From PR Writer to CMO: A Lifetime of Marketing in Higher Education

Transformation has been a hallmark of Jaime's career. In nearly 20 years working in higher education, she been part of four university rebrandings and five website overhauls. She's been hands-on in the development of an integrated marketing communications model at three institutions. As a result, she has gained extensive expertise in brand strategy, recruitment marketing, internal communications, crisis communications, issues management, online innovation, and media relations. She also has in her portfolio government relations and, for two years, she oversaw a public radio station. She is currently the vice president for university communications and chief marketing officer for Old Dominion University, a 23,000-student public R1 research institution in Coastal Virginia. Prior to her current role, she was the vice president and chief communications and marketing officer for Miami University (the one in not-as-sunny Oxford, Ohio). She also served in marketing and media relations leadership roles at Winston-Salem State University (North Carolina), Radford University (Virginia), the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and Northwestern Health Sciences University (Minnesota). Her background also includes more than four years as a print journalist and three years working for nonprofits and in nonprofit consulting. She earned my bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota and her master's degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University.

Andrew Careaga is the retired chief marketing and communications officer for Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), a STEM-focused public research university in Rolla, Missouri. During the university's name change from the University of Missouri-Rolla to Missouri S&T, Careaga was instrumental in managing communications and branding initiatives. In 2009, he was named International Brand Master of the Year by Educational Marketing Group Inc., primarily in recognition of his role in coordinating Missouri S&T's name change communications effort. More recently, he led a campus-wide market research effort and brand identity update for the university. The resulting "Miners Dig Deeper" campaign received a Gold Award from CASE, District VI, in 2016. His professional involvement includes service with CASE as a trustee (2016-2018) and formerly as chair of CASE District VI (1998-2000) and a three-year term on the CASE Communications and Marketing Commission (2002-2005). He presents frequently on branding, marketing, social media marketing, crisis communications, change management and related subjects at various conferences and workshops, including events sponsored by the American Marketing Association, CASE, Academic Impressions, Higher Ed Experts, Higher Ed Hero, HighEdWeb Arkansas and AACRAO, among others.