Who are you?
Karen Ewing, CMP
How long have you worked with cooperatives?
I have been with Jackson EMC, an electric cooperative, for nine years.
Describe your role.
As Community Relations Representative, I handle our corporate citizenship, including our educational programming, sponsorships, and community relations. Plus, I chair our Jackson EMC Cares initiative, which incorporates our employee volunteer program and company-wide service projects.
What do you enjoy about working with cooperatives?
I was impressed with the collaborative nature of cooperatives. I love the mindset of “admire and acquire.” I have cold-called my counterparts in other cooperatives to seek advice or ideas or get their take on a situation. Communicators in other cooperatives readily share their knowledge, and they genuinely want others to succeed.
When did you join CCA? Why?
I joined CCA when I started working at Jackson EMC. We have an organizational membership for our entire communication team.
Did anything surprise you about CCA upon joining?
I was surprised by the incredible benefits and professional development opportunities offered by CCA. As a small association, they offer a wealth of resources to grow as a communicator in the co-op world.
How has CCA supported you in your career?
I regularly watch the webinars, which are excellent resources for professional development. I always learn something whether it’s strategy, budgeting, or project management. Robin Conover’s photography webinars are particularly helpful to me since we don’t have a professional photographer for every scenario. Recently, we had a big pop-up storm on a Sunday that caused a lot of outages for our members. The photos I took with an iPhone were the ones our social media team used in real time, and our internal communication team used for our printed employee newsletter. Robin’s tips were a major factor in getting the right shot.
What are your hobbies and interests?
- Music, specifically piano and opera–whenever I travel, I always check the schedule for the city to see what’s playing at the local theatre or performing arts center.
- Travel photography—I don’t take pictures of the standard tourist “Instagram” spots; I love wandering the city, village, or park and discovering a different angle or spot, usually with a floral or architectural element.
- Thrift stores and charity shops—I love looking for unique vintage cookbooks and Christmas ornaments. Two of my best finds are first edition with dust jacket copies of “A Thousand Days” and “The Godfather.”
Do you have a “bucket list”? What are some of the things on that list?
- Learn to play Chopin’s Nocturne No. 1 in B Flat Minor (I’m currently taking piano lessons, and my piano teacher said, “it’s probably a lifetime piece for you.”)
- See the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
- Visit the Normandy beaches, museums and cemetery
- Relearn crochet
Give us something about yourself that is surprising or that most people don’t know.
I was one of the White House Easter Bunnies for the 1993 Easter Egg Roll.
What advice would you give to professional communicators just starting their careers?
Read. Read long-form journalism in publications like the New Yorker or The Atlantic; read the book “Super Communicators”, and Robert Caro and Stephen King’s books on writing; read Daniel Pink’s book “To Sell Is Human.” Listen to podcasts with great interviewers like Terry Gross of Fresh Air. Watch documentaries. While flying to Denver for CCA Institute this year, I saw the documentary “Very Ralph” about Ralph Lauren. It was a lesson in storytelling. I watched it again on the return flight and picked up more insights. And when I flew again this summer, I watched it a third time. As they said in the documentary, Ralph doesn’t just create a blouse; he creates a story. He created a story for every look or ad. As communicators, we have to find or develop the story. It’s not about our products or services; it’s about a story.
Email Karen here
