2004 Communication Conference

2004 Communications & Public Relations Conference

Advocates of Understanding
-Speech given by Charles Steitz, Public Affairs Officer for DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS Guam

Good afternoon and welcome all of you to Tokyo and the PA Conference — our premier gathering of public affairs/communications professionals.

I’m Chip Steitz the Public Affairs Officer for DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS Guam. I extend a special thanks to each of you. Your belief in the value of education and your commitment to professional growth have brought us together.

As the theme of this year’s conference reflects, the dynamic nature of our profession means all of us are becoming advocates of understanding.

Our world demands immediate, clear and concise information. The 24-hour news cycle and constant stimuli drive this change and demand ongoing learning. This means we must respond to and lead change through planning, insight and careful execution. It is how we build and sustain an effective foundation for our organization.

photo of girl eating watermelon

As we have witnessed, constructing the foundation alone is not enough. Your students and our military service members challenge us to envision and build strong structures upon this foundation. To do so, we must also be advocates of understanding.

Cultural awareness and educational initiatives are the building blocks that soar from our foundation. These structures, however, are strong only if we respond with our best. We are continually asked to build consensus and move forward through the healthy exchange of ideas from multiple perspectives. Now more than ever, we must facilitate the integrity of relationships between diverse individuals and institutions.

As advocates of understanding, we are challenged to provide leadership and strength as never before.

To realize this vision, our role must be far-reaching and effective. As individuals who share the enthusiasm for developing best practices, who are committed to the highest ethical standards and who share the desire to work together to advance learning and education professionalism, we must aim high so that our profession becomes a crucial strategic discipline — the keystone that supports our schools and, ultimately our society.

And what better place to host this gathering of Communications Specialists/Public Affairs Officers than Tokyo? Tokyo the gem of Asia offers the perfect backdrop against which we’ll explore our role as advocates of understanding. Just as Tokyo’s bridges link one of the world’s most powerful cities with the global community, we, too, are bridges, helping facilitate healthy relationships between our schools, communities, and students.