Today on Getting to Know 3rd Coast PR – we have our Director of Client Services, Betsi Schumacher.

Betsi with her dog Otto on Bring Your Dog to Work Day

What is your role at 3rd Coast PR?
Director of client services is pretty vague, isn’t it? Here’s the real deal. I lead the development process for our strategic programs and then work closely with our account teams to make sure things roll out smoothly once approved. Working with dozens of clients has taught me how to understand what actually matters to each of our clients (spoiler: it’s different for each client!) and it’s my job to keep these priorities top of mind for our entire team—from interns on up. Reminding everyone of the big picture makes everyone here more productive and our clients so much happier.

That’s my official role, but unofficially, I would also say I’m the agency “fixer”. With over a decade of experience, I’m often called in to give perspective on how to navigate challenging or touchy issues that (always) arise. I actually love getting creative to find solutions and learned pretty early on that I’m able to make quick decisions when under fire. Maybe I’m no Olivia Pope (who is??), but a girl can dream!

What might surprise us bout you?
I fully embrace Albert Einstein’s idea that a messy desk is the sign of a creative mind! From first grade onward, I’ve never been able to keep mine clear for more than an hour or two.

How did you get into public relations?
I’ve been with the 3rd Coast team for over 11 years now, and what drew me in was the communication side of things. I love the power of using words to compel people to care. I still love that aspect of the job, but what’s kept me here is our awesome team and amazing clients. Bad client relationships are no fun for anyone, and we are SO lucky to have client partners who value our work.

What is one piece of advice you’d give yourself that you wish you would have known when you first started out?
Trust your gut! Cliché or not, almost every mistake in my career, or personal life, has involved something I didn’t feel 100% about when I was doing it. I’ve rarely, if ever, been shocked when things don’t work out. I encourage our team to be vocal about issues early so they can be dealt with, or avoided altogether.

What are some of your favorite things to do outside of work?
I’m a lifelong bookworm with a paper book preference, though I make exception for podcasts and, occasionally, audiobooks. I follow over 50 food blogs and wish I had more time (or energy) to cook, but in reality I spend most of my time with my two sweet kids, husband and our too-smart-for-his-own-good dog. A real treat is when I’m able to check another Chicago dining hot spot off my list