Member Spotlight: Megan Garrett

1. Tell me a little about yourself.

I'm a small-town Iowa girl, born and raised. Left for several years to attend college at Northwest Missouri State, then lived and worked in Missouri for a few years before returning to central Iowa to live in Adel. 

My husband and I own our own small business — Heartland Handcrafted — and are very active in our local Chamber of Commerce (Adel Partners Chamber). We have one daughter who will turn 10 next week. She lives and breathes for softball, so we're often chasing her around tournaments. 

2. What drew you to public relations in the first place?

I got my degree in journalism and spent the first several years of my career as a reporter — night cops, general assignment, etc. I found myself leaning more toward wanting to share positive stories — not the doom and gloom that comes with night cops reporting and some gen assignment. (Though it was fun to ride along with law enforcement officers.) So, I began looking more into PR. My first PR gig was at a health care system at the Lake of the Ozarks. That's where I fell in love with being able to share the stories of how our company was able to positively impact the lives of others.  

3. What has your career path looked like? What is your current role?

I am the Director of Communications for Care Initiatives, Iowa's largest nonprofit provider of skilled nursing care, assisted living/independent living and hospice care. After several years as a reporter and editor, I found my way into the marketing/PR side and have really enjoyed it. I spent some time at a local agency (Trilix) but have mostly been in health care/insurance PR and communications. I now oversee all internal and external communications and support marketing and sales. Media Relations also falls in my scope. 

4. How did you get involved with PRSA Iowa?

When we moved back to Iowa, I had the pleasure of serving as PR Manager for Iowa Student Loan. I was still pretty new at being in PR full-time and was looking for additional education around PR/Comms. I also knew it would be smart to meet others in the field around central Iowa. PRSA looked to be a good way to accomplish both of those goals, and it has been. I attended a couple of lunch and learn events and pretty quickly decided to join the board. I've been a PRSSA Liaison for Drake ever since.

5. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?

I'm not always great at following it, but "it's okay to say 'no' every once in a while." But with that said, I'm a big believer in saying "yes" to new opportunities and adventures — especially if they can lead to personal or career growth.

6. What do you like to do in your free time?

My husband and I just bought a house in the country on an acreage. So at the moment, our free time is spent remodeling, doing yard work, tree trimming, unpacking, etc. But when we're done with those projects, we'll go back to our favorite hobbies — camping, boating, upland hunting, anything outdoors, and taking our daughter to softball and basketball.