Campus Directory

Pronouns she, her, her, hers, herself

Division University Advancement

Department/ College/ Unit Communications & Marketing

Title Director of Strategic Communications and Media Relations

Affiliation Staff

Primary Office Location Humanities & Social Sciences Building
Room 371

Mail Stop Division Of Social Sciences

Summary of Expertise

In my role as Director of Strategic Communications and Media Relations, I provide campuswide communications leadership to help tell the story of UC Santa Cruz and the impact we make in the world. I lead a talented team of communicators across our campus's academic divisions,  developing and implementing cross-channel communications strategies to support campus needs and leverage key opportunities. Much of my work entails helping groups across campus clearly convey their identities and values, designing messages to advance their goals, and developing content strategies to activate and engage core audiences.

I also lead campus media relations efforts and serve as the primary contact for news writing and media relations for the Division of Social Sciences. In that capacity, I work to build relationships between journalists and the division’s experts in order to advance public understanding of high-impact research and to share timely insights and perspectives that inform public discourse.

I cover programs including Anthropology, Coastal Science and Policy, Community Studies, Economics, Education, Environmental Studies, Agroecology, Global and Community Health, Latin American & Latino Studies, Politics, Psychology, and Sociology. I also work with research centers and initiatives across the division, including the Institute for Social Transformation. 

Media relations services that I provide include writing and distributing press releases, coordinating in response to media requests, notifying journalists about experts who can speak to current events, providing support for op-ed articles and other media submissions, and offering training that prepares experts to communicate effectively with journalists and the public. I also monitor and share media coverage.