This special joint meeting of the Kansas City chapters of the National Investor Relations Institute and the Public Relations Society of America will feature panelists from both organizations to examine the growing common ground between IR and PR. The panel will consider whether the two professions are really all that different in today’s high-speed tech environment. While audiences seem different on the surface, they increasingly overlap and share similar informational interests. Our speakers will look at what’s causing this convergence, what IR and PR professionals can learn from each other and how we all can better collaborate to speak with “one voice” for enhanced stakeholder engagement.

Cost:   PRSA members, NIRI-KC non-members and guests:     $25.00*
             NIRI-KC members:  cost included in annual dues
            *Cash or checks accepted at the door

RSVP:   Via email to [email protected] by Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016

Questions:    Contact Don Allen at (816) 401-3106 or [email protected]

Due to venue restrictions, this event will be subject to a maximum of 35 participants; early RSVPs are therefore recommended.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be received prior to the RSVP deadline, otherwise you will be billed. The NIRI-KC chapter is responsible for the cost of each reservation made, regardless of actual attendance.

Moderator:    
Dick Johnson, President of Johnson Strategic Communications, Inc., an investor relations and corporate communications firm in Overland Park. He was a journalist with the Kansas City Star for 17 years and practiced investor and media relations for six years with Marion Merrell Dow and Hoechst. He’s been an independent corporate communication and IR counselor since 1997. He holds a B.A. in economics from Princeton and an MBA from Rockhurst.

Panelists:
Kelli Christman, Vice President of Corporate Communications for UMB Financial Corp., began her career at SturgesWord doing public relations and later joined Cerner where she spent seven years managing media relations, public affairs and social media. She currently manages external communications for UMB and launched the company’s social media efforts in 2013. She holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Kansas

Kay Gregory, Vice President/Investor Relations for UMB Financial Corp., began her career at Boatman’s Bank (now Bank of America) in investment services and financial planning roles before becoming manager of investor relations for Aquila, Inc., for nine years. She was manager of shareholder relations for Embarq Corp. for four years before joining UMB Financial. She holds a B.A. in business and international relations from William Jewell College.

Gene King, APR, Director of Global Media Relations and Corporate Communications at H&R Block, oversees all media relations for the world’s largest consumer tax preparation company. He earlier managed marketing communications functions for DST Systems and Black & Veatch. A former newspaper reporter, he earned a bachelor’s in journalism and a master’s in integrated marketing communications from the University of Kansas.

Amy Walker, Director of Investor Relations at H&R Block, has served in multiple roles for the company over the past four years, including IR, internal audit and financial systems. She began her career at Deloitte, a Big 4 accounting firm and earlier worked in financial posts with Fortune 500 companies, including Marriott, Sprint and Embarq. She has a dual degree in accounting and business management from the University of Kansas, and is a licensed CPA.

The NIRI Kansas City chapter extends its thanks to our Sponsor of this event:

Chorus Call, Inc. is a world-class teleconferencing service provider with headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and satellite offices throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, India, and South Africa. Serving a growing roster of customers for over twenty years, Chorus Call is a pioneer in high quality, high-touch investor and public relations conferencing.