Advertise on podcast: CAPIO Chirp

Award season is here and it’s time to celebrate excellence in public communication! In this special episode, we dive into CAPIO’s prestigious Special Awards, recognizing the individuals shaping the future of public communication, through leadership, innovation, and service. We sit down with last year’s honorees, including the Communicator of the Year, Crisis Communications Leader, Rising Star, and the distinguished Paul B. Clark Award recipient. Hear what inspires them and get an inside look at what it takes to achieve award-winning excellence. This episode features interviews with CAPIO's 2025 Communicator of the Year, Melody Hendrickson and 2025 Rising Star, Jayli Barkley.

Award season is here and it’s time to celebrate excellence in public communication! In this special episode, we dive into CAPIO’s prestigious Special Awards, recognizing the individuals shaping the future of public communication, through leadership, innovation, and service. We sit down with last year’s honorees, including the Communicator of the Year, Crisis Communications Leader, Rising Star, and the distinguished Paul B. Clark Award recipient. Hear what inspires them and get an inside look at what it takes to achieve award-winning excellence. This episode features 2025 Paul B. Clark Award recipient John Pope and 2025 Crisis Comms recipient Jennifer Nance.

Did you know that more than half of today’s Public Information Officers started their careers as journalists? In this episode, we sit down with three CAPIO members who made the leap from reporting the news to shaping it in the PIO world. They share candid stories about their transition, the skills they carried over, and how this growing trend could pave the way for future PIOs.

When the unthinkable happens, leadership and preparation are everything. Join our conversation with Dustin Sternbeck, current Chief Communications Officer for the City of Denton, Texas, as he reflects on directing communications for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department during the January 6 Capitol riot. Hear powerful lessons on documentation, teamwork, and staying composed when every decision counts.

Are you being authentic — or just playing the part? This week on the CAPIO Chirp, we dive deep into what it really means to be authentic as a public information officer. Join us as we chat with Dr. Chris Hopwood, personality psychology expert from the University of Zurich, to explore: ✅ What authenticity actually is (and isn’t) ✅ How it shows up — and why it matters — in public communication ✅ When “being real” helps… and when it might hurt ✅ Comedy, irony, and sharks in rivers (yes, really) ✅ How to stay true to yourself while still doing your job Whether you're managing public messaging, facing online trolls, or navigating policies you don't agree with — this episode is for you. 🎧 Listen now and discover how to lead with honesty, empathy, and resilience.

As government communicators, we spend a lot of our time making sure residents in our cities, counties, and districts are informed about important information, especially in times of emergency. This public messaging is key, and we’re often the first ones to know and are responsible for getting word out the right way. But what do you do when it happens to you? In this episode, Chino Hills Community Relations Manager Valarie McClung and Public Information Officer Nicole Freeman discuss how they responded to a fire at their City Hall and continued to provide services to their community.

Holding a meeting is more than logistics, it's about how you prepare. There is much to consider, whether you are having a town hall to discuss a significant capital project or a planning session with a half-dozen stakeholders. How have you prepared yourself and your team mentally and emotionally? What are your goals? What are the needs and goals of your community? On this episode of The Chirp, we speak with Davenport Institute Executive Director Maureen Tobin about how to prepare yourself and your team, set clear agendas with defined goals, and encourage participation. 

AI is here to stay. How can government communicators optimize the use of this new tool in their toolbelt? Listen in on this conversation between AI expert Josh Hirsch, CAPIO 2025 Conference Keynote speaker and CAPIO podcast hosts Paul Hosley and Lael Wageneck, APR about how AI can be used in the government comms sector. How can you maximize your use of this tool for sentiment analysis or as a baseline for your strategic communications plan? How do you communicate with AI to get the results you want? This fun and insightful podcast will remove some of the mystery about using AI in a tangible way to support your community. AI Usage Policy template

Enjoy learning more about three women’s professional journeys from PIO to entrepreneur during this CAPIO Chirp.  CAPIO's podcast hosts interview Rachel Dickman, MBA, APR, CEO and Founder of RMG Communications; Jenny Windle, President and Founder of JPW Communications; and Sheri Benninghoven, APR, Principal, SAE Communications.  Hear about their adventures and tips for success in business from these three Paul B. Clark recipients and longtime CAPIO members.

Join us to hear incoming CAPIO president, Brie Anne Coleman, APR, talk about how to make the most of your time at the CAPIO Conference being held April 1-4 in Napa, California.

In this special edition of the CAPIO Chirp podcast, Chloe Castillo, a Deputy Public Information Officer for CalFire, takes us behind the scenes of the Joint Information Center (JIC) during the Palisades Fire. From managing international media attention to balancing the multilingual and localized communication needs of the community, Chloe shares invaluable insights for communicators tackling the complexities of crisis communications on the front lines and advice for communicators looking to assist.

During this episode our podcast hosts interview CAPIO's 2024 Special Award Winners. Each year CAPIO honors several individuals with distinctions including our Communicator of the Year, Rising Star, Crisis Communications Leader and Paul B. Clark awards. These awards recognize individuals who have had a distinctive impact at their agency or in government communications state-wide. We begin this interview with our 2024 Paul B. Clark recipient, Maurice Chaney, PIO for City of Roseville’s Environmental Utilities. Next, we hear from the County of Fresno’s communications team Sonja Dosti, APR, Joshua Dean and Michelle Avalos who were honored with our 2024 Crisis Communications Leader of the Year. Joshua Dean was also recognized as our 2024 Rising Star. Finally, we interviewed our 2024 Communicator of the Year, Kevin Strauss, Communications Manager for the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency.

In this episode, we find out what it’s like to work for the government...the BIG government. Chris Meagher, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense, discusses how he went from writing about sports to a position on the big stage working for the Pentagon and the White House.

In this episode of the CAPIO Chirp, we explore the growing trend of First Amendment audits and their impact on local government agencies. Ashley Metzger (1:35), consultant with Regional Government Services, shares her personal insight of audits and offers practical tips on preparation as a former water agency communicator. Next up attorney Deborah Fox (19:40), one of California’s foremost experts on First Amendment issues, provides legal insight, discussing the history and legal framework of these audits. Whether you work for a city, county, or special district, this episode equips you with the basics of how to handle First Amendment audits with confidence and the knowledge of where to look for additional training resources.

For this CAPIO Chirp, we are excited to interview Thomas Christensen, CAPIO's incoming president, about all things conference! Enjoy a sneak preview of what is in store for attendees at our May 13 - 16, 2024 event being held in Indian Wells – it's where the desert landscape becomes the backdrop for your professional recharge.