Member Profile
August 2006

Debra Amirin, APR
Director of Communications
University of Florida Levin College of Law

How long have you been a member of FPRA and what are the benefits?
I joined the Florida Publication Relations Association in 1980 when I became Public Relations Director for the Civitan Regional Blood Center (now LifeSouth Community Blood Centers). Being involved with FPRA has been tremendously helpful to me personally and in my career. Some of my closest friendships have been formed with those I met through my work on FPRA committees and the board, and those efforts also helped me gain experience and self-confidence in areas ranging from leadership to public speaking.

Please tell us a little about your job and how long you have been working there.
I have been at the University of Florida Levin College of Law since 1999. As director of the Communications Department, I work with two other public relations professionals, Kathy Fleming and Jim Hellegaard, as well as photographer Kristen Hines, editorial assistant Lindsay Dykstra, and a number of part-time public relations interns, law student writers and freelancers. We provide media relations, public relations, marketing and photography services and each year produce 32 newsletters, two four color magazines of up to 84 pages each, and dozens of four color catalogs, brochures, booklets and other printed pieces for the college and its centers, institutes and programs. We also provide content for the web site, which has close to 1,000 active pages, and produce an electronic newsletter. We are constantly challenged and never bored, and the many fascinating faculty and students here make it a joy to come to work each day.

Please share with us a challenging and/or important project you successfully completed during your career.
We recently completed a public relations/marketing audit for major components of the law school, including reviews of peer publications and PR/marketing efforts and target audience research. Our goal is to make sure our communications vehicles and key themes and messages are as effective, meaningful and accurate as possible. Audiences, particularly the prospective student pool, are accessing information in far different ways than just a few years ago, and the type of information they want has changed as well. Regular audits ensure that we remain effective, and that the UF College of Law remains a top tier institution.

How did you identify your objectives and plan your project?
We spoke to administrators, faculty, alumni, staff and students to see what kind of information they wanted and needed and the best way to get it to them. We reviewed peer publications and online and electronic communications efforts, and spoke to them about what worked and didn't work. Then we tackled one area at a time. One of the first areas we worked with, our Environmental and Land Use Law Program, recently gained well-deserved recognition by U.S. News and World Report's in its annual ranking of the nation's best graduate schools and specialty programs when it was ranked fifth among publics and 12th overall. We like to think we had something to do with that.

What was the most challenging part of the project and how did you deal with it?
This project never actually ends. Plus, the more results some units receive, and the more involved our faculty and directors are, the more they want us to do. Not a bad problem to have, actually, since we like to be busy and feel needed. We have dealt with the increased workload by adding more interns and part-time and freelance workers to the team.

What advice would you give to public relations professionals when facing a similar task?
Be methodical, keep records, and follow the RACE formula: Research, Action, Communication, Evaluation. Another good thing you learn in FPRA.

What is your favorite restaurant in Gainesville?
Liquid Ginger.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
My husband and I are certified scuba divers, and we love to collect creatures for our 260-gallon saltwater aquarium.