COMMITTEES

The Conference Committee is responsible for the planning of the Annual Spring Conference, NESHCo's premier annual event, held each Spring. A much-anticipated networking event kicks-off the conference, followed by two days that offer exhibition for vendors, educational sessions, networking, and more. The Annual Conference also hosts the Lamplighter Awards Gala, an evening to celebrate the Lamplighter Award winners and the accomplished work across New England. The Conference Committee plans and organizes the entire event in close coordination with the NESHCo staff and other NESHCo Committees. 

The committee should strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment that fosters collaboration, networking, and learning. The committee’s goal should be to deliver a successful conference that leaves attendees feeling inspired, engaged, and motivated.

The Lamplighter Committee is responsible for the planning and execution of the Annual NESHCo Lamplighter Awards, held each Spring in conjunction with the Spring Conference. The Lamplighter Awards recognize the work produced throughout New England in the timeframe ending in January of the award year and covering the 15 months prior. The Lamplighter Awards also pays tribute to the Best in New England winner, the Owen J. McNamara Excellence in Writing winner, and the Evans F. Houghton recipient. 

The Conference Sponsorship Committee is responsible for the development of the sponsorship program to support the conference activities, events, and initiatives. The Sponsorship Committee’s goal is to deliver a successful sponsorship program that generates revenue and support for the conference while providing value and benefits to sponsors and exhibitors.

The Marketing & Communications (MarComm) Committee is responsible for ensuring valuable and engaging content for NESHCo members and promoting the organization to prospective members. Specifically, the MarComm Committee produces the monthly newsletter, maintains the NESHCo Blog, manages the organization’s social media channels, and produces the annual observances calendar. The goal of the committee is to provide thought leadership on design and content to enhance the member experience. The committee works closely with NESHCo staff on the execution of the marketing strategy.

The Programming Committee is responsible for procuring 4-6 events each year that educate, engage, and inform the NESHCo audience. These events include but are not limited to webinars, think tanks, roundtable discussions, podcast style events, in-person meetups, behind the scenes, etc. For educational events, the committee should identify, and invite thought leaders across a variety of topics of interest and relevance to NESHCo members. To engage high-caliber speakers for the events, the Committee should schedule events sufficiently far in advance. 

The Membership Committee is a standing committee of the Board. The committee is comprised of the State Directors and the Directors-at-Large. The primary responsibility of the Membership Committee is to increase and enhance the member of NESHCo by attracting new members and retaining current members. The committee is tasked with assisting lapsed members with the renewal process, welcoming new members, recruiting new members, and assisting prospective members with joining the organization. The committee’s goal is to create successful strategies to grow membership and maintain the level of membership necessary to ensure the fiscal stability of the organization.

The Evans Houghton Committee is responsible for reviewing all nominations for the Evans F. Houghton Award and contacting new inductees. The Evans Houghton Award recognizes significant contributions to the field of healthcare public relations, marketing, and communications. There are four general categories for which nominees can be considered for the Evans Houghton Award: activism within NESHCo, contributions to the healthcare communications field, mentorship of others within the healthcare communications field, and challenging oneself and others to improve the field and excel professionally. This Committee examines each nominee based on these categories and works closely with the Board of Directors in its decisions. A recipient is only selected when the criteria has been met.