Tanna Vu, Director of Funds Development for Hospice of Southwest Oklahoma

Tanna Vu, Director of Funds Development for Hospice of Southwest Oklahoma

By: Amber Rogers

(Photo taken from Hospice of Southwest Oklahoma Web site.)

Tanna Vu is the Director of Funds Development for Hospice of Southwest Oklahoma. Hospice of Southwest Oklahoma is affiliated with the United Way of Lawton-Fort Sill. Vu always wanted a career that matched her personality.

"I chose the PR field because it appealed to my personality style," said Vu. "I'm a people person and enjoy interacting with groups and creating relationships."

Vu has been in the public relations industry for 15 years and has worked with many corporations.

"The PR field is very diverse, meaning it allows for many job opportunities and experiences through your lifetime," said Vu. "It is very rewarding and exciting to cultivate and interact with people and know you have a part in making the company you work for successful."

Vu graduated from the Cameron University in Lawton, Okla. with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She received her master's degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. Vu has an extensive PR professional background which includes: Southwest Medical Center, BancFirst and Springhill Suites and Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott. Vu had a personal connection with Hospice along with a working relationship from a previous job. She applied to Hospice for her current position for those reasons.

Plenty of responsibilities come with her title. Vu is responsible for ensuring funds, writing grants, holding special events, and writing donor appeal letters. She oversees marketing and education at the agency. Vu also creates brochures, creates and maintains social networking sites and creates other tools to help Hospice stay ahead of competitors. Vu is tasked with speaking on behalf of Hospice at civic groups and other venues about how Hospice impacts the communities they serve.

According to Vu, the top knowledge that is needed in the PR field is communication, marketing and human relations skills. She believes the skills necessary include the ability to relate to people on a personal level and the ability to articulate information to the community using various media such as print, radio, television or other groups.

The most rewarding part of Vu's position is knowing that she contributed to the success of continuing the legacy of Hospice by making sure the public is educated about Hospice's services. The advice she wants to give to students studying in the PR field is to look into a PR internship to ensure that PR is one's passion and to allow students to begin developing skills outside of the classroom.