It started in 1970. That’s when Nancy Severa Zimmers joined the University of Iowa Women in Communications Inc. chapter as a senior. And what a journey it has been! Since then, this communications stalwart has watched what is now the Association for Women in Communications-Springfield, Illinois grow and thrive as one of the most active chapters in the nation.
Chapter Started Small
Five people created the Springfield, Illinois chapter in 1977. Zimmers was the fifth member-at-large to sign the petition. In fact, it was a connection from her college WICI days, Monica Bayer (now Heaton), who brought her to that defining moment. Bayer, the assistant city editor at the Springfield State Journal-Register, had been holding the petition, searching for that critical fifth signature. “WICI helped me connect with so many people in the profession and in a meaningful way,” said Zimmers. “In three years, we had built members from five to 30 with as many reporters as PR/marketing folks involved.”
Zimmers served as the third chapter president. She fondly remembers the early days “when the members carried sack lunches [to meetings] and were considered a nest of rabble-rousers in the organization.” Since its inception, AWC-Springfield has been instrumental in following communications trends, raising important communication issues and helping members succeed in their craft.
Chapter Successes
Along those lines, chapter has an impressive list of successes, including the following, of which Zimmers is proud:
- Program with Sam Day, editor of Progressive magazine, who was in the middle of a major Freedom of Information (FOI) case. It was the first time the federal government tried to prevent an American publication from publishing an article. This one was on how to build an atomic bomb.
- Discussion about how the media covered the black community, featuring four black leaders and having several media bosses in the audience. “I remember leaving that night feeling very proud because of the dialogue that had happened and the changes in news coverage that would occur in this city,” explained Zimmers.
2017 – Chapter Past Presidents - Hosting the 1992 North Central Regional Conference with speakers Gloria Steinem and U.S. Senator Paul Simon, which drew an amazing 750 attendees to its public session.
- Annual Hearts and Darts program, which was designed to help make media representatives and public relations professionals more aware and appreciative of each other’s role. It also provided a forum for nearly 20 years for a critique of local media performances.
- 40th anniversary program, held Oct. 13, 2017, which was a homecoming for chapter leaders. “I’ve had a ball connecting with the past presidents and some of the early members.” The program featured Carol Fowler, an AWC-Springfield past president, who is a social media expert in Chicago and currently serves as Senior VP, Digital News Products at the Chicago Sun-Times. In the photo, Zimmers is at the left in lavender.
Four Decades of Leadership
Zimmers now serves as the chapter’s archivist, which helps the group–and the pubic–recognize AWC-Springfield’s contributions to its members, the communications field, and to the local community. “We have such an important jewel in Nancy Zimmers because of her chapter knowledge,” said Melissa Hahn, AWC-Springfield president. “Even the local library has a wealth of documentation about the chapter because of Nancy’s work as the archivist. We owe her a great debt of gratitude for leading this group for four decades.”
Happily retired from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Nancy is glad to be busy volunteering in the community and continues to be one of the most active AWC members.
Learn more about Nancy Severa Zimmers and AWC-Springfield here.
