T. Garland Stansell, APR
Chief Communications Officer
Children's of Alabama (Hospital and Health System)
Birmingham, Alabama
Applying for: Treasurer
Alternate Position(s): Chair-Elect
Biography
Garland Stansell, APR, joined Children’s of Alabama in the spring of 1994. Children’s of Alabama is the third largest pediatric medical center in the United States. Children’s is comprised of the 380-bed Children’s Hospital, a network of pediatric outpatient clinics, and 13 pediatric primary care practices throughout Alabama.
Garland has more than 30 years experience in public relations, marketing, health promotion, advocacy and development. At Children’s, he is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic public relations and communication programs and initiatives to serve the information and promotional needs of the medical divisions, business units, and fundraising and advocacy activities of the health system. This includes oversight of messages and media for internal and external audiences.
For eight years, Garland was responsible for strategic planning, management and direction of Children’s Community Development department. These responsibilities included the management of internally and externally initiated year-round special event fund raising, Children’s Miracle Network, cause-related marketing programs, and annual direct mail initiatives. Prior to joining Children’s of Alabama, he served as Vice President of Public Relations and Development for Alabama Goodwill Industries and as Assistant Director of Corporate Communications for BancBoston Mortgage Corporation, Alabama Office.
Garland is a Birmingham, Alabama native and received his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, Public Relations and Business from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Masters in Public and Private Management from Birmingham Southern College.
Professional, community and civic involvement:
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
2017 - PRSA National Board of Directors, Secretary
2015-2016 PRSA National Board of Directors, Member at Large
Served as PRSA Assembly Delegate (Alabama Chapter, Health Academy section, PRSA National Board)
Past President and Board Member, PRSA Alabama Chapter
Past National Chair and Executive Committee Member, PRSA Health Academy
Past PRSA Sections Council Co-Chair
Shelby County Arts Council, Board Member
Shelby County Education Foundation, Past chair and Board Member
Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Past Chair and Board Member
Samford University, Journalism and Mass Communication Adjunct Faculty 2011-2012
Samford University, Journalism and Mass Communication Advisory Council
Communication Advisory Board, United Way of Central Alabama
Leadership Shelby County – Youth Leadership Advisory Committee
2004 Class, Leadership Shelby County
2005 Class, Birmingham FBI Citizens’ Academy
PRSA Accomplishments
2005 PRSA Alabama President-elect
2006 PRSA Alabama President
2006 PRSA Delegate Assembly, Alabama Chapter Delegate
2007 PRSA Alabama Immediate Past President
2007 PRSA Delegate Assembly, Alabama Chapter Delegate
2007 PRSA Health Academy Executive Committee, Secretary
2007 PRSA Health Academy Conference Committee
2008 PRSA Health Academy Conference Chair
2008 PRSA Health Academy Chair-elect
2008 PRSA Delegate Assembly, Health Academy Delegate
2008 PRSA Alabama Chapter Board Member
2009 PRSA Health Academy Chair
2009 PRSA Delegate Assembly, Health Academy Delegate
2010 PRSA Health Academy Immediate Past-chair
2010 PRSA Sections Council Co-chair
2010 PRSA Delegate Assembly, Sections Council Delegate
2011 PRSA Alabama Ethics Chair
2011 PRSA Alabama Board Member, Chapter Delegate for Delegate Assembly
2012 PRSA Alabama Board Member, Chapter Delegate for Delegate Assembly
2013 PRSA Alabama Board Member, Chapter Delegate for Delegate Assembly
2015 PRSA National Board Member, Board Member at Large
2015 PRSA National Board Liaison to Sections Council
2015 PRSA National Board Liaison to Work, Life, Gender Committee
2016 PRSA National Board Member, Board Member at Large
2016 PRSA National Board Liaison to Sections Council
2016 PRSA National Board Liaison to PRSA Foundation
2016 PRSA National Board Liaison to PRSA Diversity and Inclusion Committee
2017 PRSA National Board Member, Executive Committee, Secretary
2017 PRSA National Board Liaison to the PRSA College of Fellows
2017 PRSA National Board Finance Committee Member
Governance Skills
I have worked in association governance through PRSA at both the local and national levels. I have been most directly involved in PRSA governance this year through my role as secretary. Through my service with the PRSA Health Academy, I was integrally involved with the review and rewrite of the section's policies and procedures. Additionally, as a liaison to the PRSA Sections Council in 2015, I worked closely with the sections leadership, PRSA National Leadership and PRSA staff to develop a clarifying document addressing specific sections of the Section Council Policies and Procedures.
I have also worked through strategy and governance with other associations on which boards I have served, most notably the Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and The Shelby County Schools Education Foundation. As a leader in all of these organizations I have been integrally involved with monitoring success and effectiveness of the organization and it's programs, developing policies and procedures, setting priorities, long and short-term strategic and developing and administering budgets.
In my role as Chief Communications Officer at Children's of Alabama, I am involved in organization and departmental strategic planning, implementation of plans, monitoring and evaluating. I'm responsible for developing and tracking the departmental budget in excess of $3.7 million. I also serve as part of the management team that helps develop and communicate organizational goals and priorities.
Leadership Skills
I have worked as part of professional organization leadership teams with PRSA National Board, PRSA Alabama, PRSA Health Academy, The Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation. Each of these experiences has helped equip me for working with others for various other organizations, disciplines, parts of the state and/or country and with varying views and backgrounds.
At Children's of Alabama, I have worked as part of the management team to help develop and drive strategy, corporate/hospital culture and community/corporate social responsibility. I am often a member of the corporate advisory team on strategic issues and high profile issues such as HIPAA, Medicaid, Healthcare Fraud, and other issues relating to the business of healthcare.
I believe that leadership is essential to setting the tone for an organization, providing the vision, leading in the strategic planning process and having the discipline to see that strategy becomes a reality.
Strengths
My experiences with PRSA at both the local chapter and national level, as well as volunteer experience with the Health Academy have helped to provide a strong background and knowledge base with organization. I have a strong understanding of PRSA, especially in regard to chapters and sections, and will have three years experience from the PRSA national perspective. I've helped to write and rewrite policies and procedures for Health Academy and have developed operational plans, goals and long-term and short-term strategic plans for a number of organizations, as well as for companies for which I've worked. I also have more than 30 years experience in staff
management, including hiring, coaching, mentoring, performance evaluations and terminations.
I have also been a part of Leadership Shelby County, the leadership organization in the county of my residence. I have continued to give back to that organization through various programs, most notably as part of the leadership team that advises and mentors the Youth Leadership Shelby County program.
As far as it relates to the Treasurer position, before changing my major to Public Relations during my Junior year of college, I was an accounting major. I have a business administration minor and my masters degree in public and private management. I think that I am a well balanced thinker and that one of my strength is being able to see the big picture and all sides of a situation. I have found that those are qualities that are helpful when working in any situation.
Volunteer Commitment
I believe you can look at my volunteer record for the past 15 plus years to PRSA at all levels and to local organizations and see that I am committed to my profession and my community. In 2001, at the age of 40, I began an intense graduate school program after having been out of school for 16 years. I completed the program, which allowed up to five years to complete, in only two-years and three-months, all while working a demanding full-time job and fulfilling my duties as a husband and as the father of two fairly young children.
In the past two years, I have dedicated myself to volunteer leadership on the PRSA National Board and managed a highly-demanding job and personal commitments. I have fully committed to continuing my volunteer leadership.
Position Statement #1
Prompt: The lines continue to blur among the disciplines of public relations, marketing, IT and customer service, and the need increases to create more collaborative teams and hybrid professionals. PRSA has continued to evolve and respond to these issues in support of our members, partners and colleagues. What do you believe are the strongest components of PRSA’s strategic plan that will help our members address these challenges, and how will PRSA remain relevant and sustainable for the future?
Yes, communications as a profession has become increasingly more complex and integrated across all disciplines. It is imperative that PRSA plan for the future and work to equip professionals currently in the field, as well as work with colleges and universities to prepare students for this new reality. The days of Public Relations, Marketing, Advertising, Journalism programs existing in a vacuum should be making way for the integration of disciplines in curriculums.
In regard to the PRSA 2017-2019 Strategic Plan, I don't think you can take one part and say that it is the strongest component. In my opinion, the strength in the plan is that in the framework of considering our evolving profession, it takes into consideration the current PR professional meeting those daily challenges and how we can help spur thought and practice that can bridge between disciplines, grow and diversify membership to create a stronger association, and educate, prepare and recruit the next generation of practitioners.
The strongest aspect of the strategic plan is that is doesn't focus on only one segment of the Society or seek to grow and diversify membership at the expense of meeting the needs of the current membership. The plan lays a foundation to help members navigate the daily challenges that the communications evolution is bringing, and helps members to anticipate the opportunities for the future.
The success of the plan will be in our ability to take it from strategy to implementation. We need to be very intentional in making the targets actionable, assessing progress and setting specific metrics to measure results. Tying the PRSA Operational Plan to the strategic plan and requiring each PRSA committee and community to tie their plans to the strategic plan is a great start. There will need to be ongoing assessment and accountability. Providing status updates to our membership and an annual review of progress toward our goals can help to keep the plan and progress, or challenges, before the membership and show members that we are moving forward and are using the plan as our guide. Showing the membership that we are actually using the plan and not just putting it on the shelf will speak volumes and help to make the association and the profession more relevant and sustainable.
Position Statement # 2
Prompt: PRSA has become more complex and diverse in recent years. While the Society must become nimbler, we also are cognizant that we must help prepare our members to meet tomorrow’s challenges as leaders at every level. The role of the communications professional will continue to evolve, and PRSA will anticipate future trends, and support our members at every stage of their career. As a member of PRSA’s national board, what do you see as your role in contributing to helping our membership meet tomorrow’s challenges as leaders?
I see the role of the board to be out in front anticipating and planning for the future, while not overlooking the support needed for the present. The PRSA Strategic Plan will be a vital roadmap for the Society and the members as we seek to navigate the ever increasing integrated communications landscape.
The board cannot be insular. We must keep abreast of current and emerging trends, challenges, communication thought and perceptions. We should be active in environmental scanning and forecasting as to the present and future state of the Society. Through the ongoing strategic planning process and ongoing evaluation, we should also help the Society and the individual professional work smarter in the present and be better prepared for the future. As a board member I should help to set the vision for the future state of the Society and the profession. The future state should not only be reflective of where we think the Society and profession are headed, but probably even more importantly, it should be the state we want to see - the reality that we want to create.
Additionally, the board should be open to hearing what the membership has to say. One of the important components of a PR campaign is the feedback loop. We should take every opportunity to connect with the PRSA membership at all levels and in all communities and to seek feedback and to listen to what is being said and what is not being said. One important responsibility of the board, and each board member, is to balance taking the Society and the membership to places they may not even know they need or want to go, and listening intently to the membership in order to be sure we are meeting needs and are able to change course, if needed, should a plan or strategy not be working.
My role as a board member is to see the big picture and to make recommendations and decisions that are in the best interest of the Society in its entirety and not for any specific PRSA community. The rapidly changing profession and the diversity of our membership make this challenging and complex. The role of the board is to seek to understand these complexities as much as possible in order to inform our future. I believe that I am up to the challenge.
T. Garland Stansell, APR
Category
Treasurer