April 20, 2026

- A recap of last week's Spring Leadership Retreat

- Board Openings/Upcoming Election UPDATE

- Fall Conference UPDATE - November 11 - 13 in Wilmington, NC

We had a great response to our Spring Leadership Academy. Special thanks to our partners at Finalsite and Apptegy and our colleagues at Guilford County Schools for the excellent, informative sessions that were presented over a three-hour period of professional development.

Here are some of the resources from the sessions:

Hailey Smith from Finalsite offered a great presentation on social media and your district. The slideshow is here.

Greg Turchetta of Apptegy presented on AI and School Communications. There will be much more on the ever-changing topic at the SchoolCEO Conference. You can read more and register here.

Dr. Rebecca Kaye of Guilford County Schools delivered an engaging session on Accessibility. She shared some great resources and they can be found here. She also included a shortcut to the compliance deadline list that DPI sent out recently. That can be found here. **Dr. Kaye also shared an update Friday afternoon following our meeting. She pointed out that the DOJ just issued an interim final rule that pushes back the deadlines by a year. You can read more here.**

Thanks to everyone who participated! It was a great morning.

Finalsite is presenting School Social Media Day on June 30 from 10am to 1pm. You can register for FREE at this link.

If you would like to nominate yourself or another member for a seat on the NCSPRA Board of Directors, please send a short biography and headshot of the nominee to nspra.executivedirector@gmail.com.

Biographies should be between 100-150 words. All nominations must be received by Friday, May 1 at 5:00 pm.

As you consider whether to seek a seat on the NCSPRA board, please know that we have an active board whose members are expected to take on duties and responsibilities beyond attending regular board meetings. In addition, you must be an active member of both NCSPRA and NSPRA. If you need more information about board member expectations, please contact NCSPRA Executive Director, Chris Runge (ncspra.executivedirector@gmail.com).

This year's ballot will include two available board seats. Each seat is for a two-year term that will run from June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2028. The ballot also will include officers running for election:

• President: Sheena Cooper, Durham Public Schools
• Vice President: Aarika Sandlin, Vance County Schools
• Treasurer: Lauri Crowder, Onslow County Schools
• Secretary: Jada Jonas, Iredell-Statesville Schools

We will email the ballot and candidate bios to members on Monday, May 4. Ballots will be electronic and must be submitted by 5:00 pm Friday, May 15. The new officers and board members will be announced after the ballots are tabulated, and the new Board will take effect on June 1.

Key dates, holidays and events all in one place

The NCSPRA Fall Conference will be November 11 -13 at the Embassy Suites Riverfront in Wilmington, NC! We're making plans for a fun and informative event and we hope you can join us. Conference registration and a link to hotel reservations will be available very soon. Special rates are being offered to NCSPRA members starting at $179 per night.

And the NSPRA National Conference begins July 19 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Registration information is here. There are less than two weeks left to save on NSPRA 2026 registration.

Early bird rates end April 30!

Peabody Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Mariana Atencio will bring a powerful, energizing keynote that challenges the pressure to perform and invites you to lead with confidence, clarity and your own unique voice.

You’ll walk away with practical strategies to navigate change, strengthen relationships and show up in your role with purpose. This is the kind of perspective and energy you won’t want to miss at this year's Seminar in New Orleans, July 19-22.

Do you have colleagues in neighboring districts who should join NCSPRA? Tell them about us! We want our chapter to be not only the best, but the most active in the country! Share details with those who may not be part of our chapter, but who could benefit from the camaraderie and professional development. Tell them to sign up here.

NCSPRA is an Exemplary Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). For five consecutive years, NCSPRA has been honored with the prestigious Mark of Distinction Award for delivering outstanding professional development to members and to school PR professionals throughout the country.