California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO)

Cheers to our many CAPIO Board Members over the years! 🥂 Nominations are open to serve on CAPIO’s 2024-2026 Board of Directors! Your expertise and experience is needed to help guide CAPIO into another great year! Nominations are due by February 14. Our association has benefitted from the diverse skills, talents and experience of so many government communicators from California. Thank you for volunteering to help CAPIO elevate our profession and our members. Open positions: ⭐ President Elect | Treasurer (one year term) ⭐ VP – Communications (two year term) ⭐ Education and Development Chair (two year term) ⭐ Northern California Membership/Regional Chair (two year term) ⭐ Central California Membership/Regional Chair (two year term) Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gHQnAza4

New podcast episode! 🎙️ CAPIO CHIRP hosts Lael Wageneck, MPA, APR and Paul Hosley interview CAPIO’s 2024 Special Award Winners. Each year, CAPIO honors several individuals with distinctions including our Communicator of the Year, Rising Star, Crisis Communications Leader and Paul B. Clark awards. These awards recognize individuals who have had a distinctive impact at their agency or in government communications state-wide. We begin this interview with our 2024 Paul B. Clark recipient, Maurice Chaney, PIO for City of Roseville’s Environmental Utilities. Next, we hear from the County of Fresno’s communications team Sonja Piper Dosti, APR, Joshua Dean and Michelle Avalos who were honored with our 2024 Crisis Communications Leader of the Year. Joshua Dean was also recognized as our 2024 Rising Star. The episode wraps with an interview with our 2024 Communicator of the Year, Kevin Strauss, Communications Manager for the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency. Congrats to these outstanding communicators! 🎙️ Listen to the podcast: https://lnkd.in/g572cb7K 🏆 Nominations are now open for our 2025 Special Awards: https://lnkd.in/gKBaVfbM

CAPIO's EPIC Awards deadline is fast approaching! Submit your entries by this Friday, January 31st! The 2025 CAPIO Annual Conference is your opportunity to get much-deserved recognition for your hard work in 2024. We are excited to highlight the year's best in communications campaigns, social media, websites, internal communications, crisis communications, public service announcements, newsletters, podcasts and many more categories. Winners will be awarded in front of your peers at the annual conference in Napa on April 1-4, 2025. Learn more about the EPIC Awards and submit your project at https://lnkd.in/gKBaVfbM Learn more about the annual conference and register at https://lnkd.in/gf2YWhxs

Are you ready to Take Your Agency’s Social Media to the Next Level with Video? Join us on Thursday, February 6 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. with Zach Camerino, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, editor and live broadcast director. This webinar will equip you with the skills needed to make your videos stand out. Veteran videographer Camerino will share his expertise in a straightforward, actionable format that you can apply immediately to your work. Key Takeaways: 📽️ Pro Tips for Compelling Content:  Discover secrets to creating videos that capture attention and engage your audience. 📱 Horizontal to Vertical Magic: Master the art of transforming your horizontal videos into vertical formats optimized for social media platforms. 🎬 Reels Mastery: Take home practical tools and techniques for crafting eye-catching Instagram and Facebook Reels. Register now at https://lnkd.in/gPFwjHSc

Communicators are great at sharing their agencies' missions, projects, and even crisis response. But what about their own career and accomplishments? Landing a new job can be tricky, even for seasoned public speakers. This multi-disciplinary California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) panel (including RGS' recruitment and communications leads) will prep public sector communicators for the next time opportunity knocks. 🚪 Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/g8EPNjDw

Are you a PR professional looking to enhance your visual content without needing professional photography skills? Then, our next webinar is tailored just for you! Join us for Visual Storytelling: Photography for PR Pros on Tuesday, February 4 from 1 to 2 p.m. Eliana lopez, District Attorney Information Specialist from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office will be our speaker, with tips on composition techniques, lighting mastery, smartphone photography hacks, basic editing techniques and apps, visual storytelling and legal tips. No fancy equipment needed—just your smartphone and some know-how! Learn more about the webinar and register at https://lnkd.in/gm_w8NDq

CAPIO's EPIC Award Early Bird Deadline is tomorrow, Friday, January 17! To get you inspired, we'll be showcasing some recent winners of EPIC Awards for the rest of the month. The Turlock Irrigation District won an EPIC Award in 2024 for BEST PODCAST: "There’s a lot more involved with delivering power than turning on a light switch. And the water that flows through the canals throughout the Turlock Irrigation District service area, where does that come from? Each month the TID Water & Power Podcast sits down with industry experts and TID employees to discuss fascinating facts and important issues that shape the operations of your community-owned utility." Episode topics vary from groundwater recharge, hydropower, careers, fisheries, frontline workers, flooding to history. Listen to learn more about these topics and get inspired by an award-winning program: https://lnkd.in/g_p5vYri Do you have a podcast that you're really proud of? Submit your entry today! https://lnkd.in/gKBaVfbM

Thank you to CAPIO members and communications professionals across California who traveled to Clovis to attend our Central California Media Opportunity! Our Media Roundtable & Mixer, “How the Media and Public Agencies Communicate to a Skeptical Audience" was a big success. Thank you to our media panelists, including Bill McEwen (GV Wire), Jacqueline McLean (ABC30), Danielle Bergstrom (Fresnoland) and PIO panelists Nikki Henry, MPA (Fresno Unified), Chad McCollum (City of Clovis), and Ally Triolo (Kern County), and our sponsors who provided a BBQ dinner at a local brewery, OUTFRONT Media and Stephanie Backiel. According to Sonja Piper Dosti, APR, CAPIO's Central California Regional & Membership Chair: "I was able to moderate, asking questions about the strategies used to communicate to a cynical and distrustful public, how public agencies and the media can improve their relationship, and the effect of recent lawsuits that media companies have lost after publishing inaccuracies. The panelists shared their wisdom and reflections based on their own experiences in their current and previous positions. Special thanks to my County colleagues and fellow CAPIO members, Gustavo Gutierrez Magallanes, M.A. and Taylor Long, for greeting all of our guests and Joshua Dean for the beautiful photos. Grateful to CAPIO for numerous opportunities to network and learn! If you’re interested in membership, send me a message." Continue following us on social media for more networking and educational opportunities in 2025!

Are you poised for your next career leap? Join veteran public sector leaders, communicators and recruitment pros for a candid discussion with key insights to advance your career. Register for Mentorship Monday: Career Boosts for Communications Pros on Monday, January 27 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Bring your questions for a Q&A session with our experts, following our moderated discussion, featuring: ✅ Ramiro S. Adeva III, Assistant City Manager for the City of Agoura Hills ✅ Ashley Metzger, MA, Senior Advisor for Regional Government Services Authority ✅ Mary Haddad, MPA, Communications Manager for the City of Agoura Hills ✅ Kay Randolph-Pollard, Senior Advisor-HR Recruitment Lead for the Regional Government Services Authority Key Takeaways: ☑️ What the in-demand skills are for communicators ☑️ What competencies do employers value most ☑️ How to successfully prepare for an interview and stand out from the crowd ☑️ What recruiters are looking for in applicants ☑️ How to develop a team ☑️ How to succeed and show value in your new role ☑️ What C-Suite executives look for when hiring communications pros Register now at https://lnkd.in/g8EPNjDw

Great news! Here's your #MondayMotivation to submit your EPIC Awards entry EARLY! CAPIO’s has extended the EARLY BIRD deadline for EPIC Award Entries to Friday, January 17 at 5 p.m. The final deadline is January 31 at 6 p.m. If you have questions on your entry category or the entry process, you my contact Steven Baird, CAPIO VP of Awards, at sbaird@lvmwd.com. For questions about the entry portal or payment, contact members@capio.org.  View our “How to Enter” page for some initial guidance: https://lnkd.in/gi4SXWk8 View our Categories: https://lnkd.in/gfbPkB6E View Research Tips: https://lnkd.in/g22r5ERT View recording from our Awards Office Hour (recorded January 9): https://lnkd.in/gVxbeXfz Submit your entry: https://lnkd.in/gGiYkTja