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Marketing Your Message| Expert Panel
June 12, 202512:00 PM
$25 | AFP MEMBERS
$40 | NON-MEMBERS
Lincoln Event Center Parkview Field
1301 Ewing StreetFort Wayne, IN
Lunch will served starting at 11:30 a.m. with the program beginning at noon.
SESSION OVERVIEW
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The "Marketing Your Message" Panel features media experts Heather Herron, Rebecca Green, and Fred McKissak sharing insights on effective storytelling and community engagement.
Expect valuable takeaways on building relationships with the media and using storytelling to strengthen donor connections.
This session is approved for 1 CFRE Credit.
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT OUR PANELISTS
Heather Herron joined the Sweetwater team in May of 2018. Prior to that, Heather spent 17 years as the evening anchor at Fort Wayne’s CBS affiliate, WANE-TV. Her broadcasting career began in 1990 and she worked at several radio and television stations in Indiana and Michigan as a reporter, producer, and news anchor.
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She holds a B.S. in Telecommunications from Ball State University. Her work as a journalist has resulted in several awards, including a Regional Emmy. Heather’s role at Sweetwater capitalizes on her extensive knowledge of media and public relations. She works closely with other members of the Executive Team to showcase the growth of Sweetwater, improve community involvement and engagement, and continue the philanthropic work of Sweetwater and Chuck & Lisa Surack.
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Heather has been involved in numerous non-profit agencies. She’s a board member for Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana and the AWS Foundation, and is an active volunteer for the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
Fredrick L. McKissack Jr. has been the editorial page editor of The Journal Gazette since November 2021. An award-winning journalist and author, he has written or co-authored notable books, including the ALA Coretta Scott King Award winner "Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues" (Scholastic Press), as well as the graphic novel "Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love" (Chronicle Books), and novel "Shooting Star” (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) -- both of which appeared on several best of the year lists including Kirkus and Horn Books.
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Beginning his career in 1990, Fredrick has worked at dailies, weeklies, and magazines in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. His articles, op-eds, and reviews have appeared in Newsday, the Miami Herald, the Charlotte Observer, the Washington Post, The Source, Vibe, The Progressive, and others. His work has earned accolades from the Hoosier State Press Association and the Inland Press Association.
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He is married to Lisa Beringer, a professor at Defiance College and an adjunct professor in women's studies at Purdue Fort Wayne. They live in Southwood Park with their son, Mark, whose culinary talents have led him to pursue a career in the culinary arts.
Rebecca Green manages the news at WBOI. She joined the staff in December 2017, and brought with her nearly two decades of experience in print journalism, including 15 years as an award-winning reporter for the Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne.
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A South Bend native, she is a graduate of a small liberal arts college in the Hoosier State, and has lived in northeast Indiana since the late 1990's.
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Rebecca has covered everything from homicides to hurricanes, and the small stories in between that make up the fabric of a community. She is passionate about the importance of local news in guarding a strong democracy, and tries to instill that belief in her students as an occasional adjunct instructor of journalism at Huntington University.
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In her spare time, Rebecca trains and handles a human remains detection dog, Helo, as a volunteer with Indiana Search and Response Team, a search and rescue organization.