I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Teresa Flannery as AU’s new executive director of communications and marketing. She comes to AU from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was assistant vice president of university marketing and communications and built a highly successful and award-winning integrated marketing and communications program.
Reporting directly to me, Dr. Flannery will oversee marketing, advertising, media relations, publications, and Web communications functions. She will enhance and integrate AU’s communications assets to increase recognition for our unique strengths and build support for our strategic goals. Her first day on campus will be May 23.
At Maryland, Dr. Flannery supervised a staff of 30 in the units of marketing, video, Internet communications, publications, and media/public relations, while developing a brand strategy and overseeing strategic media, crisis communications, and the university-wide print and electronic media. Her team won more than 50 national and regional awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), including two Grand Gold Awards. Dr. Flannery earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Maryland.
This appointment is both symbolic and important, because for the first time, American University has established a free-standing integrated communications and marketing unit, which underscores the importance of creating and promoting a strong and consistent identity for AU. We are making a statement that AU can become even stronger and better known for the high-quality institution we are, through the leadership of a central unit that links collaboratively and effectively with the various schools and units.
I want to thank the staffs of the marketing, media relations, and publications units for their patience and perseverance as we worked to create this integrated unit, and the campus leaders, trustees, and AU constituencies for their advice and guidance. We look forward to Dr. Flannery’s arrival in late May and the opportunities you will have to work with her.
