"If someone would have told me that when I organized a picket line in front of my elementary school in support of a sixth-grade graduation dance and then did my first television interview that this would become my career, I would have laughed and said, 'It's just what I do,'" Fink said. "From writing newsletters in high school to completing an internship with a local resort company, I have been doing public relations for what seems like my whole life."
Since that time, Fink has owned and operated her own marketing communications and event management firm. She also spent two years as an account executive for The Evans Group. In 1993, she began working at her current firm, HMA Public Relations.
"HMA Public Relations is a full-service marketing communications and public relations firm with the vision and experience to secure recognition for its clients," Fink said. "Headquartered in Phoenix with an office in Tucson, we uphold a total commitment to meeting and exceeding our clients' needs, which is reflected in the length and quality of our existing client relationships, as well as our ability to achieve their valued communications objectives."
As vice president and general manager, Fink oversees the day-to-day operations of the firm and works with account teams to "strategically plan and implement communications programs on behalf of all our clients." The firm's clients represent a wide variety of industries, from healthcare to financial services to professional services to government and tribal affairs to the nonprofit sector.
According to Fink, there are two things she is proud of in her career: the work she does for her clients and her role as a mentor to other PR professionals.
"Certainly, the work that I have done for all my clients has been rewarding, but I take a lot of pride in the work we have done for a variety of nonprofit organizations. Our efforts have made a clear and measurable impact on what these organizations are able to do in the community," Fink said. "Secondly, and equally as important to me, is the role I play as a mentor to the people I have the pleasure of working with. When they achieve success—whether that's placing a big story or landing a new client—I share in their joy, knowing how much time and dedication they have put into making it happen."
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Fink said that technology has definitely helped shape the PR industry: it has made public relations professionals much more accessible to their clients.
"The idea that we are a 24/7 industry has now come true. Technology has given us access to information and people that in the past were difficult to locate," said Fink.
As for the future of PR, Fink said that she sees the industry continuing its role within businesses and organizations, albeit in a slightly different way thanks to the "influx of citizen journalism, blogging, social networking, etc." She said that PR professionals can no longer rely on their traditional methods of reaching their audiences and must become efficient in all new forms of communication.
