Articles

PRSA-SA Member Spotlight Meredith Balzen

Name: 
Meredith Balzen

Company: 
Briscoe Western Art Museum

Title: 

Marketing & Communication Manager

How long have you been in your current position? 

Recently promoted but I’ve been doing the marketing and communications for the Briscoe Western Art Museum for almost two years. I joined the Briscoe from the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, so you can say that the West is in my blood.

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How long have you been a member of PRSA?

I’ve been a member of PRSA for almost two years also!

Held any offices or won any awards in PRSA/Chapter? (name if so)

I haven’t had the opportunity to yet, but feel that volunteering is important across the board. At both the Briscoe and the Rodeo, volunteers and the time and effort they provide are key. I volunteer with the Junior League of San Antonio. After two years on the communications committee, I’m now working with SA Works, allowing me to volunteer and support a variety of nonprofits in San Antonio.

What does PRSA mean to you? 

PRSA means a group of like-minded San Antonio professionals that are able to get together to idea share and sharpen their communications tools through different experiences. While being relatively young in the industry, it has given me the opportunity to meet fellow communicators who automatically have something in common with me. As a department of one at the museum, PRSA has been a breath of fresh air to be able to share successes and struggles with those who understand the responsibility we hold, especially through this time. PRSA has been a resource while navigating uncertain waters through the non-profit/tourism industry.

Hobbies or something unique that you do that you might share:

Even though I grew up in the center of San Antonio and graduated from a high school with no agricultural related programs, I went to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX and majored in Agricultural Communications. I believe it gives me the unique ability to analyze and communicate through different sets of lenses.

What is something that you would share with someone new going into PR?

Trust your instincts and build meaningful connections where you can.  Public relations is about making contacts outside your organization but it is important to form strong relationships with your co-workers because much of the time, they are the ones supplying the information that you need to push out into the world.