Introducing Patsy Wootton

Introducing Patsy Wootton

By Erin Chancellor

Patsy Wootton has been working in the Public Relations field for the past five years. She has had many opportunities to try new experiences related to PR and has given me insight into what it is like being a Public Relations Practitioner.

Patsy attended Clemson University in South Carolina where she graduated in 2004. While she did not earn a degree in Public Relations (her degree was in Political Science) she has been working in the Public Relations field for the past five years. She first worked for a PR firm in London for a year right after she graduated from Clemson. She then worked in the Public Relations department at Oklahoma Sports Science and Orthopaedics in Oklahoma City.

Patsy currently works for a non-profit organization called Church Multiplication Association (CMA) as an external relations coordinator. CMA is an organization that plants churches in different locations and finds pastors for these churches.

She has been working for CMA since 2006. She said that her current job allows her more flexibility than she has had with previous jobs. She mentions that many of her tasks allow her to work for her home. Under her current job description she researches new information that can be used on their company website as well as planning or being involved in the company’s events.

The advice that she would give to people entering the Public Relations field is to be as knowledgeable as possible in new technology and internet use and also in how to apply that knowledge. She says that the internet is such an important tool because it is where most public relations practitioners disseminate information to the public about their organizations. She says “The internet really is the best way to get your organization’s name out there”. Also she mentioned that it was important to know basic website design skills. She stressed the importance of being familiar with design programs such as InDesign because these programs are used often in the PR world.

I enjoyed getting to know this information about Patsy because I felt that she gave me valuable insight into what it is like working for a non-profit organization. I have learned that it is extremely important to be as technologically advanced as possible before I enter the working world because it is more important than it has ever been.