Every new year brings a fresh start, a new beginning with focused time to set goals and devise strategies to achieve them. It’s all balanced by a blend of gratitude for all the blessings in our lives, celebrating the holidays with friends and family, irresistible year-end sales and lots of college football.
Grateful for the journey
When I think of my communications career, I’m thankful for the people who have connected with and supported me along the journey. IABC, the Southern Region, and my local chapters (Houston and previously, Tulsa) have played a major role in shaping that career path and giving me the confidence to pursue new ventures.
“When you stop growing, you start dying.”
That journey continued at the connect2comms Marketing & Communications Conference last year. You know the saying, “When you stop growing, you start dying.” The same can be said for our craft. I know I’m not alone when I felt stagnant – even regressed – through much of 2020 into 2021, but it is IABC that has helped reignite that mid-career spark.
Investing in yourself
Every time I go to connect2comms, I walk away with new perspectives, approaches, tactics, and more importantly, friends in our profession. Attending the regional conference always is a considerable bang for the buck given the rich, valuable, and applicable content we receive. It’s worth the investment in yourself – so if you’re on the fence about 2023, commit to your growth again with the Southern Region if you haven’t already.
A bonus was finally checking South Carolina off my list of states visited – Greenville is a beautiful city and we had outstanding hosts.
BIG thanks
We owe BIG thanks to the IABC Southern Region’s conference committee, leadership, and sponsors for planning and executing another amazing conference! You’ve poured countless hours and resources into making this a success for your fellow communicators, and your dedication is truly appreciated. (Psst: next year, could y’all consult the potential Astros playoff schedule first? Maybe September instead? Pretty please, with sugar on top?)
You can take your career to the next level with cutting-edge learning and networking at the connect2comms Marketing & Communications Conference. Brought to you by the Southern Region of IABC.
Shea Sullivan
Shea Sullivan (IABC Houston) is a consultant with futureAlign Incorporated, an award-winning, one-stop-shop for heart-centered communications, change management, and creative multimedia services, serving Fortune 5 companies and small businesses alike with scalable in-house resources and solutions. Shea has 25 years of experience in corporate communications, marketing, business development, and media production, including 11 years with global EPC giant Bechtel. With futureAlign, her main area of consulting focus is engaging and frontline employees on major oil and gas projects and in operational environments to help them achieve outstanding safety results and productivity.
Shea holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tulsa, and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas. She also earned a certification in digital marketing from Rice University in January 2021. Shea has been an IABC member since 2003, eventually serving as president of IABC Tulsa. Over the past decade she has served in several positions with the IABC Houston board, most recently as VP Marketing and co-chair of the Bronze Quill Awards. A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Shea is an aspiring beach bum, a lifelong fan of her beloved Houston Astros, and season ticket holder for Texas Longhorn football.