Together in her office, I sat with Debbie Williamson-Smith, former Eugene “Slug Queen”, as she recanted her start as a PR practitioner. “I kind of fell into public relations, I’d always imagined myself as an actress or first-grade teacher. It wasn’t until I saw the job posting for the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art that I ever considered working in a museum.” Williamson had always been a lover of art and considers her career a fortuitous accident. “There aren’t a lot of jobs that pay well and allow you to work within the arts, so I feel very lucky to be in this position.” What keeps Williamson within the position is the plethora of soul-filling projects. The projects include the Black Lives Matter Art exhibition, Oregon Asian Celebration, and an upcoming project titled “The Art Acknowledgement of the Land.” which entails the JSMA’s commitment to hiring an indigenous artist every two years to create an art piece that will be on view both on the exterior and interior of the institution.
She defines her work within the JSMA communications to “be a department of one, Me! I book all the ads, I manage the web content, the social media.” She balances between galleries, artists, students, donors and audiences. “It’s an honor to work within a campus community, because I get to work with colleagues that are experts in their field.”
Williamson finished her Batchelor’s of Science at the University of Oregon in 2019, then did a short stint teaching courses within UO’s PR sequence. However, she says that the breadth of her career came from her first-hand experience at the JSMA. She has served the museum as the Communications Manager for 18 years, initially hired on to manage the public relations, marketing and membership, then was promoted to communications manager in 2010.
Her duties include the communications budget, developing and implementing institutional and exhibition marketing campaigns, and marketing through website, e-newsletter, and social media, as well as manage media relations and oversee events. She works directly with UO students and faculty, upper and lower-level donors, k-12 educators, as well as the general public.
Before the JSMA, Williamson worked for the CVALCO/ Convention & Visitors Association of Lane County as their Tourism PR Manager. “Being there for 8 years was a journey that I’m grateful for, but I wanted a change. I love Eugene though, so I wanted to stay local,” Williamson said. She cites her time in that role as crucial to solidifying what it means to practice PR. “The thing I love most about public relations is that I never have the same day twice,” she mused. She stated that though the projects, content, and deadlines are different, they require the same formula of execution. “Every exhibition will have a marketing plan, I do data entry as well, but my day is primarily comprised of meetings.”
Williamson is proud to represent the JSMA, and has found success both inside and outside her role. From managing her own chicken farm, “Fustercluck Farm,” with her loving husband and their two dogs, she fell in love with the variability of her life, and welcomes each day’s challenges.
Williamson’s biggest piece of advice for being a public relations professional is utilizing the network the field offers you. “I am who I am because other pr people recognized a skill that I had, called it out, held my hand, and guided me into this career,” she laughed. “Now that I’ve been doing this for 25 years the best part about this is people lifting up people.”
Pieces of Paitra 
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