Executive Board 

As with most New England states, Vermont was slow to recognize the necessity and value of a full-time communications professional. When I was hired, I was the first in my district and I believe only the third in the state. Thankfully, I eventually found NSPRA and shortly after that, I started connecting with other school PR professionals in my region. Over the next few years, superintendents and school boards across the state started to understand the advantages of having someone on staff with a communication focus. While our role continues to grow, the accomplishments I’ve made in my district have led me to become a resource to Vermont leaders looking to add communications personnel to their districts. I often provide input on job postings, review applications, and mentor some of the new hires. The more I got involved in the network and mentorship aspect of school communications, the more I became passionate about the benefits of being connected. When the idea was pitched by NSPRA to create a New England Chapter, I knew I wanted to be involved from the start. While I didn’t anticipate taking on a leadership role on the formation committee, that is ultimately where I landed. There was a lot to do over the past six months but with each completed checkmark, we got closer to becoming an official resource for school communication professionals in the Northeast and I could not be more proud of that work. I am incredibly excited to be a part of our next steps. I believe offering timely, well-focused, and intentional professional learning with varied options for networking will serve us all (myself included!) very well in the early stages of our Chapter. Thank you for your consideration in allowing me to lead NESPRA and the fine group of professionals that will contribute to it. 

Stories have always been a passion of mine, both as a storyteller and as a consumer. I earned my BA in TV Production from Westfield State in MA and spent the first part of my career as a news photog for two NBC affiliates. Working for the media gave me an appreciation and understanding of how stories are identified, created, presented. I spent the next nine years honing my crisis management skills fielding 9-1-1 calls and commanding radio traffic for emergency services as a dispatcher. This adrenaline-filled desk job taught me how to ask probing questions, the importance of filtering out "noise" to recognize important details, and to be hyper-aware of layered scenarios and repercussions. Going into my sixth year as Director of Communications for Colchester Schools, I enjoy sharing my own experiences and resources through mentorships but very much look forward to advancing my knowledge of PR in the near future through APR or a MA in Strategic Communications. 

I was a longtime member of the former CT School Public Relations Association (ConnSPRA) and recognize the need for such an organization. I was happy to participate in the NESPRA formation committee and am very excited that NESPRA has been formed and will now provide networking and professional learning opportunities for those working in school public relations and communications throughout New England. It has been energizing to collaborate with others who are equally as passionate about the need for NESPRA and who wanted to be part of the solution.

As I prepared for the APR exam in 2016-2017, I came to more fully understood what the role of public relations and communications ought to be. The knowledge I gained in the process truly transformed not only how I approach communications but also my broader responsibilities. I find that my work, communications or otherwise, is much more strategic in nature and relies more heavily on research.

I believe that my 20+ years as a non-profit association leader uniquely positions me to serve as NESPRA’s Treasurer as we begin to build the chapter. As NESPRA moves forward, the chapter will need healthy financial resources and systems in place to manage these resources.

My overall goal is for NESPRA to thrive and help its members have the tools to best meet their professional challenges. The need for school communications professionals to have a forum to support one another, share best practices, and engage in professional learning is greater than ever. I firmly believe the time is right for NESPRA to bring together the many talented individuals across New England and Eastern Canada and provide them with a space to further develop their skills all while being supported by those who best understand the demands this profession faces.

Lisa Steimer is the Senior Staff Associate for Professional Development and Communications for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE). Among her responsibilities is to work with school boards regarding their communications role.

Lisa graduated from Salve Regina University cum laude with a BS in Elementary Education and also earned both an MA in Human Development and M.Ed. from Salve. She is completing her term as President of East Catholic High School’s Advisory Board and is a Past President of the Connecticut Society of Association Executives (CSAE).

Lisa is a member of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and the New England School Public Relations Association (NESPRA). She has earned both the Certified Association Executive (CAE) and Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) designations.

Lisa believes that in order to be successful one must have trust and support, be honest, demonstrate ethical behavior and engage in genuine two-way communication.

Being one of the veteran school communicators in my state, I have seen the position rapidly grow as the importance and need has risen over time and especially so through crisis and COVID related issues.

I have always strived to serve my district to help it better connect our schools with both our families and the greater communities that we serve. Having spent time in both the worlds of public relations and athletic communications, my experiences have allowed me to be able to bring a different mindset to the position.

I often find that in education, administration and teachers want to try and speak to parents in ‘educator speak.’ Putting on my ‘parent hat,’ I always try to reframe the discussion or communications so that we can connect with those who are not in the field in a language that they can understand. This also carries over to trying to meet our families where they are (online) and keeping our messaging short and to the point whenever possible, knowing that our families are busy and just want to know how their child will be affected.

Having been a member of NSPRA now for a few years and having had the ability to attend one of the national conferences a few years back, I was very excited when the idea was proposed to create a chapter in New England. The chance to connect with others who are in the same position as me, but also in the same geographical region, I believe will be priceless.

Being able to bounce ideas off each other will be so helpful, but also just having that group of colleagues that you can talk with and they know what you are going through will be such a boost professionally and personally. 

With nearly 20 years of experience working in communications, media relations, and public relations for both nonprofit and for-profit businesses, I bring a unique perspective to the education field. Now in my eighth year in the Essex/Westford school system, I oversee the internal/external communication efforts for the district.

Using strategic and on-brand storytelling, I am able to connect the 10 schools in the district with the families and community members that they serve.

I earned my undergraduate and master’s degrees in business at the University of Vermont, and am currently working on a second master’s degree at Texas Tech University in Strategic Communication & Innovation. I have also earned professional certificates from UVM in digital marketing, social media marketing, advanced social media marketing, and leadership/management.

I wear many hats personally and professionally, as I also coach youth sports and am the webmaster for a local youth hockey league.  

I would be delighted to represent the great state of Connecticut on this Board. I look forward to learning more about the roles that everyone plays in their districts. We have so much to learn from each other and I just love a good collaboration. NSPRA has been a reliable and tremendously useful resource for me over the years. I expect NESPRA will be the same but at a more personal and local level.

I look forward to understanding our current membership numbers and connecting with others who may not have joined as of yet. Time is a precious resource for each of us...but time invested in NSPRA, and I imagine NESPRA, will be well worth it.

I have served as the Communications Coordinator at Glastonbury Public Schools (CT) for almost 14 years. My bachelors degree is in Communications with a Media Analysis concentration from the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!) and I also have a Masters in Social Work with a Community Organizing concentration from Fordham.

When I started school communications work, I had NO idea how much that MSW degree would come in handy! These last couple of years have certainly elevated the importance of school communications. Our work is critical to the success of our school systems and, ultimately, our students. Our messages must be accurate, informative, and transparent. At the same time, we must reach a variety of audiences and share information and stories that are interesting, relevant, and easy to understand. My favorite challenge is to take complicated information and present it in a way that it can be understood by all.

I would not have been successful whatsoever this year without the help from my colleagues within NSPRA and NESPRA! Every time I attend a professional development opportunity or engage with our members, I feel reinvigorated and inspired. However, there are some challenges that I encounter specific to Maine, such as regional districts with both rural and suburban communities. I want to increase the amount of NESPRA members from Maine, and showcase the amazing work that school PR professionals are doing. The number of districts with school communicator positions will continue to grow. I want to support people in similar positions in Maine, and show districts how this role can be created and implemented. As an educator, I value being a life-long learner and carry this into my PR responsibilities. I strive to remain at the forefront of school communications and stakeholder engagement, and I will encourage my colleagues to do likewise. I will never have all of the answers, but I will act as a conduit for resources and collaboration. I am excited to continue growing as a member of NESPRA, and am excited to any opportunity to positively contribute to the organization, as well as school communications within New England.  

Prior to this year, I was a full time elementary school teacher. With the state of our nation and deeply politicized school environments in Maine, I felt increasingly disenfranchised and frustrated with public education and the stakeholders within it. Becoming my school district’s first Communications Director has been challenging yet incredibly empowering; I am able to advocate for all voices in the district, bring in multiple perspectives on various issues, and be a bridge between members of my community. Although there is still much work to be done, we have made great progress fostering positivity and centering our shared humanity through our storytelling. School Communications has the potential to cultivate trust and faith in our school district’s work. Most importantly, it creates a genuine connection built on the best interest of our students.  

I am excited to be part of this chapter because I find it to be very inspiring and informative. I briefly feel like I am a department of many when we are together-even if virtually, rather than my department of one. I have used what I have learned at our meetings and events to improve my position and improve our district communications and brand. I am excited to be able to help other people the way this chapter has helped me, and to be able to contribute to the greater good of the group.  

I have been the Communications Specialist for four years and was the local newspaper's education reporter for 12 years prior to taking this position. My degree is in elementary education. I was the first person in this position, and I work very hard to tell our district's story day to day while improving our branding and helping individual schools share their news as well. Good news needs to be shared and we need to be ready when bad news hits as well.