Media and the Military
Join us on Wednesday, June 14, at Naval Station Norfolk for a rare opportunity to hear from military public affairs officers (PAO) on their current challenges and opportunities in public communications.
The panel will discuss how changes in the media landscape, such as artificial intelligence, bots, disinformation, social media, etc., have affected how the military communicates with the public.
We will offer lunch during the panel discussion and a brief ship tour for anyone interested immediately after.
When: June 14 – 11:30 AM – 1 PM
Where: Vista Point Center, 1754 Massey Hughes Dr., Norfolk, VA
Who:A panel of military PAOs including, Capt. Sarah Self-Kyler, USN, APR, Capt. Dave Hecht, USN, APR+M, Mr. Brock Vergakis, USN, and Lt. Col. John Severns, USAF.
Captain Sarah Self-Kyler, APR, is currently serving as the commanding officer of Navy Public Affairs Support Element, where she leads a team of nearly 200 Sailors—officers and enlisted, active duty and reserve -- who deploy onboard Navy ships and in support of current and emerging public affairs and visual information requirements. Prior to command, Self-Kyler served as the US Fleet Forces Command PAO and US Submarine Force PAO, where she focused on manning, training, and equipping the Fleet, as well as support to flag officer leadership.
Captain Dave Hecht, APR+M, is assigned as the public affairs officer for U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. He is a United States Navy public affairs officer with more than two decades of experience in uniform and has served in numerous leadership positions. Among these assignments, he spent a year in Afghanistan leading ISAF’s Multipurpose Public Affairs Team where he established the first-ever network of military journalists. He has also served aboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73), U.S. Africa Command, Naval Air Forces Atlantic, and Naval Personnel Command. Prior to joining the Navy, he spent 15 years working as an Emmy and Associated Press award-winning television news anchor and reporter. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism at Arizona State University, a Masters in Communication from San Diego State University and is accredited in public relations (APR+M) by the Public Relations Society of America. He sees the media as an ally, not the enemy, and believes through that partnership we can strategically tell our story to countless audiences.
Lt. Col. John Severns is the Public Affairs Functional Lead for the Department of Defense’s Joint Planning Support Element, where he leads a team of 43 active-duty, reserve and civilian communications professionals who deploy around the world to provide strategic communications support and expertise in response to crisis and emergent events. His teams have deployed in support of the crisis in Ukraine, the evacuation of Kabul, Operation Warp Speed, COVID response efforts, and multiple hurricane relief efforts, among many others. Colonel Severns has 19 years of experience in Air Force Public Affairs, and he was previous assigned to positions in Japan, Korea, and U.S. Special Operations Command, with five deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr. Brock Vergakis is the digital media strategist at U.S. Fleet Forces Command. He is a civilian who oversees the command’s social media presence and writes a weekly newsletter for public affairs staff that covers developments in the world of social media, news media, disinformation, artificial intelligence and how they intersect. Prior to joining the Navy as a public affairs specialist in 2020, he was a journalist for nearly 20 years, including stints at The Virginian-Pilot and The Associated Press.