Inspired Strategies Agency (ISA), has molded student leaders since November 2015 when Professor Elizabeth Kerns of Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) joined forces with four Public Relations and Strategic Communications students.
The students were presented with the task of creating a full-service public relations (PR) proposal for two clients, the Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce and the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra.
From the moment the four founding students: Alexis Smith, Rachel Schramm, Hira Uddin and Kate Cox presented their client proposals in 2015, ISA was founded and a high-performing, student-oriented leadership agency was birthed.
In its ninth year of operation, ISA boasts strong leadership statistics for students at ONU.
Students within ISA have four tiers of leadership they are capable of achieving.
TIER 1: Junior Account Executive (JAE)
To be eligible for ISA, students must have completed two semesters of college. All students, when entering the agency, begin with the title of a JAE. Students must have one semester as a JAE completed before they are eligible to run for a higher position.
Some of the tasks assigned to Junior Account Executives are:
- Creating Social Media Graphics
- Multimedia Editing
- Basic Public Relations Writing
- Client Research
This semester, there are 16 students serving as Junior Account Executives in ISA.
Talking with Lauren Gadbois, second-semester JAE for United Way of Kankakee County, Gadbois spoke about the leadership opportunities ISA has brought her and her appreciation for how ISA has strengthened her communication capabilities.
TIER 2: Associate Account Executive (AAE)
The second level of leadership available to students is an Associate Account Executive. AAEs are the branch between a team’s Account Executive and the JAEs who are still learning and growing. Often, students step into AAE leadership in order to be qualified to apply for an Account Executive position in future semesters.
Some of the additional tasks assigned to Associate Account Executives are:
- Managing Client Content Calendar
- Lead Team Meetings when the Account Executive is Unavailable
- Attend one ISA Leadership Meeting/ Month
Due to a season of transition for Inspired Strategies Agency, the agency took a semester break from appointing AAEs.
TIER 3: Account Executive (AE)
An Account Executive is the highest level of leadership a student can achieve while working with a community client. The ability to serve as an AE is extremely beneficial to students through experience and resume building. Students must apply, interview with Faculty Advisor Susan Wolff and be elected to be appointed to this leadership position.
Some of the additional tasks assigned to Account Executives are:
- Write Client Contract
- Manage Communication between Client and the Team through Weekly Client Meetings
- Attend Monday ISA Leadership Meeting
- Create Client Portfolio
This year, there are four account executives working for the Spring 2023 clients.
Account Executive, Morgan Connor, speaks about her role as AE and the opportunities it has brought her.
TIER 4: Agency Director
The final leadership tier available to students is the prestigious role of Agency Director. Each academic year, one Agency Director is elected. Agency Directors run staff meetings for all-staff meetings on Wednesdays and for the Leadership Council on Mondays. Additionally, directors create coursework for the JAEs and AAEs to continually grow in knowledge and understanding. Agency Directors manage the functionality of the agency for the academic year they are elected to.
Jillienne Roe, Agency Director for the Fall 2021 to Spring 2022 year, explained the impact this position had on her professional and career readiness by saying,
ISA impacted my professional career by providing opportunities for leadership, hands on projects, and networking. I’ve been able to enter the workforce with agency and project experience. I apply the skills I leanered in ISA to my work today.
Jillienne ROE, OnU ’22 Alumna
Students in ISA at Olivet Nazarene University have an opportunity that according to the Journal of Public Relations Education is only found at 150 other accredited institutions. That is the opportunity to work and gain experience at a full-service, student-run communications agency on a college campus.
This Spring, whether working with the agency’s current clients, touring the world’s largest Public Relations Agency in Chicago or through the staff’s weekly meetings as a team, it is without a doubt that ISA is equipping students with real-world experience that can help them reach their career goals.
Mackenzi Abbott in PRDaily explained the benefit of her student-run agency experience. She said, “I’ve done real client work (including social media calendars and press releases) that I can proudly sign my name to when talking to potential future employers.”
As current Agency Director and Project Manager Jillian Long explained:
ISA is a great place for students to learn and grow in skills before they get an internship or a job after college! It also helps students to learn what it’s like to communicate with a client and collaborate with other students.
Jillian Long, ISA Project Manager
