Member Spotlight

MEET PRSA AUSTIN CHAPTER MEMBER: Dara Quackenbush

What do you currently do for a living? I’m an Account Director for PR Newswire. I run our Central Texas territory.

What did you want to be growing up? I wanted to be a foreign correspondent for Newsweek in Central America. Although some time during my senior year of high school, I realized I liked having plumbing and air conditioning.

What motivated you to pursue a career in the communications industry? It was always something inside. I remember as a child reading the newspaper every day. When I was in elementary school, my older sister brought home her high school newspaper. I looked at it and I knew I wanted to be on the newspaper staff when I got to high school. I ended up as editor my senior year.

Where are you from? Where have you lived? I grew up in North Little Rock, Ark. I also lived in Fayetteville, Ark., Dallas and have been in the Austin area since 2000. In 2012, we moved to Wimberley, but I spend at least half of my days in Austin.

What college(s) did you attend? I earned my undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas. After about a dozen years in the profession, I went back for my graduate degree at Texas State University.

What was your first job in PR/communications? My first job was at the corporate headquarters of Walmart. I worked in the publications department for SAM’S Club. I started right after Mr. Sam (what associates called Sam Walton) passed away, and you could still feel his presence in every part of the company.

What is your best piece of advice to your fellow PR practitioners? Stay current and keep up with trends. Don’t be afraid to try new things and take new opportunities.

What is your most memorable experience as a communications professional? There’s lots of great experiences I’ve had, but I think the 6 years I spent as a professor of PR at Texas State had the most impact. I got to meet, work with, share my passion with and mentor a lot of great students. I still keep up with many of them and see them flourishing in their careers and I’m so proud of them.

What publication/book/blog do you recommend others read (professionally or personally)? I’m biased, but I really like our blogs at PR Newswire. We have three, and I learn something from them each week – Beyond PR, which is geared toward PR professionals; Beyond Bylines, which covers the intersection of journalism, emerging media and blogging; and Building Shareholder Confidence, for investor relations professionals.

What are your favorite things to do in Austin? Favorite places to visit? Favorite restaurants? My husband and I are foodies and we love trying new restaurants. We also love live theatre and frequently attend shows at the Bass, the Zach and the Long Center. We also go to a lot of concerts, mainly classic rock. I say I’m making up for lost time since none of these bands came to Little Rock when I was growing up.

What do you do in your free time? What are your hobbies/interests outside of work? In 2012, my husband and I bought a fixer-upper on five acres in Wimberley. Our free time is spent fixing it up. I also like to cook and we are raising chickens. Come to dinner at my house this time of year, and I will probably serve you an entire meal around eggs. Frittata anyone? When we aren't working on the house, we like to do day trips. I love seeing small Texas towns.

What is the best part about your job? Meeting and working with clients. I love talking about PR and trends and sharing ideas.

iPhone or Android? Definitely iPhone, but I am a PC girl to the core.