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The Independent Practitioners Alliance (IPA) Section consists of small business owners and self-employed public relations and communication practitioners who have decided to build their own consultancy.

About

About Us

 

The Independent Practitioners Alliance (IPA) Section helps its members grow their businesses by providing best practices, strategies and support.

 

The Independent Practitioners Alliance (IPA) is the Professional Interest Section for public relations and communications professionals with significant experience in their specialties who have decided to go out on their own. These independent practitioners offer services from strategic guidance as a Fractional CMO, to niching in specific areas of PR, to providing general communications tactics.  

Independent practitioners, or “Indies” as we’re sometimes called, often serve as “ringers” for distinct niche services like a particular skill set or an industry focus. Our expertise tends to prove unwieldy for agencies or organizations to keep on staff but critical to find when that need arises. We often join projects as subcontractors or bring others along with custom-assembled teams.

The IPA Section is where Indies find community. We come together to bounce ideas off each other, share best practices, learn from one another’s experiences and receive compassion and understanding around the challenges of building an independent practice. Meet your colleagues at these following activities that are free for IPA Section members:

  • Join discussions about building an independent practice and applying communications tactics for your clients through our private LinkedIn and Facebook groups.
  • Bring your questions, communications tool recommendations and business needs to the IPA discussion forum.
  • Increase your knowledge by attending our Business Building Webinar series on the 4th Wednesday each month at 2 p.m. ET. Gain free CEUs for your Accreditation renewal! See the program listing below.
  • Check out the vast array of on-demand IPA webinar recordings, including the very popular, “So You Want to Go Independent.” 
  • PRSA’s strategic plan states our mission is, “To make communications professionals smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career.” IPA Section steps up to this mission every week, bringing Indies together.

The IPA Section is a unique and critical resource for independent practitioners, where Indies find the fulfillment of PRSA’s mission: “To make communications professionals smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career.”

“If you are going solo, don’t go it alone.”
Join us in IPA.


Section Member Resources on MyPRSA


How IPA Membership Helps Indie Practitioners

UPCOMING PROGRAMMING FOR INDEPENDENT PRACTIONERS ALLIANCE


How Do I Join?

If you are already a PRSA member and looking to join this Section, please call the Member Services department at (212) 460-1400 or email: membership@prsa.org.

Not a PRSA member?
Learn about the benefits and how to join PRSA here.

From the Chair

From the Chair

headshot of Leris Bernard

Our PR and marketing industry continues to experience adjustments. Many PR professionals have been liberated from their jobs, and, in response, they are considering going solo. The choice to go independent can happen at various levels. Some people are looking for contract work to “hold them over” until they get another job. Others are looking to build their own job and be their own boss. Yet others aim to build a consultancy business, with a portion of those aspiring to grow to full-fledged agencies. If you see yourself in any or all of these descriptions, the Independent Practitioner’s Alliance (IPA) Section is for you!

The IPA Section of PRSA is for public relations and communications professionals who have significant experience in their specialty and have decided to go out on their own. Their services can span from offering strategic guidance as a Fractional CMO to niching in specific areas of PR to providing general communications tactics.

In this Section, independent practitioners – or Indies as we sometimes call ourselves – share valuable, practical insights on everything from business strategy to contract negotiations, client management. PR tools and more. They partner and advise each other with shared knowledge and experiences. Together, they learn to juggle the conflicting demands of fulfilling client requests, supervising a team and running the business. Mastering the challenge of an independent consultancy is much more feasible when you have a support network!

However you decide to go independent, IPA’s motto is:

“If you are going solo, don’t go it alone.”
Join us in IPA. 

Leris Bernard
PRSA IPA Section Chair

Executive Committee

Independent Practitioners Alliance Executive Committee

Chair

Leris Bernard
Chief Executive Officer, LERIS Media
Washington, DC

Chair Elect

Mike Crisp
Consultant, Crisp Public Relations
Marion, NC

Immediate Past Chair/NewBiz Cohort Chair

Mila Fairfax
Principal, Fairfax Image
Walnut Creek, CA

Secretary

Gina Blume, APR
President, Out of the Box Public Relations
Fleming Island, FL

Membership Chair

Carla Brown Lucas
President, Brown Lucas Consulting
Tallahassee, FL

Programming Chair

Wendy Kurtz, APR, Fellow PRSA
President, Elizabeth Charles & Associates, LLC
Orlando, FL

Sponsorship

Gina Milani
President, Milani Marketing & PR & PRToolFinder.com
Angels Camp, CA

Member at Large/Undersecretary

Monique Fontenot
Owner, MSB PR Strategies LLC
Stafford, VA

Member at Large (Membership)

Bart Graham, Sr.
Media Center Volunteer Team Leader
Largo, FL

Inter-Section Relations

Philip Tate, APR, Fellow PRSA
President, Philip Tate Strategic Communications, LLC
Matthews, NC

Member at Large (Inter-Section Relations)

Eva Keiser, APR, Fellow PRSA
Principal, The Plural I
Minneapolis, MN

Member at Large (Sponsorship Subcommittee)

Ric Bachrach
Chief Executive Officer, Celebrity Focus, Inc.
Deerfield, IL

Student/New Professionals

Barbara Burfeind, APR, Fellow PRSA
Independent, US Navy retired
Fairfax, VA

Member at Large (Ethics)

Krista Terrell, APR
Owner, Krista Faye Public Relations
Charlotte, NC

Member at Large

Carol Higgins Taylor, APR
Owner, Bryant Street Public Relations, LLC
Bangor, ME

Member at Large (Communications)

Kimberly Willis Green
Public Relations, KW Green Consulting, LLC
Stockbridge, GA

Member Emeritus

J.W. Arnold, APR, Fellow PRSA
Principal, PRDC Public Relations
Fort Lauderdale, FL