Member Spotlight 

MEET PRSA AUSTIN CHAPTER MEMBER: Jane Kovacs

CURRENT LIVELIHOOD: I am lucky enough to live in Austin and work for 3M where I manage public relations for the Electronics and Energy Business Group, the only one of 3M's five business groups headquartered outside of St. Paul.

CHILDHOOD AMBITION: I always imagined myself as a nurse, actress, even a writer for National Geographic. I loved caring for people and telling stories and, if I'm honest, I also loved the idea of being in the spotlight. But, I am too squeamish to be a nurse, being a drama queen is not the same as being an actress, and I'm too much of a home body for extended periods of exotic travel.

DRAW TO THE COMMUNICATIONS FIELD: I entered The University of Texas at Austin as a drama major, but I quickly realized I didn't have the passion to pursue it as a career. I went to a career counseling center on campus and found out about this thing called "public relations" then took a skills/interest assessment to see if that was good fit. The only mismatch was that I wanted a steady paycheck and the assessment told me public relations can be unpredictable. I decided to go for it anyway. At that time, the public relations sequence was in UT's School of Journalism. I signed up for journalism classes the next semester and never looked back.

ALMA MATER: The University of Texas at Austin for both a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master of Arts in Communications.

HOMETOWN: I grew up in Rockport, Texas, down on the coast. It's a small town, so everyone knew everyone. I still have close friends I've known so long we don't remember not knowing each other. I spent summers in Houston and Dallas for internships. The only time I've lived outside of Texas was when I worked for FleishmanHillard at their headquarters in St. Louis.

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AS A COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL: I've spend most of my career working in business-to-business communications, so it is always a treat to work on the 3M Half Marathon. It's a great community event and it gives me the rare opportunity to interact directly with the end customer. Last year, we celebrated our 20th year with fun events like the Elf Pub Run at the Paramount and one of our biggest expos to date.

RECOMMENDED READS: I check Ragan's PR Daily every day, as well as PRSA headlines. I also track industry news for the divisions I support through feeds on Netvibes. But my bible for grammar and style has always been the AP Stylebook. Consistent style and good grammar enable the physical words to get out of the way of a good story.

FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT AUSTIN AND FAVORITE AUSTIN RESTAURANTS: My husband and I love to take our kids to quote-along events at the Alamo Drafthouse, it's just silly fun. We also love the summer Blues on the Green series, the Blanton Museum of Art and riding bikes in our neighborhood.