PRSA Georgia | Ask Us Anything: Moving Beyond Communications Manager

Calling all Managers! Join us for the next Ask Us Anything webinar on May 5 at 12:00 p.m.,  when four pros – Schuyler Harding, Director of Communications, Association County Commissioners of Georgia; Wendy Hsiao, Account Director, Weber Shandwick; and Sarah Weston, APR, VP, The Wilbert Group; Karen Cole, Director of Corporate Communications, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Americas – will lead an open conversation on career progressions, take questions and offer actionable advice for moving from a tactical role to strategic leadership. Be sure to come prepared with questions for our amazing speakers.

Speakers: 

Schuyler Harding is the director of communications at the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, also known as ACCG or Georgia’s county association. She began her tenure with ACCG as an intern and is now a trusted public relations advisor to association managers while serving as a liaison to county governments, state and local partners, and other key stakeholders. Schuyler is experienced in executive communications, content strategy, and messaging.

Originally from Savannah, Schuyler grew up in a military family. She is a graduate of Georgia State (B.A.) and Virginia Commonwealth (M.S.) universities. She currently serves as 2^nd Vice President of the National Association of County Information Officers and is a recent graduate of the Professional Development Academy’s High Performance Leadership Program. She has written opinion pieces for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a community contributor and is a member of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Inspire Atlanta 2021 Cohort, Leadership DeKalb Class of 2020, and Georgia Forward’s Young Gamechangers 2018 Cohort.

As a senior vice president at The Wilbert Group, Sarah Funderburk Weston, APR serves professional services firms with strategic public relations counsel, primarily focusing on commercial real estate. She has managed PR for numerous complex projects, commercial real estate and professional services clients.

Sarah earned her Accreditation in Public Relations in 2015, further elevating her ability to add value to clients through public relations planning and client success analysis. She has placed clients in publications ranging from the New York Times, AP, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal to targeted local outlets throughout the country. Her contributions have earned multiple awards from programs such as PRSA, Bulldog Awards and ICSC’s MAXI Awards. In 2016, she was presented with PRSA Georgia’s Rising Star award, which recognizes a PRSA Georgia member who has demonstrated leadership within the profession and the Chapter and has fewer than 7 years experience. She was previously director of public relations for SPR Atlanta, where she was also a partner in the firm. She joined The Wilbert Group when it acquired SPR.

Sarah currently serves on the ULI Atlanta and ReBuilding Together Atlanta boards. She is a 2019 graduate of ULI Atlanta’s Center for Leadership program and was selected for PRSA Georgia’s inaugural 40 Under 40 class in the same year. She was previously selected for NAIOP’s Future Leaders program, and was elected by her colleagues to serve on the Future Leaders Executive Board the following year. Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Auburn University.

She enjoys playing tennis and visiting her friends and family across the country. She is currently trying to read two books per month and loves spending time with her husband, Will, their sons, Walker and Henry, and Labmaraner, Harper.

Wendy Hsiao is an account director at Weber Shandwick in Atlanta. She specializes in media relations and works with clients including McDonald’s, Huggies, and Shoe Carnival. Wendy has over a decade of experience in public relations and event marketing and has worked at a small boutique agency, in-house, and at a nonprofit.

An Atlanta native, Wendy is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia where she majored in communications with a certification in digital media. She is on the board for the UGA Atlanta Alumni Association and also serves as a mentor for UGA.  She has been profiled by several publications including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Atlantan Magazine and VoyageATL. She was recently named an honoree in the Top Women in Communications for the Leader category by Ragan Communications and PR Daily.

Please Note:

• Member price: $10; Nonmember price: $15
• After registering, you will be sent information about joining the virtual meeting.