The University’s Shadow PR Firm and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter hosted and welcomed their second guest speaker of the semester, Jennifer Sneed, on Wednesday Nov. 20 at 2:30 pm in the Jules L. Plangere Center for Communication.
As the Public Relations (PR) Coordinator for Monmouth County’s Habitat for Humanity, Sneed seized the opportunity to gain connections, network herself, and volunteer.
Sneed asked, “Would you rather watch television or give back to the community? You are constantly learning and seeing if you enjoy what you do. Volunteer. Those around you will recognize it.”
On Oct. 12, she along with volunteers working for Habitat for Humanity’s 30th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project teamed up with Union Beach to help build and repair 14 homes in partnership with low income families.
During the event, President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, joined the nearly 150 volunteers to help repair homes for their families recovering from Hurricane Sandy.
In addition to being the PR Coordinator and Chair of Media Relations Committee for Habitat for Humanity, Sneed also served as Deputy State Director and Constituent Services and South Jersey Projects Director for Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, from Jan. 2010 to Aug. 2013. Sneed described working with Senator Lautenberg as exciting and said, “As Director, I oversaw the entire staff and handled affairs with Mayors in the state of New Jersey.”
Sneed also commented that everything can change on a daily basis when working for the state. What could start off as a routine Monday morning staff meeting and agenda setting could turn into how to handle current events going on in the news both locally and nationally.
Sneed said, “Hurricane Sandy is the perfect example. Everything can change on a dime. There was complete madness and chaos at times and our schedule had to be completely rearranged and we had to prioritize matters. We would even work weekends and nights.”
Crisis management in the PR field is a way of coping with a dilemma or issue and handling it in the best possible way. When asked how Sneed managed crises during her time with the senator, she responded, “Our boss was fantastic at not having crises. The state, however, was a different story. At one point, NJ wanted to eliminate the Camden campus at Rutgers University (RU). RU is dear to my heart and my boss’s heart as well. My boss loved that campus, and as a result he worked with the politicians of the state to keep that campus.”
Sneed offered advice to the student members of PRSSA. “Network yourself. The more you give the more you will get and who knows where that may lead you. Essentially, involvement is key,” she said. “If you decide to show up whether it be for work or an event, show up early and make sure you leave late. Stand out, do not do the minimal, and go the extra mile with anything in life will get you everywhere.”
Dr. Sheila McAllister, associate professor of public relations and advisor of PRSSA, attended the event and said, “If you get an opportunity, run with it, because you never know if you will be handed that opportunity again.”
Sneed mentioned to always set goals, no matter what you do. “Don’t set one goal, set multiple goals, each and every day and do not stop. The more you set, the more you will be motivated to accomplish them all,” she said.
Michelle Brady, a PR and journalism major, said, “I take an interest in listening to different situations and finding and planning ways to make something successful. I also love to write and feel like it is a very strong point of mine.”
Brady is an active PRSSA member and enjoys everything the chapter has offered her thus far. “I like PRSSA because it provides activities that concern different forms of PR. Whether it is group work, handing out fliers for events on campus, or trying a new program and creating blogs about it for other people to see feedback, PRSSA gets students involved in different forms of PR and helps us broaden our learning experience. PRSSA taught me that there are different types of PR and many ways to get a message out to the public,” she said.
Brady said Sneed left a lasting impression on her. She said, “One memorable thing about Jennifer Sneed that really inspired me was how hard she has worked to get to where she is today. She spoke of how much volunteer work she had done and how it benefitted her in every way. Also, she instilled in us to go above and beyond in everything we aspire to do. To also work hard with every task you take on because anything is possible when you set your mind to it and push yourself.”
Today, Sneed is a current board member for Rutgers University Alumni Association (RUAA) and chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Charter Relations. She has served as chair of the RUAA Communications Committee and was a member of both the RU Alumni Association Nominations and Awards and also Recognition Committees. Sneed is also an active member of the SC&I Alumni Association and was their past President.
PHOTO TAKEN by Nina Costa
