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35 Under 35: Jacqueline Dillard, APR

Every other year, NSPRA's 35 Under 35 program recognizes school public relations professionals who are making a difference for their school districts or education-related employers. The sixth class of NSPRA's 35 Under 35 program is sponsored by Rhodes Branding.

Jacqueline Dillard, APRJacqueline Dillard, APR
Director of Communications
Butte County Office of Education
Oroville, Calif.

How many years have you worked in school PR?
4.5 years.
 
What have you found to be the most rewarding part about working in school PR?
I find the lifelong connections made with growth and learner-mindset professionals to be one of the most rewarding parts of my work. I was raised by a teacher and would have probably made a career out of being a student if I hadn't ended up in school PR. I find it incredibly rewarding to be surrounded by people who returned to their educational roots, are proud to serve the next generations and want to continue learning.
 
What have you found to be the most challenging part about working in school PR? How do you approach those challenges?

The most challenging part about working in school PR is working with people who lack understanding of our role, and therefore don't see our value. Organizations nationwide use "Public Information Officer" or "Communication Specialist" to cover various duties and task school PR professionals with being experts in many different areas. I'm thankful to be a member of my chapter and of NSPRA, which provides me with a connection to other people who get it. When working with people who don't understand or value communications, I go back to strategic planning basics. I figure out what issues they face that communications can help address. I begin the RPIE method to provide a strategic, well-planned solution with measurable outcomes. I engage them and make them part of the process. In doing so, I show them the value of the communications role. It's especially gratifying when the result of a collaboration surpasses the objectives set at the beginning of the process and they get excited about collaborating on future projects.

 
What has been your most fulfilling professional experience thus far? 

When I started my current role, one of the first large projects I worked on was creating an Emergency Communications Guidebook for our small, rural schools that don't have dedicated communication personnel. I was asked to present the guidebook as part of our team's work to prepare for an emergency in the northern region of California. My superintendent was later invited to speak on disaster preparedness at a state virtual meeting, and I shared the guidebook with my SPRA chapter. We received multiple requests to share the guidebook. I'm now presenting "How to Build an Emergency Communications Guidebook" at the CalSPRA conference in March. It has been fulfilling to see how my work has helped so many people prepare for emergencies, which can potentially protect the lives of students and educational employees. At the end of the day, we all want to go home safely to our loved ones, and I get to be part of making that happen.

Are there any emerging trends in school public relations that excite you?
I'm excited to see a trend for mental health awareness for school PR professionals. When I started in school PR, the expectation was that you were always available to handle emergencies while continuing to do your job as usual. The pandemic created a turning point that proved we need to be able to check in with ourselves and our colleagues and voice when we need a mental break. We can only do our best at work when we take care of ourselves. I've seen an increase in power hours and conference sessions at the chapter and national levels, focusing on mental health and setting boundaries with work. By equipping school communicators with information and resources about preventing burnout and mental fatigue, NSPRA and SPRA chapters are creating a beautiful ripple effect creating awareness and building a network of support on the topic of mental health, specific to school PR professionals.