DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International’s 3rd Annual Women in Public Safety Communications Leadership Conference provided resources to strengthen women’s involvement in the public safety industry.
The Women in Public Safety Communications Leadership Conference was held on April 13-14 in Orlando, Fl. The conference is an opportunity for women in public safety industry leadership positions to connect and become resources for each other. During the two-day event, speakers focused on career development and national public safety issues.
Attendees were also encouraged to step into bigger roles within the association because there are currently no women on APCO International’s Executive Committee and only three women in APCO’s 77-year history have served full terms.
Gregg Riddle, APCO International’s first vice president said, “Think about stepping up at the chapter level and ultimately at the national association level because we certainly need your perspectives and your service.”
Presenter Loredana Elsberry Schwartz, MABC, RPL, manager of strategic development with APCO International, added, “You don’t have to have the title of president or director to be a leader. You can do it at any level. I think you ladies have taken the first step by being here.” Schwartz emphasized being involved in APCO goes beyond the confines of the association, and allows an opportunity to shape the public safety communications industry, have an impact, and be a thought leader.
Keynote speaker, Vicki Hitzges, corporate publicist, led a discussion about people skills, including communication, securing connections, enhancing motivation and sharing resources for career advancement. Hitzges highlighted one main principle, people reach out to people who reach out, and gave six tips for implementing this principle with a positive attitude.
The involvement conversation continued when FCC Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau Deputy Commissioner speaker, Jennifer Manner, stressed the importance of voicing concerns with the Commission, reaching out to the Congressional 9-1-1 Caucus and joining associations like APCO for personal, professional, and national enhancement. Manner said, “I think it’s really good for people to get involved in national issues, so that public safety can be heard.”
Participants and speakers took away personal stories about communication, personal success, people skills, technology, work-life balance, and management issues. Cindy Hartkopp, a former dispatcher and current Intrado employee said, “I saw so many wonderful and interesting people speak last year, so I told my boss to put it in the training budget for this year. It’s great to be able to network and hear the inspirational women.”
Women in public safety can start planning to gain from this important event now. Next year’s conference will take place April 18-19, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. More information on this year’s conference is available at http://wipsc.apcointl.org.
About APCO International
APCO International is the world’s largest organization of public safety communications professionals. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide—and the welfare of the general public as a whole—by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach. www.apcointl.org