Ladies and gentlemen... Karen Lepley!

Photo: Karen Lepley (second from the left)

with husband, Toby (far left), myself (second

from the right) and friend, Robin Hobson (right)

By Drew Kirtley

When Karen Lepley started her career in public relations, things weren't so easy right off the bat.

"I almost didn't make it through one of my entry level PR classes," said Lepley, who graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1994 with a Bachelor's degree in Ag Communications.

"I did better, though. I finished with excellent grades. PR was something that came natural to me and I loved it."

Lepley first got her first taste of PR, however, long before her college years.

"I had that PR mindset in high school," she said. "I made flyers and had my own little campaign to encourage students to vote."

She would take that experience and love for the business to college, too. Lepley was a marketing/PR intern for the OSU Vending Department. It was then that she got to really experience a PR campaign for the first time.

"I had to draw customers in and create a positive feel for the company," Lepley said. "I just loved it."

But it wasn't until after a few "bad jobs" right out of college that one of Karen's traits proved helpful and landed her a high profile job. Karen was applying for a job with the 7 Eleven company and was one of hundreds of applicants. Her persistence, however stood out and eventually landed her the job as PR/Marketing Director.

"I wrote a bunch of 'thank you' notes," said Lepley, who had met the manager of one of the 7 Eleven stores when at her previous job. "I was very persistent and really learned how to name drop professionally. It was really key in my career."

According to Karen, that wasn't the only way she "shammed her way into" the PR business.

"I realized I didn't know a lot about the marketing side," she said. "I went to Barnes and Noble and bought Marketing for Dummies, PR books and other references. I worked so hard because I wanted to do everything good for the company."

After 19 years in the PR field, Karen is a Senior Financial Aid Counselor at Texas A&M University, and she still considers herself a PR professional.

"I think every job is a PR job in some way," said Lepley. "I want people to have a positive image of financial aid."

Lepley's advice for PR students is this: "Don't be scared. You should be completely adaptable because PR takes unexpected turns and if you don't have the right personality, PR is not for you."

Even though she's out of the field, professionally (for now), Lepley still finds the PR aspect of her job to be vital to her success.

"PR is so important in whatever you do," she said. "It sounds silly but it affects everyone."