Riding out the Storm: From Fires and Mudslides to Pandemics and Protests

On Sept. 23, 2020, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) California Gold Coast Chapter will host a virtual “Riding out the Storm: From Fires and Mudslides to Pandemics and Protests” event. Held via Zoom from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., the event will feature insights from local communication experts Jakeline Ruiz, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and Gina DePinto, County of Santa Barbara.

Ruiz and DePinto will share their experiences with national and global stories for Santa Barbara County from the Thomas Fire to Montecito 1/9 Debris Flow, Conception dive boat fire, COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests. Public relations and marketing professionals from all industries are invited to attend the event.

Ruiz is the public health program coordinator and public information officer for Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. She oversees the newly established Public Health Accreditation program focused on improving and protecting the health of the public by advancing and transforming the quality and performance of governmental public health. As public information officer, she also oversees public and media communications for a wide breadth of programs. Working with community partners in the delivery of culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate health messaging has been central to Ruiz’s role.

DePinto brings 34 years of experience to her role as communications manager for the County of Santa Barbara. Prior to that, she managed the Long Beach office of Westbound Communications, where she counseled clients such as the Port of Long Beach, city of Huntington Beach and Universal Technical Institute. She handled media relations for the world’s largest water recycling facility of its kind, the Groundwater Replenishment System, which was covered by National Geographic, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN and NPR to name a few. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, DePinto served as public information officer for the city of Phoenix and later coordinated publicity for Olympic and World Champion Skater Dorothy Hammill. 

The PRSA California Gold Coast Chapter serves a diverse community of professionals, empowering them to excel in effective, ethical and respectful communication on behalf of the organizations they represent and the constituencies they serve. It helps advance the careers of its members by providing opportunities for lifelong learning, vibrant and welcoming professional communities, recognition of capabilities and accomplishments, thought leadership and ethics, and professional relationship development.

To register for the event or learn more about the PRSA California Gold Coast Chapter, visit www.prsagoldcoast.org.

ABOUT PRSA GOLD COAST

PRSA is a nonprofit organization chartered in 1947 and the world’s largest organization of public relations professionals with more than 21,000 public relations and communications professionals across the United States. The California Gold Coast Chapter was founded in 2014 and serves Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. For more information, visit www.prsagoldcoast.org.