re currently looking at, they won’t be captured with this option)

• Capture Selected Area: a set of crosshairs will replace your cursor, allowing you to select the portion of the Web page to capture (you can adjust the parameters of the selected portion of the page after you release your mouse button; if you click this option by mistake, simply press the Escape key to cancel, or click the “Cancel” button after selecting a part of the page)

• Capture Entire Page: this will capture the entire Web page you’re on, even if parts of the page are not visible in your current view (this might take a few seconds for bigger pages; pressing the Escape key will cancel the process)

After selecting one of those options to capture however much of the page you desire, you’ll be taken to a new browser window that will display the captured image and a small toolbar, which is equipped with the following functions:

• Crop a portion of the screen shot
• Rectangle
• Ellipse
• Arrow
• Line
• Free Line
• Blur
• Text
• Color Picker

As you annotate and edit your screen shot, you’ll see an “Undo” button to the right of the toolbar so you can get rid of any of the previous changes you’ve made. (For those who are curious: No, you cannot capture any part or all of this Awesome Screenshot editing page with Awesome Screenshot – I tried.)

When you’re done enhancing your screen shot, just click the “Done” button. On this screen you’ll see a handful of options. You can either go back and make more changes to your image, save the image online (on Awesomescreenshot.com for about three days or permanently on Diigo.com), save/copy the image on your computer or print the screen shot. If you choose to save the image on Awesomescreenshot.com, you will be given a link to share with others. Note that the link leads to a page that includes an ad next to the screen shot.

Right-clicking on the Awesome Screenshot browser button will reveal an “Options” screen, which will enable you to designate keyboard shortcuts for the various types of screen capturing.

There are many potential applications of Awesome Screenshot. For example, the browser extension can easily be used to enhance a plain screen shot by adding elements that highlight or explain important parts for use in a press release or article. It also makes it easier to work with a team on a project, especially when technical issues or corrections need to be addressed.

Awesome Screenshot is a useful and fun way to share important information with others, whether for work-related or personal tasks.

Other resources:

• A video of Awesome Screenshot in action
• Awesome Screenshot on Twitter
• Awesome Screenshot for Chrome
• Awesome Screenshot for Firefox
• Awesome Screenshot for Safari

Another tool for reporters is ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

Following is a roundup of 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories found online last week:

USA Today’s ‘Ohno’ Moment With Subway: Journalism can’t survive without advertising, but something USA Today did last week went too far in blurring the line between the two realms. An interview with eight-time Olympic medal-winning speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno was featured on the front page of USA Today’s sports section. However, the story was placed in between two prominent ads, one right in the header next to the paper’s logo. “So to recap: An exclusive interview is completely sandwiched (pardon the pun) between two Subway ads, both of which feature the subject of USA Today's exclusive interview. Is this okay?” According to this former USA Today reporter, no – it’s a dubious step. (International Business Times)

Six Ways Journalists Can Effectively and Ethically Use Press Releases: A lawsuit against the Kansas City Star spotlights how journalists should be using press releases. The consensus suggests that newsrooms would benefit from talking about how to properly use press releases. Among the six tips offered by this editor are to think of press releases as a good starting point for finding out about information you didn’t know; reporters should talk with their editors about how to paraphrase/quote from press releases; and read press releases with a skeptical eye. (Poynter)

Chick-fil-A Lays a Rotten PR Egg: Chick-fil-A got itself in a public relations mess after its president and COO made comments related to the company’s stance on same-sex marriage. The fallout included a harsh letter from Boston’s mayor and the end of the Jim Henson Company’s relationship with the fast-food company. To make things worse, Chick-fil-A appeared to have created fake Facebook accounts to defend itself, though the company denies it did so. The lesson is obvious: Social media is a place where you can engage with your customers, but when you try to alienate people and lie to defend your position, you won’t get away with it. (Spin Sucks)

The Media’s Race to Be Worst: “The only thing missing from the mega-coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act last month was proper credit to the journalist who first broke the story,” writes columnist Gene Weingarten. “That journalist was me.” Weingarten shares how he tweeted “SCOTUS AFFIRMS ACA” at 10 a.m. on June 28, seven minutes and 35 seconds before anyone else reported the decision. He accomplished this feat by guessing. The old newspaper byword “Late But Great” seems to be replaced by “Worst But First,” according to Weingarten. Alexis Ohanian, co-creator of Reddit, also laments the media’s race to be first, saying though the Internet and other tools will always win on speed, journalism is meant to give us what’s accurate. (National Post, CBS News)

How to Write Eye-Catching News Release Subject Lines: “You can't judge a book by its cover, but you can certainly judge the effectiveness of an e-mailed news release by its subject line.” Here are six tips to help you write attention-grabbing subject lines for news releases: 1) get inspiration from journalists, 2) emphasize the benefits, 3) don’t manipulate the recipient, 4) be concise, 5) don’t exaggerate and 6) don’t use spammy words. (PR News)

Advice for the Next Generation of PR Pros: Dear college students or recent college graduates: PR is not glamorous. In fact, PR is often thankless and stressful. Luck can’t be counted on, so the job demands coming up with plans of attack, ones that focus on the brand and the consumers. The next generation of PR pros should heed six pieces of advice, including: be prepared to work your butt off with little pay, be prepared to receive little respect from journalists and clients (until you’ve earned it), and be prepared to feel proud when you see the positive impact you make for a company. (PR Daily)

Forty-Four Percent of Americans Learned About the Colorado Shootings From TV: According to CJ&N, a media industry research and analysis company, 56 percent of Americans said they heard about the shootings in the Aurora, Colo., theater from a source other than TV news. While this means 44 percent of Americans heard about it from TV news, 14 percent said they heard about the news from websites and 13 percent from radio. “Some of the ‘new’ digital channels many think would be prominent as the first to inform were not. Facebook, text alerts, email, and Twitter were all named by 5% or less of the total sample.” Younger age groups were almost as likely to have heard about the news via word-of-mouth and Facebook as by TV. (CJ&N Blog)

‘Crowdsourced’ Journalism Is Flawed, too: Citizen journalism was on full display in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colo., move theater shooting. The crowdsourced news that resulted received praise, and its potential to bring benefits that mainstream journalism can’t provide was hailed. But here’s the thing: Citizen journalism is pretty much doing the same exact thing that traditional journalism has always done. “Crowdsourced journalism doesn’t seem to do long-term investigative journalism well, nor does it do well at identifying and tracing large-scale societal problems, or high-level analyses of medical, scientific or financial news, the kind of things that require expertise. Instead, it’s really good at breaking news about shootings and war, the same ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ coverage that the media is frequently criticized for overemphasizing.” Citizen journalism is nice and all, but it has its share of major flaws, and praising it for being something superior to what the mainstream media gives us is mistaken. (Salon.com)

Can PR Save the Penn State Brand?: While it remains to be seen whether or not the Penn State brand can be saved, one thing’s already clear: PR has already played a key role in diverting attention away from the university’s child-abuse scandal and to the larger issue of big football programs. Nevertheless, business partners don’t appear to be offering their full support just yet. Penn State could have been more proactive by implementing self-imposed sanctions before the NCAA took action. Going forward, the university should focus on telling the stories of students and alumni doing great things. (AdAge.com)

BuzzFeed Wants to Reinvent Wire Stories for Social Media: “The wire story is an atomic element of news: It’s the basic material upon which more journalism can be built. But wire stories, as a compact unit for getting out the basics of an updating story, are also a commodity.” When major news breaks, readers are often inundated with the same story, thanks to the speed and excess number of channels we use to access news. This is also a point of frustration for editors like BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith, who wants to experiment with a new model for wire stories in the era of social media. (Nieman Journalism Lab)

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.