The Leadership Leap That Changed Everything — Why It’s Time for Yours

Posted by admin on Jun. 8, 2026  /  Subscribe 0

Every leadership journey starts with a moment — sometimes a planned step, sometimes an unexpected turn. For me, that moment came in 2022. I was leading a regional corporate communications team, but none of my PR colleagues were local and I wanted a professional community I could be with in person here in Dallas.

That search led me to PRSA.

I attended an APR workshop, and something clicked. I reinstated my membership with one promise to myself: If I’m going to rejoin, I’m going to get involved and make the most of the investment I was making in myself.

Shortly after, I saw the call for nominations for the PRSA Dallas Board of Directors and figured, why not? I applied for Secretary, thinking it would be a manageable way to get my feet wet. I didn’t know anyone on the Board and I just went for it.

Leadership journeys rarely follow the script.

After the interview process, then–President-Elect Lisa Vasquez asked if I would consider serving as Vice President of Marketing, Membership & Sponsorships — a role far bigger than what I had applied for. I had to be honest with myself: I had a full-time job managing a small team, I had an active middle schooler, I was volunteering with the PTA, serving as a mentor and doing a contributing writing gig for a local moms’ blog. Taking on more felt… crazy.

But something in me said yes.

I wanted to give back to my profession, to meet new people and build a local network that I could count on and grow with. Joining the PRSA Dallas Board felt like the right leap, even if it stretched me.

The First Leap Led to Many More

My first year on the Board in 2023 was a whirlwind. The chapter was still rebuilding from the pandemic, and I found myself learning, contributing, and connecting in ways I didn’t expect. I applied for the same position for 2024 because I wanted to build on what we’d started. That year, I had the opportunity to serve on the Strategic Planning Committee, which was a chance to help shape the chapter’s future.

Then came another unexpected moment.

In 2024, then–President-Elect Chris Ruth planted a seed in asking me if I had considered applying for president-elect for 2025. It was a three-year commitment — president-elect, president, and immediate past president — and it meant earning my Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). It was big. Bigger than anything I had envisioned for myself when I decided to rejoin PRSA just three years prior.

That became one of the best yeses of my career.

The Power of People Who See Your Potential

What I didn’t anticipate when I applied for the Board in 2022 were the people I would meet who would see potential in me that I hadn’t seen in myself. Serving on the Board has given me opportunities to lead in ways that are different from my roles at work or at home. It has stretched me, challenged me, and introduced me to leaders from every corner of our profession — agency, corporate, nonprofit, self-employed, job-seeking, career-changing. Every board meeting feels like a masterclass in leadership diversity.

I never would have had these experiences without that first leap of faith.

Why Your Leap Matters Now

If you’re reading this and wondering whether Board service is right for you, let me say this: It can be a game changer.

Board service can help you:

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