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Author Archives: Zinaejah Ozier

1. Power of Pink Virtual Internship: Question of the Day

   August 13, 2020 10:09 am Leave a Comment

   

   Our Power of Pink Virtual Internship has come to an end and so have the many Zoom calls with founder Lea-Ann Germinder along with interns, Abby Crotty and Zinaejah Ozier. Within those Zoom calls, they always found a way to make the day more interesting with their “Question of the Day” daily questions.

   Some of the questions were on the serious list, while others challenged their brains to think about the things they’ve never really thought about before.

   Here were some of the questions and answers that they came up with throughout the summer:

   

   If your house was burning down and you could save one material thing, what would it be (assuming your phone is in your pocket!)?

   “My computer” – Zinaejah Ozier

   “My computer” – Lea-Ann Germinder

   “My big box of memorabilia” – Abby Crotty

   If you could have one superpower what would it be?

   “Teleport anywhere and not have to worry about COVID-19” – Abby Crotty

   “Not to sleep, there are so many things I want to do and not enough time to do them” – Lea-Ann Germinder

   “Ability to speed through work, but with accuracy” – Zinaejah Ozier

   What has been your biggest challenge to date and why?

   “The pandemic and having the internship fall through” – Abby Crotty

   “Going to school online, then having the internship online from 9-6 Monday to Thursday 9-1 on Friday and forgetting to eat and drink. I just want to get the work done and I forget to stop” – Zinaejah Ozier

   “My parents got divorced when I was young, but it taught me to be resilient and plow through challenges – like this pandemic!  – Lea-Ann Germinder

   In the end, whether the question was happy or sad, the “question of the day” always seemed to be the thing that pushed them through the long work-day. Now, it has come to a close, but their Q&A sessions will never be forgotten.

2. A Zinaejah Ozier Interview: Lea-Ann Germinder

   8:31 am Leave a Comment

   

   Getting an internship is one thing. Learning about how you got an internship is another. In an interview with the president of our company, Lea-Ann Germinder, Zinaejah Ozier got the opportunity to get insight on the perspective of her employer.

   From hearing about why she was selected to getting feedback on the ways in which she was able to partake in reverse mentoring, Ozier asked Germinder a series of questions to seal her Power of Pink Internship experience. When asked about the selection process, Germinder explained the significance of reaching out to her alma mater, the University of Dayton.

   “My main goal was to help students during the pandemic,” said Germinder. “I was really troubled that many agencies decided not to have internships during the pandemic, and I thought maybe I could help out. I had wanted to reach back to the University of Dayton for quite some time and PRSA sent out a communication, suggesting that we try to help. So, I reached out to the University of Dayton and we went from there.”

   After reaching out to UD in an effort to grant two lucky students with a chance to gain experience at an agency during hard times, Lea-Ann heavily considered the potential compatibility between the two interns, Abby Crotty and Zinaejah Ozier.

   “Here you had yourself, who was a journalism student that was transferring from journalism to public relations, a great storyteller, and I was very impressed with your writing,” said Germinder. “Then, you had Abby, who is a senior legacy student who wanted to do digital content and I thought, gee, this could be really interesting. It turned out to be really true. You two created magic together.”

   To top the interview off, Ozier was curious to know how Germinder felt about their summer experience overall. Since she and Crotty had conducted their own interview discussing their thoughts on their experience, hearing from Germinder…

   “Learning during the pandemic was a challenge, but we rose to that challenge,” said Lea-Ann.  “The Black Lives Matter movement was so important, and it was so impactful that we ended up not discussing some logistical things that we may have ended up discussing, but there’s always time to discuss that. At the end of the day, I think it’s so important to give back every single day and I’m thrilled with how the internship turned out.”

   With a goal of giving the girls a taste of the world of public relations and helping them to follow their passion, the internship has shown itself to serve that exact purpose.

   To watch the full interview, click here!

   To hear what interns Abby Crotty and Zinaejah Ozier had to say about their internship experience, click here!

3. Germinder Honored With Michael Brim Distinguished Service Award

   August 10, 2020 4:08 pm Leave a Comment

   — Award Recognizes Communications Excellence —

   

   New York, August 10, 2020 — Lea-Ann Germinder, APR, Fellow PRSA, president and founder of Germinder + Associates, Inc. and editor and publisher of Goodnewsforpets.com has been named the 2019 recipient of the Michael Brim Distinguished Service Award sponsored by the Cat Writers’ Association (CWA). Germinder was virtually presented with the award August 7 by Kate Benjamin during the organization’s first-ever virtual awards ceremony. Amy Shojai, CWA co-founder and a past-president nominated Germinder for the award.

   “Lea-Ann Germinder has had a significant and consistent positive impact on improving the quality of life of cats, educating the public, promoting and facilitating the professional growth of cat writers. Having worked with her for more than two decades, I have seen her lift others high and celebrate their successes. I applaud her dedication to veterinary care and sharing responsible, vital information about our animal companions,” said Shojai.  

   The Michael Brim Distinguished Service Award honors extraordinary achievement and communications excellence. It recognizes the person who, by word, deed, public communication, and professional excellence best promotes the ideals, mission, and best interest of the Cat Writers’ Association. Nominees can include (but are not limited to) writers, editors, or publicists whose published work or actions have had a significant impact on improving the quality of life of cats, educating the public, promoting responsible cat breeding and ownership, and/or facilitating the professional growth of cat writers.

   

   Germinder first became involved with CWA when Co-Founder and then President Amy Shojai agreed to become the first media partner for Goodnewsforpets.com twenty years ago. GNFP provided the first free platform that publicly announced CWA events and members books (which then columnist Steve Dale reviewed and helped promote), giving the new organization a much-needed visibility and legitimacy among animal care providers and corporate interests.

   “I joined the Cat Writers’ Association in 2011 and since that time, I’ve gotten to know Lea-Ann very well,” said current CWA President, Deb Barnes. “Her contribution to not only the social growth and presence of the CWA, but to the positive impact of animal welfare at large speaks volumes and we are so honored to recognize her outstanding achievements and dedication by naming her this year’s Michael Brim Distinguished Service award winner.”

   She has frequently offered advice and expertise to individual CWA members as well as the CWA administration having also served as the CWA’s P.R. Firm of Record for several years. She has tirelessly worked to connect CWA with potential sponsors and has herself secured several for CWA’s benefit. She sponsors GNFP Human-Animal Bond Award. She has been a frequent and popular speaker at many CWA conferences, sharing her expertise as a PR professional. Germinder pioneered and remains a leader in the establishment of an online presence for cat writers, and remains a leader in the dissemination of accurate information about cats and veterinary care.

   “Shining a light on great work and teaching CWA members publicity and social media skills has been my pleasure. It has given me an opportunity to work with so many extraordinary leaders and members at CWA. And, I’m honored and humbled to receive this award named after Michael Brim, a consummate pr professional,” said Germinder.

   Germinder is an accredited Fellow of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), a former national director of PRSA, a former national trustee of the PRSA Foundation and served as PRSA Midwest district chair, Tri-State chair-elect and president of the New York City and Kansas City chapters. She is a member of the PRSA Counselor’s Academy and member of the PRSA-NY Past-Presidents Council. Germinder received the Makovsky Mentoring in Excellence Award at the PRSA-NY Awards Banquet last year.

4. A Zinaejah Ozier Interview: Jahzeel Campbell

   August 7, 2020 9:38 am Leave a Comment

   

   For her final interview here at the Germinder + Associates internship, Zinaejah Ozier decided to speak with another former intern and longtime friend of Founder Lea Ann Germinder, Jahzeel Campbell. He is currently serving as a dance coach in Australia and Campbell shared his experiences of being in the world of PR, and then transferring into the world of dance.

   Throughout their conversation, the two discussed how much they’ve learned from Germinder and the many talks they’ve had with her regarding their passions and future endeavors. Specifically, Germinder helped Campbell to figure out what it was he really loved to do both within and outside of PR.

   “She knew that I danced at a young age,” said Campbell. “She saw that as much as I did love PR, there was always that desire to teach as well. So, we would have conversations about making sure that you’re doing what you love and filling your purpose.”

   As a black man in America, Campbell spoke on his experience as a teacher and the importance of being a trailblazer for the young black children that he taught. As it was an all-girls institution filled with mostly black and brown girls, Campbell felt obligated to guide them in the right direction and create those long-lasting relationships in order to make an impact in their lives.

   “Being raised in a household with beautiful, strong, educated women,” said Jahzeel, “I knew that I had a responsibility to not only teach my students in terms of the area of dance, but also be an example of a positive role model in their lives.”

   He then went on to explain the importance of communicating effectively when put in a high position. As an aspiring leader herself, Ozier was curious to know what values were important to hold within those settings as an African American. He expressed the importance of remaining humble and admitting your mistakes even as a teacher to his students.

   “Seeing that healthy level of communication from somebody who’s their teacher gives them a foundation to go out into the world and know what standard and expectations separate themselves as it relates to communicating and relating with people,” said Campbell.

   Ending her final interview, Ozier and Campbell discussed how important their relationship with Lea-Ann had been both as a supervisor and as a mentor and how they planned to stay in touch in the future.

   “The conversations I’ve had with Lea-Ann has allowed for stigmas to really be shot down or they’re proven not true as to how we relate to each other from whatever background we’re from,” Jahzeel said.

   With a racial injustice movement still intact, the relationship that the two hold with Germinder remains a significant and powerful one. With her help, racial barriers and stereotypes of what a mentor and mentee relationship should look like has been broken.

   To watch the full interview, click here!

   To see Jahzeel Campbell’s written piece on his experience at Germinder + Associates, click here!

   For more on the series, click here.

   Follow us on Instagram @GerminderPR

5. A Zinaejah Ozier Interview: Nathalie Godwin, APR

   July 27, 2020 10:02 am Leave a Comment

   

   Nearing the end of her series, Zinaejah took on Nathalie Godwin, APR, and Assistant Vice President of External Communication at Unum, a global insurance company. Like herself, Zinaejah found connection when she saw that Godwin had had a background in journalism as well, along with the fact that she was a successful black woman, which Zinaejah aspired to be.

   Starting off with her first position in communications at NASA and working on the Mars rover mission, Nathalie Godwin, saw many more positions at big companies following this experience. Later, she even worked for companies like UPS and Hilton. As each of these companies are large corporate organizations, Zinaejah was interested to know what it was like being in leadership positions as a woman of color.

   “I find that I’m always working much harder,” said Nathalie Godwin. “Your white colleagues are labeled as passionate while I’m labeled as the angry black woman, and that’s really tough. After George Floyd’s murder, I was reading all about different experiences on LinkedIn from other black females and I was reading about me! I think if anything, it taught me that I wasn’t alone in my experiences.”

   With those shared experiences, Ozier found it important to also receive advice, seeing that she may one day be in that position as well. Nathalie broke it down into three pieces of advices that she found was helpful to mention to young black women in the past.

   Don’t work for a brand that you don’t believe in their ideals,” said Godwin. “Be who you want to be, not who they want you to be. If it’s not you, then who? So, why not you? Growth and comfort never co-exist, so never stop growing.”

   Since this interview series has been based off of mentorship and what it means to have a mentor as an African-American, Zinaejah was curious to know what role mentors and mentees played in Godwin’s life.

   “My mentor and my mentee both teach me so much. I was struggling with a colleague [once] and I told my VP that I needed a mentor and they had to look like me so that they understood what I was going through. It was very nice because I was able to have those closed-door conversations that were very honest and tough, but it definitely helped me to navigate corporate culture.”

   Godwin ended with a few takeaways that she felt were very important to know while entering into the professional world as a future leader.

   “Now is the time to listen, have those uncomfortable conversations, take action, and make a difference. Representative John Lewis once said that he had an executive session with himself and he said, ‘We’ve still got a lot of work to do. We can’t have silence right now. It’s time to be courageous and have those uncomfortable conversations. We have to take the first step and believe in the possibility that we can be better.’”

   To watch the full interview for yourself, click here!

   For more on the series, click here.

   Follow us on Instagram @GerminderPR

6. A Zinaejah Ozier Interview: Byron Calamese

   July 6, 2020 12:41 pm Leave a Comment

   

   Four interviews in and Zinaejah Ozier spoke with a black leader that has a lot of inspirational advice and a very unique journey. Byron Calamese, Managing Director (NYC & DC) at Zeno Group, a global, integrated communications agency, born from PR.

   Calamese expressed that in many ways, his career has been challenging due to his tendency to be an introvert and his experience as a black man in such a high position. The question of leadership brought up for Calamese a very special person in his life, his niece, who he sees as one person he’s responsible for guiding on her path to success.

   “It is partly my responsibility to ensure that her journey to getting to where she wants to go is easier,” said Calamese. “It’s not that she’s not going to work hard, but I want to ensure that she has the confidence and that we instill those values in her as well as other black men and women.”

   After speaking about confidence, Zinaejah was curious to hear about mentorship and learning from people, as advice seeking is usually where one gets the motivation to push forward with careers and desires. Calamese shared how he himself had more than just black mentors in the past that ultimately helped him to see and understand different perspectives and ways of looking at the world.

   “If I were to advise someone that’s in college now or at a junior level of their career, I would say yes, mentors are super important, and I think that that is invaluable. But I would say that you can learn a lot by just being curious with a number of different people,” said Byron Calamese. 

   As Zinaejah is interning for Lea-Ann Germinder, who as a red-headed white woman is decidedly not Black, she heavily related to the idea of learning from more than just people who look like herself. Germinder has been very influential in Ozier’s life thus far during the Power of Pink initiative and is bound to mentor her for years to come. 

   To listen to the full interview, click here!

7. Power of Pink Virtual Internship Interview #2

   June 25, 2020 10:31 am Leave a Comment

   

   As our two interns Abby Crotty and Zinaejah Ozier find themselves nearing the middle of their internship here at Germinder + Associates, they conversed on their experiences working at a PR agency while in the midst of a social movement and a global pandemic. 

   For their first interview,  they talked about how grateful they were to have gotten this opportunity and how they were looking forward to what this internship had to offer. Now, after weeks of preparing content for the company, the two embark on their experience post all the chaos that has taken place in our country. 

   “It’s definitely hard to just completely turn off your brain from what’s happening in the world and entirely focus on your work,” said intern Abby Crotty. “But I think that’s why it’s important for brands and companies to step up during this time and intertwine the message of social justice and equality for everyone into their own personal work.”

   Being part of a PR company during this time has also opened their eyes to the different types of responses that firms are posting in response to the social movement and how impactful that can be, depending on what’s said. For Ozier, she speaks on the importance of the way in which companies decide to go about expressing their concerns publicly. 

   “I feel like the words and actions that I appreciate the most are when companies are being genuine to who they are,” intern Zinaejah Ozier said. “I want to see what you’re doing to help like the actions you’re doing whether it’s a donation or making sure you have those conversations within your organization and implementing more diversity, I just want to see the change because actions speak louder than words.”

   Overall, they’ve learned the importance of the process of getting a message out to the public and how impactful each statement can be. With a desired future in this field, it has been an interesting experience for them to conquer a virtual internship while seeing the results of how things in society shape the way a company ran. 

   To watch the full second interview, click here!

8. A Zinaejah Ozier Interview: Troy Blackwell Jr.

   June 23, 2020 2:31 pm Leave a Comment

   

   The interview series by Zinaejah Ozier kicked off its third interview with Troy Blackwell Jr. who is the National Director of Press Advance, Obama White House Alum, and Board Member at BPRS-NY and PRSA Tri State. 

   On June 30, 2020, Blackwell will be speaking at the LGBTQ Experience in Public Relations event at the Museum of Public Relations. Celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Stonewall, which granted rights to LGBT members, this event is aimed at showing what it’s like to be in the LGBTQ community while also in PR. 

   “We’re going to talk about the last 50 years of pride and about ways that agencies can be more inclusive when marketing or working on clients that do work in the LGBTQ space.”

   Going into the interview, Zinaejah Ozier knew that she would be able to relate to the unique experiences that Blackwell encountered due to his membership in both the black community and the LGBTQ community. In response to this, Blackwell spoke on how these unique experiences make way for the importance of telling your story and inserting yourself into an industry that is in dire need of more diversity. 

   “Don’t shy away from the industry because of where the industry is right now,” said Blackwell Jr. “I think also sometimes being different, offering a unique perspective, and being able to tell stories that are different from everyone else in the bunch, that unique perspective can actually make you stand out and it can make people more interested in you. You’ll be surprised how far that that can take you.”

   He made it clear that coming from a marginalized group does not make you susceptible to the things that the world tries to put you in. You are not what society says you are, you are what you make of yourself. 

   To watch the full video on uniqueness and gaining perspectives, click here!

   For more on the series, click here.

   Follow us on Instagram @GerminderPR

9. A Zinaejah Ozier Interview: Dr. Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA

   June 19, 2020 9:19 am Leave a Comment

   

   For her second interview, intern Zinaejah Ozier reached out to Dr. Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA and recipient of the 2020 Global Pet Expo’s media personality of the year award. Campbell is a board-certified veterinary surgeon and host and producer of Vet Candy. As an aspiring entrepreneur, Zinaejah thought it would be a good idea to interview this young black business owner and leader due to his expertise in the professional world.

   One of the main things that she discussed with this amazing leader was the idea of building a career while still in the process of finding your passion. Dr. Campbell shared some advice on finding out what it is you really love within your everyday activities. He specifically talked about his journey following his youthful love of wildlife and medicine.

   “When I was growing up, I’d jump outside and explore the woods, look under rocks, and I really started to appreciate wildlife,” said Dr. Campbell. “Once you appreciate wildlife and you fuse that with medicine, anatomy, and physiology, a career in veterinary medicine just makes sense. You’ve got your love for animals on one side and then you’ve got a love for medicine and science and it’s a beautiful marriage.”

   When asked about having a mentor while on the journey, Campbell stressed the idea of having a set goal, a timeline, and having objective criticism during the process.

   “I don’t care how old you are or where you are in life, you need a mentor,” he said. “What gets measured, gets improved. As you’re achieving your goal and doing it in record time but not doing it right, then you’re not really improving.” 

   Dr. Campbell mentioned how he, himself had and still has many mentors, whether it is for professional development or personal life. As we have different sides to our lives, he talked about how helpful it can be to have a mentor for each of those sides. 

   To watch the full video on mentorship and more, click here!

   For more on the series, click here.

   Follow us on Instagram @GerminderPR

10. The Power of Pink: Leadership Interviews With Zinaejah Ozier

    June 10, 2020 8:46 am Leave a Comment

    

    As a next step in our Power of Pink Initiative and in light of recent events, we’re introducing a series of interviews with black leaders across the country conducted by Zinaejah Ozier, a junior at the University of Dayton and incoming treasurer of the PRSSA chapter at Dayton. The goal of the series is to join in the current conversation through the eyes of a young leader speaking with black leaders – and learn!

    Zinaejah is already a budding storyteller, a journalism turned public relations major. Coming into the internship, Zinaejah expressed her desire to learn about the stories of the people whose footsteps she planned to follow. Using her own journalist approach, she’ll conduct video interviews and ask unique questions of each interviewee in an attempt to grow her understanding of how each person achieved success and how she can do the same.

    “I’m excited to have this opportunity to conduct these interviews at Germinder + Associates,” said Zinaejah. “It allows me to gain a broader understanding of the public relations profession and the opportunity to connect and network while I am gaining experience on the job.”