The 2003 Annual NFPW Conference:
Sharing regional history, culture, fun and connected by a common thread
by Val Ensalaco, IWPA President

I'm a USA multi-lingual. I understand a lot of regional dialect if I focus - and if I'm not careful, I pick up the regional accent of my conversing partner. Has that happened to you? It's good that I'm a USA multi-lingual because it came in handy at the National Federation of Press Women's annual conference in Wilmington, Del. Wilmington is just a short distance from Pennsylvania and New Jersey and a quick trip to New York as well. It's no accident that I'm multi-lingual. I even own a book titled "How to Speak Southern," a gift from my spouse's family. They relocated to North Carolina. (The book helped. "We luvs yuh az hard az thundah bumps a stump" is good news.) I've studied that book carefully. In case you thought it was an inherent talent, I thought I'd let you know I work at it.

On Tuesday, the day before the conference opened, I made eye contact in the hotel lobby with a woman wearing a conference badge and asked the quickest way to New Jersey. She said "jest go down the road there a piece and then over the bridge." She was from the South. It was up to me to figure out which road and how far "a piece" was before I started out for New Jersey. Her companion added, "The paper wants rain and maybe some thunder gusts, yet. It's making down now." She was from Pennsylvania. I asked another badge-wearing person the same question. She took me out to the street and pointed in the direction I was to go. Her vocabulary included no "Rs." She was from New England. I asked how fah to the bridge and she said "a few minutes by cah and longah if you walk." She was pretty smart. I figure she probably was educated at Ha-vahd. Her friend said, "Yah-hey, come back via Pennsylvania for a change in scenery." I laughed all the way to New Joysey. I was loving every minute of meeting people from all over the country. In Chicago we say, "the lake is always east." Works for me. If one asks "which way is Lake Michigan?" one can figure out the other three directions. Usually. I like New Jersey. It has a lot of bridges, especially where it becomes a neighbor of Pennsylvania.

Our common thread, of course, was (and is) that we all are rooted in the field of communications. There was an enormous amount of informal sharing of information and resources at the conference…among members. The sessions were great. One presenter handed out CDs containing his material--Smart Surfing: finding, evaluating, tracing and using on-line information.

In preparation for the NFPW conference, each affiliate was asked to prepare a one-page annual report of activity, providing enough copies to be shared with other affiliates. Moving to half-inch margins on the sides with not much white space on top and bottom, Illinois submitted their report in 11-point type. We had much to report including that your 2002-03 board had totally redefined IWPA's policies and procedures and that a complete review was made of our bylaws. We reported that we had a successful co-sponsored all-day workshop on Stereotyping in the Media: Focus on Women and Minorities last February. Affiliates, especially the smaller ones, were very interested in joint ventures. The quality and quantity of our programs were of interest as well. Some affiliates meet only twice a year. We had some inquiries about our job referral program which members of other affiliates would like to add to their membership benefits. IWPA looks very good among affiliates of the same size and larger.

During the Annual Board Meeting, affiliate presidents heard the priorities identified in NFPW's strategic plan. Their concerns and priorities are nearly a mirror image of ours. They want to support issues that are important to women. They're concerned about offering support to members going through transition-entry level to mid-level to advanced to post career. They note there is a need to develop a network of mentors, especially to provide support during the transitional phases. NFPW wants to focus on finding a common link among diversified communications areas. They're seeking their niche and expect to put all organizational efforts to that end. They are exploring partnerships with organizations with like-minded missions. They're concerned about the decline in student memberships but report a slight increase in general memberships, of which 77 percent are active. Just like your IWPA leadership wants feedback from members, NFPW wants to hear from its affiliates.

A resolution was passed at the conference on the U.S. Patriot Act and the Health Record Privacy Act. You can view these two resolutions on our Web site. Some conference participants had little tags on their badges that simply said FAN…First Amendment Network. Next year, I'll have one of those ribbons as I've asked to be included in the network. Our FAN representative is Kim Graber, PenPoints editor. She'll share news via our newsletter and through our Web site.

Carole Eberly, a journalist, author, publisher and educator from Mount Pleasant and Elberta, Mich., was honored as NFPW's 2003 Communicator of Achievement (COA). IWPA's three-time nominee, Marlene Cook, was honored as first runner up. We celebrate their accomplishments. The COA is the highest honor given to a member. The nomination is made by the member's affiliate. Marlene Cook will be IWPA's COA chair for 2004. It isn't too soon to be thinking of someone to nominate. Guidelines are available from Marlene and can also be accessed via NFPW's website.

Did you know that the NFPW Education Fund provides financial assistance to members who want to attend an educational program? A grant is also offered to help with the expense of attending a national conference. The latter is meant to encourage members who have never attended an annual conference to register. An objective of the annual conference is to provide opportunities for participants to gain new levels in professional skills and knowledge.

IWPA member Marlene Cook has had her hands full. Among the many other things she does, she's the president of Parley of Past Presidents States (POPPS). The group convenes at all national conferences and its members assist conference leaders in a variety of ways. Marlene has accepted the responsibility of serving as the NFPW historian. She is currently the archivist and historian for IWPA.

Please visit the NFPW website at www.nfpw.org and the IWPA website at www.iwpa.org for a variety of resources and information. You can link to Amazon.com and if you place an order, IWPA will be credited with the linked sale.

Lexington, Ky., is the location of the 2004 NFPW annual conference. It will be held Thursday through Saturday, September 9-11. Make a note on your calendar and plan now to attend. If I have this figured out correctly, it's "y'all come" if the invitation is singular and "all-y'all" for plural. IWPA would like to be well represented. Y'all come now, you he-yah. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to my book and prepare my language skills for the 2004 visit with our colleagues in Lexington. I think I could use the head start.

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