Meeting/Event Information

This event has been canceled.

New Mexico PRSA hosts its next New Pros program featuring a resume writing workshop and headshot opportunity to help new and recent grads as well as early professionals beginning their careers. Join us on Tuesday, Aug. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Rio Bravo Brewing Company in a relaxing, stress-free environment and chat with experienced, seasoned PR professionals who can provide resume tips to help you rise to the top of the candidate list for any job listing. This event will also be a networking opportunity for New Pros to talk and mingle with fellow NMPRSA New Pros and other chapter members. This is a free event, but registration is required for planning purposes.

The first 10 registrants for this program will receive one free drink ticket after completing the resume portion of the workshop. 

Workshop participants include:

Dana Bloomquist, CWA Strategic Communications
A longtime communications professional, Dana’s diverse communications career includes work within the financial and defense electronics industries, nonprofits, magazines and education. Since joining CWA, Dana’s passions and skills have been focused on working with healthcare, early childhood and education clients from around the state. An eagle-eyed editor and proofreader, her commitment to ensuring her clients receive the best quality of work is unmatched.

She admits to being a night owl, avoiding 7 a.m. meetings like the plague (but will attend if enticed with enough good coffee). Dana is proud mom of a USAF airman (who recently married the love of his life and fellow airman – is airwoman a word?), and equally proud of her extended stepfamily, which includes four kids, 13 grandkids and several bonus grandkids. Reading (a good murder mystery is always fun), bowling (had high average in her league this year) and camping and kayaking under New Mexico’s big skies are just a few of her favorite activities. A true animal lover, Dana currently has one feline and three canines roaming her home.

Del Esparza, Esparza Digital + Advertising 
Founded in 2000, Esparza is a New Mexico-based business that provides strategic marketing, advertising, and business solutions to a broad range of national public and private clients.

Author of “The Next Dinosaur,” a book published in 2021 as a guide for small to mid-sized businesses to transition from bricks and mortar models to e-commerce, Esparza has always been committed to giving back to small to midsize companies and supporting them in the ever-changing advertising industry.

A native of Albuquerque, Del acquired his marketing expertise in a range of fields, from high tech to healthcare. He began his career at IBM and later advanced to a marketing position with DuPont and Conoco Oil Corporation in Houston, Texas. Transferring his talents to the health arena, Del has worked for many regional and national health care providers before starting Esparza Advertising.

Sophisticated strategic thinking, healthy growth, and explosive creativity continue to make Esparza clients happy and industry peers take notice. As ever, Esparza remains committed to providing clients the highest standards of integrated marketing communications in the industry.

Some of Esparza Advertising clients include Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Oppenheimer Funds, PNM, BMW, Mini, and many other fine organizations.

Joanie Griffin, Sunny505
With over 30 years of experience in the communications and marketing field, Joanie knows the importance of creating a memorable and lasting brand for an organization. As the CEO and founder of Sunny505, she has evolved as the media world has changed in order to meet the needs of her clients. When Joanie isn’t at the forefront of marketing and advertising through building effective communications plans, you’ll find her at the front of the pack, whether she’s cycling on pavement or gravel. Her enthusiasm for getting the most out of everything she does professionally or personally is hard to ignore, and her positivity influences those around her.

Kristelle Siarza, Siarza Social Digital
Kristelle is a business executive, non-profit founder and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in digital communications and leadership. In 2014, she founded Siarza Social Digital – a 360 degree digital marketing firm that pivots on innovation, curation and creativity. The company has grown to more than 20 team members working globally for the agency.

Kristelle has consulted for and assisted several organizations with digital marketing and communications strategies for various industries, like health, finance, cannabis, retail and government. Her team has helped clients generate millions of impressions and SiarzaSD’s award-winning campaigns have received local and national recognition.

As a proud Filipina, Kristelle founded the Asian Business Collaborative to support Asian business owners – an often underrepresented group in the business community. After identifying a lack of small business support to Asian owned businesses during the 2020 pandemic, the “non-profit in the making” was formed to focus on prosperity with a cultural competency lens. ABC programs provide advocacy and support, and the organization has helped over 300 Asian owned businesses in New Mexico and Texas.

Kristelle believes in giving back to the community with time and effort. Civic leaders like Mayor Tim Keller of Albuquerque and Mayor Gregg Hull of Rio Rancho have trusted Kristelle with serving the community on economic development task forces. She currently serves as a board member for the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and the Domestic Violence Resource Center, the president of the Bosque School parent association, and a member of the United Way of Central New Mexico’s marketing committee. In 2016, Kristelle was honored as one of NM’s ‘Forty Under 40,’ and in 2019 she received the “Women of Influence” award.

In her spare time (what is that?), she’s a sub-par competitive golf and kickball player. Kristelle’s social media feed is loaded with hot air balloons, as she crews for several Albuquerque balloon pilots. She has a baritone-playing, anime-loving son named Johnathan, an incredibly patient and loving boyfriend named Spencer, and a cat innovatively named… Kitty.

This is a free event to attend, but registration is required. Appetizers will be available free as part of the event; attendees can also purchase beverages. 

NMPRSA would like to thank Rio Bravo Brewing Company for its partnership on this event! 

** NOTE - The first 10 registrants for this program will receive one free drink ticket after completing the resume portion of the workshop.