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Press Release Contact: Sarah Loughlin, Communications Specialist National School Public Relations Association 301-519-1221 I sloughlin@nspra.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATIONAL SCHOOL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES SCHOOL COMMUNICATION VETERAN MELISSA MCCONNELL AS MANAGER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MEMBER SERVICES
McConnell brings more than 25 years of public education and school public relations experience to the role.
ROCKVILLE, MD. (Aug. 4, 2022) – The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) is excited to welcome Melissa McConnell as the association’s new manager of professional development and member services. In her role, McConnell, who recently retired from Belton (Mo.) School District #124 after 25 years of service, will manage and provide strategic development for NSPRA’s major professional development programs as well as oversee member engagement.
A longtime member of NSPRA, McConnell most recently served as the communications specialist for Belton School District #124, where she was responsible for the development and execution of the district’s communication strategy and outreach efforts. An advocate for the advancement of the school public relations profession, McConnell also served as the South Central Region vice president to the NSPRA Executive Board from 2020 to 2022, a position from which she has resigned to take on her new staff role.
“Melissa’s background not only in school communications but also in education technology and library science will prove to be invaluable as NSPRA continues to grow its already-expansive professional development offerings,” said NSPRA Executive Director Barbara M. Hunter, APR. “Her pulse on the field and commitment to the development of school communication professionals will help ensure NSPRA continues to meet and exceed the needs of our growing membership.”
McConnell will be the first to serve in the new role for the association. “I am thrilled to join NSPRA and continue my career in school public relations,” said McConnell. “I look forward to contributing to an organization that has been so valuable to me as a school PR practitioner.”
McConnell has presented at both state and national conferences on the topics of stakeholder engagement, social media strategies, online professional development and more. She served as the Missouri School Public Relations Association (MOSPRA) Western Region director in 2018-2019 and the MOSPRA social media co-chair in 2018-2020. Prior to her tenure in school public relations, McConnell served as a technology integration specialist and library media specialist for Belton School District #124.
Separately, NSPRA will soon share information via email with association members on the process for filling the now-vacant South Central Region vice president position.
As the leader in school communication, NSPRA serves more than 2,500 members who work primarily as communication directors in public school districts and education organizations throughout the United States and Canada. NSPRA provides high quality professional development programming through on-demand learning, an annual National Seminar, webinars, online forums and resources. For more information, visit NSPRA’s website at www.nspra.org.
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