One of the newest members in the Gainesville Chapter of FPRA is Frank Avery. Avery joined last fall after meeting board members Amelia Bell, APR, and Julie Frey, APR, CPRC, at a Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event. He had been looking for a professional development group to get involved in after his move to Gainesville.
Avery moved to Gainesville last year to take on the job of Special Projects Manager for the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce. In this role he serves as the day-to-day liaison for the Chamber with their community partners to implement ideas that spark growth and engagement. His goals also include continuing to expand the attendee experience and sustainability of the Chamber’s signature programming and special events.
Through his job, Avery uses social media and public relations to share a fresh perspective behind economic development and the Chamber. “I’ve done my best to use PR, social media and events to highlight the human stories behind those entities and shift the brand from anonymous think-tanks or robot social media pushers into human interactions,” said Avery. “Most importantly, in my mind, I’ve tried to make sure the artwork and design complements the tone of the message and is carried throughout so that someone not only hears or reads the message, but is able to tangibly experience what the message means.”
Though Avery is still new to FRPA he has enjoyed meeting other members and is looking forward to working with them in the future. His undergraduate degree was a double major in politics and religion where he was able to practice communicating the nuances of political theory, the sensitivities of religion and how to best combine them to create influential communications for grassroots organizations. Born in Boston, Avery moved around a lot while he was growing up living in 14 different places. Most recently he called Columbia, SC, home after attending the University of South Carolina and working as a project manager for marketing and communications at a prominent statewide economic development agency.