Professional Adviser Teahan

7/28/2019 Professional Adviser Teahan

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Summary!

Jeff!DuBois!connects!with!individual!students!on!a!unique!level!through!his!role!as!professional!

adviser!to!the!Rulon!L.!Bradley!PRSSA!chapter!at!Brigham!Young!University.!His!unlimited!

motivation!and!faith!in!students!has!provided!great!resources!to!help!students!gain!enriching!

experiences!and!to!led!them!to!become!successful!public!relations!professionals.!His!unyielding!

commitment!to!students!at!Brigham!Young!University!as!a!professional!adviser,!to!public!

relations!education!and!to!the!public!relations!industry!merits!his!recognition!as!the!2013!

Professional!Adviser!Teahan!Award.!

Jeff!became!the!BYU!PRSSA!Professional!Adviser!in!March!2008.!At!the!same!time,!he!became!

manager!of!the!BYU!PRSSA!StudentRun!Bradley!Public!Relations!Agency,!a!position!he!held!

until!2012.!In!addition!to!his!current!responsibility!as!the!professional!adviser,!he!is!the!Vice!

President!of!Communications!at!Method!Communications!in!Salt!Lake!City,!Utah.!He!!is!also!a!board!member!of!the!Utah!Valley!PRSA!Chapter.!!

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!Professional!Attitudes!and!Behavior!

As!a!manager!of!the!Bradley!Public!Relations!Agency,!Jeff!was!responsible!for!new!business!

development!and!overseeing!the!students!work.!Jeff!provided!more!opportunities!for!students!to!

gain!realworld!experience.!He!worked!with!over!90!clients!and!400!students!during!his!four!years!

at!!Bradley!PR.!Some!of!the!clients!included!Childrens!Miracle!Network!Hospitals,!American!

Mothers!Inc.,!Crime!Reports!and!UDOT!I15!Core.!Jeff!was!proactive!about!fostering!growth!through!

assigning!responsibilities!within!!Bradley!!PR,!and!created!positions!such!as!account!coordinator,!

account!executive!and!account!director!all!filled!by!students.!Jeff!created!these!positions!to!allow!

students!to!experience!working!as!a!team!and!to!gain!relevant!industry!experience.!!!

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Jeff!developed!a!positive,!enriching!environment!for!students!to!share!ideas!and!!work!together!as!a!

team.!His!high!expectations!and!enthusiasm!motivated!students!to!work!harder.!He!was!always!

willing!to!help!individual!students!prepare!to!be!successful!professionals!after!graduation.!!

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In!addition!to!managing!Bradley!PR,!Jeff!taught!Communications!421:!Public!Relations!Writing!and!

Production.!Through!this!course,!students!gained!professional!!skills!by!working!with!a!real!client!on!

a!daily!basis!to!complete!assignments.!!

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As!a!manager!and!professional!adviser,!Jeff!respected!students!opinions!and!ideas!and!worked!to!

implement!them.!He!always!prioritized!making!stronger!relationships,!regardless!of!whether!it!was!

with!a!client!or!a!student.!!

PRSA!and!PRSSA!Involvement!

After!ending!his!position!as!the!manager!of!Bradley!PR!in!April!2012,!he!continued!to!act!as!the!

chapters!professional!adviser.!Because!of!his!close!relationships!with!students,!he!could!!connect!

with!them!to!effectively!serve!them.!His!new!position!at!Method!Communications!and!his!

involvement!in!PRSA!allowed!him!to!provide!more!networking!opportunities!for!PRSSA!members.!

He!frequently!arranged!guest!speakers!and!encourages\d!students!to!attend!Utah!Valley!PRSA!

events.!Jeff!knew!!these!PRSA!events!lead!to!jobs!and!internships!for!local!students.!His!goal!as!a!

professional!adviser!was!to!facilitate!a!strong!relationship!between!the!BYU!PRSSA!members,!local!

PR!agencies!and!the!Utah!Valley!Chapter!of!PRSA.!Jeff!strived!to!deepen!his!own!relationships!with!

individuals!in!the!industry!to!benefit!the!PRSSA!members.!!!

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Jeff!believed!the!key!to!getting!a!fulltime!job!after!graduation!was!differentiation.!He!gave!students!

three!tips!to!differentiate!themselves!from!other!students,!1)!get!involved!and!volunteer!in!PRSSA,!

2)!accomplish!client!projects!at!the!Bradley!PR!Agency!and!3)!gain!meaningful!experience!through!

internships.!As!a!professional!adviser,!Jeff!helped!numerous!students!gain!this!differentiating!

experience!through!internships.!Because!Jeff!worked!closely!with!students,!he!knew!students!strengths!and!in!which!field!of!public!relations!the!student!would!excel.!!

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BYUs!Department!of!Communications!has!been!sending!students!to!New!York!City!to!intern!with!

various!organizations!for!more!than!40!years.!In!spring!of!2009,!the!department!sent!two!public!

relations!students!to!New!York!City!with!the!department!internship!program.!Because!Jeff!worked!

in!New!York!City!prior!to!his!position!at!Brigham!Young!University,!he!used!his!connections!to!

develop!further!relationships!with!potential!internship!providers.!He!contacted!individuals!in!New!


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York,!PR!agencies,!corporate!offices!and!nonprofit!organizations.!!On!occasion,!he!has!simply!called!

individuals!in!his!network!to!pitch!PRSSA!members!as!potential!interns.!When!Jeff!managed!the!

program!in!2010,!he!sent!10!students.!!That!number!increased!to!12!in!2011.!Jeff!strengthened!

relationships!with!existing!internship!providers!and!brokered!new!relationships!that!continue!to!

benefit!PRSSA!members!today.!Jeff!also!helped!PRSSA!members!obtain!fulltime!jobs!throughout!

the!country!and!at!Method!Communications!where!he!currently!works.!!

Conclusion!

Jeff!is!currently!students!biggest!asset!and!resource!to!connect!with!realworld!public!relations!

professionals!and!career!opportunities.!He!understands!human!interactions!and!how!to!connect!

PRSSA!members!with!professionals.!These!factors,!his!impressive!experience!and!his!uplifting!

character,!merit!his!consideration!for!the!2013!Professional!Adviser!Teahan!Award. !

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Quotes!from!students!Jeff!encouraged!me!and!helped!me!believe!in!myself,!before!I!was!even!accepted!to!the!PR!major.!

He!inspired!me!to!do!as!much!as!possible!within!my!field!of!interest!and!helped!me!immerse!myself!

in!public!relations.!The!only!time!I!felt!we!didn't!have!a!connection!was!when!I!didn't!know!him.!!

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Jon!Uland,!PRSSA!VP!of!Online!Communications!

Junior,!Public!Relations!

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"Jeff!DuBois!helped!me!see!my!potential!as!a!public!relations!professional.!He!helped!me!gain!

valuable!opportunities!that!furthered!my!career.!He!was!really!supportive!of!the!many!things!I've!

been!involved!in!and!even!found!me!several!internship!opportunities!when!I!need!them.!He!has!

helped!me!realize!the!importance!of!PRSA!involvement!once!I!graduate!from!college.!He's!been!

really!supportive!of!our!chapter!and!helping!us!find!local!public!relations!representatives!for!our!

chapter!and!he's!been!really!helpful!throughout!our!planning!processes."!

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Alyssa!Call,!PRSSA!VP!of!Public!Relations!!

Senior,!Public!Relations!!

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I!consider!Jeff!to!be!a!mentor!and!a!friend.!From!the!time!that!I!joined!PRSSA!as!a!freshman!until!

now,!he!has!taken!time!to!get!to!know!me!and!provide!great!advice.!He!offered!to!help!me!find!

internships!and!get!interviews.!I!knew!I!could!count!on!him!if!I!had!ever!a!question!about!a!project,!

finding!internships!or!interviewing.!!!

Amy!Harrison,!PRSSA!VP!of!Member!Services!!

Senior,!Public!Relations!

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Any!student!who!has!had!the!chance!to!work!with!Jeff!DuBois!will!tell!you!that!there!isn't!anyone!

more!invested!in!their!success!than!he!is.!Before!I!even!got!into!the!PR!program,!Jeff!encouraged!

me!to!join!PRSSA!and!network!with!professionals!in!our!local!PRSA!chapter.!It!was!his!

encouragement!that!led!me!to!my!internship!at!Method!Communications,!which!became!the!

gateway!to!my!future!career.!Jeff!is!highly!involved!as!a!UV!PRSA!board!member!and!participates!

monthly!in!BYU!PRSSA!activities!as!the!professional!adviser.!BYU!students!value!their!interactions!with!Jeff,!and!it!is!partially!due!to!his!influence!why!so!many!BYU!PRSSA!students!go!on!to!become!

associate!members!of!PRSA.!

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!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! Dallin!Hatch,!a!former!PRSSA!VP!of!Finance!

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!Quotes!from!faculty!!Jeff!DuBois!created!an!environment!for!students!to!excel!in!learning!by!doing.!Rather!than!telling!

students!what!to!do!as!he!mentored!their!professional!experience,!he!encouraged!them!to!think!

through!problems!and!tasks!to!find!solutions.!His!focus!was!on!students!making!a!successful!

transition!to!skilled!professionals.!!!

Dr.!Laurie!Wilson,!APR!

BYU!Professor,!Public!Relations!

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"Jeff!brings!a!little!bit!of!NYC!(and!Jersey,!dont!EVER!mess!with!New!Jersey)!straight!to!Utah!County!

with!every!student!interaction!he!makes!!and!our!students!are!thrilled!to!have!that!experience.!

He!has!helped!students!understand!how!the!concepts!learned!here!in!the!Mountain!West!will!have!

application!in!New!York!and!beyond.!Jeff's!leadership!and!mentoring!of!our!students!for!the!past!

several!years!is!one!of!the!key!reasons!why!more!than!a!dozen!of!New!York's!best!PR!agencies!

welcome!interns!from!BYU!each!and!every!year."!!

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Scott!R.!Rackham!

Director,!BYU!Strategic!Communications!Labs!

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I!have!known!Jeff!a!few!years,!both!in!his!teaching!capacity!and!as!a!professional!adviser.!Jeff!is!a!

longterm!friend!to!PR!students!in!the!campus!agency.!He!aims!at!giving!students!experience!not!

found!in!a!classroom.!He!regularly!attends!PRSSA!activities!such!as!networking!nights!and!company!

visits!and!knows!many!of!the!students,!taking!time!to!talk!to!them!all.!He!sits!on!the!board!of!the!

local!PRSA!chapter!and!encourages!students!to!attend!there!too.!A!lot!of!his!help!is!unseen!

whenever!I!have!a!need!for!advice,!or!someone!to!bounce!ideas!off,!I!have!never!hesitated!in!

contacting!Jeffand!he!has!never!hesitated!to!help.!

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Lincoln!Hubbard!

Manager,!Bradley!PR!

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Jeffs!Resume!

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Jeffs!Work!Samples!

Work!with!Vivint!

Through!his!work!with!Method!Communications,!Jeff!was!involved!in!submitting!an!application!

to!one!of!Forbes!annual!lists.!This!submission!resulted!in!securing!the!company!as!number!45!

on!Forbes!Americas!Most!Promising!Companies!List.!

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Jeff!also!used!the!following!home!automation!pitch!to!land!a!story!about!Vivint!in!the!New!York!

Times!with!tech!reporter!Nick!Wingfield.!Vivint!is!mentioned!toward!the!end!of!the!article.!

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Hi Nick,

I notice you cover the home automation industry occasionally and I thought you might be

interested to learn about Vivint, the largest home automation services company in North

America. For more than a year, Vivint has been providing easy-to-use home automation at

affordable prices effectively making the technology available to the masses. Vivint offers a

solution that expensive legacy systems and technical do-it-yourself products dont.

For the cost of a smartphone and monthly data plan, consumers can have a home that is truly

intelligent: lock/unlock doors, view video, control lighting and appliances and receive real-time

alerts, all from anywhere via their mobile device or computer. Vivint offers a solution that

expensive legacy technologies and technical do-it-your-self products dont.

Would you be interested in speaking with Jim Nye, vice president of product for Vivint, to

discuss how the company is disrupting the home automation space?

Thanks and best regards,

Jeff---------

Jeff DuBois

Vivint PR

801-461-9789

[email protected]

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Work!with!Utah!State!University!

Jeff!pitched!a!story!for!Utah!State!University,!that!later!went!viral,!about!their!victory!at!the!

annual!Air!Force!design!challenge.!!

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Subject!line:!USU!Students!Design!Spiderman!Device!for!U.S.!Air!Force!

Hi!XXX,!

Here!is!a!story!I!thought!would!interest!you:!A!team!of!engineering!students!at! Utah!State!

University!designed!what!might!be!the!militarys!next!superhero!device.!!The!vertical!ascender!

employs!vacuum!suction!pads!to!enable!a!climber!to!quickly!scale!walls!in!excess!of!90!vertical!feet!

and!then!drop!a!rope!for!others!to!follow!(video!available!here:!http://youtu.be/qRODjVz3MTA).!!

The!students,!who!call!themselves!Ascending!Aggies,!placed!first!among!17!universities!that!

participated!in!the!annual!Air!Force!Research!Laboratory!(AFRL)!Design!Challenge.!!Military!forces!have!long!looked!for!a!way!to!scale!vertical!walls!under!various!conditions!without!the!use!of!

a!grappling!hook.!!USUs!device!was!the!only!one!to!successfully!meet!all!AFRL!competitive!

objectives!for!weight,!size,!velocity,!ease!of!operation,!usability,!stealth,!innovation!and!elegance.!

For!winning!the!competition,!the!USU!engineering!program!garnered!a!$50,000!grant!and!will!now!

compete!for!a!chance!to!win!$100,000!to!further!develop!their!design.!!!

May!I!put!you!in!touch!with!faculty!advisor!Dr.!Steve!Hansen!or!a!student!from!the!team!for!

comment?!

Regards,!

Jeff!DuBois!

Utah!State!University!PR!team!

801O461O9789!

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Work!with!PRSA!Utah!Valley!Chapter!

Jeff!presented!at!the!2013!Salt!Lake!City/Utah!Valley!PRSA!Spring!Conference!with!his!colleague!Jacob!

Moon.!He!was!responsible!for!the!following!slides.!

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Documents

Professional Adviser Teahan