Dive into the game-changing mentorship world with our Mentorship Monday session, featuring mentoring industry expert Mary Ann Pearson, Ed.D., APR, and veteran communicator CL Lopez. During this session, you will uncover the profound benefits of mentorship across your career trajectory as they share data-driven strategies designed to elevate your mentoring journey.

Additionally, gain invaluable insights from Liselle DeGrave, APR, Founder and President of DeGrave Communications, and Julie Van Hook, PIO for the City of Beaumont, as they unfold the secrets behind their fruitful five-year mentor-mentee relationship. They’ll provide practical tips and tools to help you maximize the benefits of CAPIO’s mentorship program, setting you on a path to mentorship success.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding Mentorship Benefits: Learn from Mary Ann Pearson and CL Lopez about the significant impact mentorship can have on personal and professional development throughout your career.
• Data-Driven Mentorship Strategies: Discover effective, research-backed strategies that can help you enhance your mentoring relationships and experiences.
• Maximizing CAPIO’s Mentoring Program: Draw inspiration from the real-world five-year mentor-mentee success story between Liselle DeGrave and Julie Van Hook, understanding the dynamics that made their relationship thrive. Receive practical tips and tools from seasoned professionals on how to get the most out of CAPIO’s mentorship program, tailored to enrich your professional journey.
• Networking and Professional Growth: Explore the opportunities mentorship provides to expand your professional network and accelerate your career growth in meaningful ways.

CAPIO’s quarterly Mentorship Monday series offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for communications up-and-comers to obtain priceless advice and guidance from the most respected leaders in our industry today. Learn from seasoned communications professionals from across the state and from varying backgrounds to support achievement, success, learning and growth.

Speakers

Recorded: Monday, June 24, 2024

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BIOS

Liselle DeGrave, APR

A veteran communicator, Liselle’s expertise includes spearheading communications, marketing and branding projects for public-sector clients throughout California. She serves as president of DeGrave Communications, Inc., leading the Firm’s fully integrated team of communications, marketing and branding professionals. Her bilingual capabilities provide strategic leadership and cultural sensitivity based on first-hand experience.

Since 2005, she has owned and operated the Firm, first starting out as a freelancer and slowly growing the business into a thriving corporation. A veteran public-sector communications professional, Liselle has more than 16 years of experience developing effective strategic communications programs for numerous public agencies and non-profits throughout California.

Liselle’s consultant experience includes communications support for organizations throughout California. Some of her more current non-profit clients include Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley, Animal Friends of the Valleys and the Holocaust Remembrance Foundation of the Valley.

Liselle has served, for multiple years, on the board for the Public Relations Society of America Inland Empire Chapter and has been an active member of the organization, as well as for the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO). Her award-winning work, mentoring support and Public giving back to the community led her to receive the Public Relations Society of America Spirit of Relations award this past year. She is the co-host of the award-winning PRessing on in Public Relations podcast and is regularly featured in industry trade publications. She is passionate about small businesses and encourages entrepreneurship. In her free time she enjoys gardening, thrifting and spending time with her husband, two children and 36 chickens.

C.L. Lopez

As Riverside County’s Department of Public Social Services Public Information Officer, C.L. Lopez leads the Office of Communications. For more than a decade, she was San Bernardino County’s Human Services Communications Officer. She was an adjunct professor at California Baptist University and is a past president of the California Association of Public Information Officials and a board member of the Public Relations Society of America Inland Empire chapter.

Both of her teams have earned NACo Achievement Awards, CAPIO Awards and PRSA Polaris Awards. She was a USC California Endowment Health Journalism Fellow and has a certificate in Media and Medicine from Harvard Medical School. She earned a B.A. and M.A. in Public Relations from California Baptist University and is pursuing a Doctor of Public Administration. Her dissertation will address post crisis resiliency in the public information officer.

Mary Ann Pearson, Ed.D., APR

Dr. Pearson has more than 30 years of experience in public relations, journalism, leadership and education. She has worked in public relations specializing in public relations campaigns in property management, real estate, and nonprofit work. She has also worked with the Hispanic Literacy Program in Colton, Give Big Riverside, Girl Scouts of America, PRSA, CAPIO, Colton Joint Unified School Districts Superintendent’s cabinet, International Mentoring Association, Dr. Paul and Annie Kienel Leadership Institute fellow, and PRSA as a PRSAIE Board member, Western District Board Member and Educators Academy, executive board member. Dr. Pearson holds a doctorate in Education and is an APR.

Julie Van Hook

Julie Van Hook is an experienced Public Information Officer with over ten years of government communication experience. She previously served as San Bernardino Superior Court’s first Public Information Officer where she was known for strategic communication, crisis management, and her commitment to transparency. She has a proven track record of success managing media relations and community outreach initiatives. She currently serves as the City of Beaumont’s Public Information Officer and is pursuing her accreditation in public relations.