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Email Excerpt re: Higher Ed Marketing

February 22nd, 2010

Recently, a former colleague from my agency days contacted me and asked my opinion about working in higher education marketing. I have been in this industry for almost ten years. My response included the following:

“Higher education advancement/marketing is more a calling than a career. Trust me, I know how that sounds, but I believe it. You have to first understand the organization’s mission/history and then agree with it in order to be successful and happy. Before I joined (my current employer), I read everything I could about their history. It tells a lot about what they hope to become and how they wish to be perceived.”

“Ultimately, you are an advocate for what they promise to people—most importantly those wishing to improve their lives or the lives of others. But, it does come with some challenges. Taking the high road at all costs is how I operate. It was the advice I was given when I first started in higher education marketing. This sometimes means going slower than you want or learning to be patient when it seems like you are losing momentum.”

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Signs of Life

February 8th, 2010

It is obvious (especially if you visit the archives) that my personal site has not really been updated in about a year. I’m actually proud of that. Obviously, there have been significant professional (and wonderful personal) changes in my life.

2009 was amazing, challenging, nostalgic, spiritual, and so on. Professionally, I am so pleased with my decision to join the Public Affairs office at Washington University in St. Louis. Almost every day, I think of how much I am learning and growing in my career. There are such strong role-models and mentors in our division, and I am grateful to gather experiences working with them. I cannot thank the people with whom I work enough for their dedication and commitment to making our new office, Digital Communications Marketing (DCM), world-class. And finally, it is a delight to explore St. Louis and marvel at the hospitality of its community. Am I gushing? You bet.

The New WUSTL Web Team

Quote from our strategic plan: “The Office of Digital Communications Marketing (DCM) within the Office of Public Affairs oversees Washington University’s top-level web presence and guides strategy for all digital-based communications across the institution, representing the University to the outside world via the Internet, specifically on the World Wide Web, via e-mail and through emerging social media and technologies. It also facilitates internal digital communication by consulting on and/or assisting with administrative sites and those representing the University’s various schools, departments, offices, divisions and units.”

Recent Work

I started officially in Janaury 2009 as the new executive director of Digital Communications Marketing. I immediately began to learn more about our team’s skills, challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities. I met with colleagues from across the campuses, leaders of colleges and schools and administrators. For me, it was a tremendous privilege to meet and learn from the people guiding Washington University. At the same time, I learned first-hand the many strengths and experiences of my cohorts in Public Affairs—such talent and professional experience from which to begin. As of May 2009, we began to put our skills together and created our first projects.

Small Sample of DCM Projects

More to come

We’re really heating up and starting many new, custom projects. I will post them as they develop. Expect more in 2010. And, I promise to post more often. One post in 2009? guess that says it all regarding how focused I have been.

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