Last Call Before Fall: PRSA CT Summer Social
Time & Location
About the Event
We're excited to announce that we will be hosting our first in-person event in nearly two years at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 19. Don’t miss this opportunity to catch up with PR colleagues, make new connections, and take advantage of the event’s Bring a Friend For Free offer. EXTENDED deadline to RSVP for yourself and your guest is Wednesday, Aug. 18!
This Summer Social will take place in Hartford’s picturesque West End at the historic home of PRSA CT board member Paddi LeShane, CEO of Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations. Come enjoy the beautiful skyline views of the city.
Date & Time: Thursday, August 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Hartford’s West End (as it is a private home, the address will be emailed after registration)
What to bring: Yourself + a friend (FREE discount code will be emailed after registration)
What to expect: Refreshments, raffle prizes, brief comments from Alison Skratt, PRSA CT Chapter President, and a special guest appearance from Greg Bordonaro, Hartford Business Journal Editor.
About Greg Bordonaro:
Greg Bordonaro is the editor of the Hartford Business Journal. He joined the editorial team in May 2008 after graduating from the University of Connecticut with a degree in journalism and history. He also has an MBA from the University of Hartford. He was a former intern and worked part-time for the Hartford Courant. Bordonaro has been recognized for his writing and reporting by the Alliance of Area Business Publications as well as the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists.
COVID-19:
At this point, Hartford County qualifies for masks in indoor settings, so we ask that guests wear them indoors. Weather permitting this event will offer both inside and outside options and offer ample space inside for social distancing. Please know that we are keeping a close eye on both the Delta variant and evolving masking guidelines. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for more information at admin@prsact.org.
- Members$25$250$0
- Non-members$35$350$0
- Student / PRSSA$5$50$0
About Mark Contreras
Mark Contreras is President and Chief Executive Officer of Connecticut Public, the NPR and PBS community licensee for Connecticut.
He came to public media after a long career in local, mission-oriented news organizations.
His interest in local journalism began during his work with U.S. Senator Paul Simon on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC.
Mark began his media career with Capital Cities/ABC, Inc and after a number of roles at several of their newspapers served as President and Publisher of The Times Leader newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
He was then named Senior Vice President of Pulitzer Newspapers based in St. Louis, Missouri. In this role he had profit-and-loss responsibility for the newspapers and digital properties in 13 markets from Illinois to Hawaii. Pulitzer was a publicly-traded company with a controlling interest by the Pulitzer Family.
He then became the head of the newspaper division (SVP/Newspapers) of the E.W. Scripps Company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Scripps newspapers and digital operations were the 10th largest publisher in the US and had markets from South Carolina to Washington state. The company was publicly-traded and controlled by the Scripps Family.
In 2011, he became the Chief Executive Officer of Calkins Media based in Levittown, Pennsylvania which owned 3 ABC affiliated television stations in Florida and Alabama and 5 newspapers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The company was privately-held and owned by the Calkins Family. The company was sold in 2017.
In 2017, Contreras was then named Dean of the School of Communications of Quinnipiac University.
He joined Connecticut Public in March 2019. While serving as President and CEO of Connecticut Public, the organization has undergone a reinvestment in local reporting resources as well as significant digital transformation including publishing its content today over more than 48 platforms, up from 3 in 2019.
He served as a past or current board member of a variety of media organizations including the Newspaper Association of America (chairman), The American Press Institute (chairman), Cincinnati Public Radio, Futuro Media, GFR Media (based in San Juan, PR) and Woodward Communications, Inc (based in Dubuque, IA).
He holds an A.B. in History from the University of Chicago and an MBA from The Harvard Business School.
He was also named a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.
His father is a Mexican immigrant and his mother and Irish-American school teacher.
Mark has been married to Marybeth Sughrue for 36 years and their son, Michael, lives in Brooklyn, NY.
PRSA Antitrust Compliance Statement
PRSA’s policy is to comply with federal and state antitrust laws. Participants in PRSA meetings and programs are not to discuss industry-wide or individual company prices (current or projected) or matters relating to pricing such as costs, profits, wages, market allocation, or other competitively sensitive information. Compliance with the antitrust laws is a requirement for PRSA membership and responsibility for compliance rests with each member. Participants have an obligation to terminate any discussion, seek legal counsel’s advice, or, if necessary, terminate any meeting if the discussion might be construed to raise antitrust risks.