Can You Make It Pretty?

S1, Episode 12 – In 2020, both NCMPR gold Paragon awards for writing went to Seattle Central College: AK Sterling, partnership services manager, for short form, and Roberto Bonaccorso, director of communications, for long form. The two discuss their favorite writing tips and what makes a memorable, award-winning story.

S1, Episode 11 – Host Jeff Julian chats candidly with friend, colleague and new NCMPR Executive Director James Walters. The National Council for Marketing & Public Relations is the leading professional development association exclusively serving those working in communication at two-year community and technical colleges. NCMPR is the organization two-year college communicators turn to, fi...

S1, Episode 10 – A virtual sit-down with Juan Gutierrez, 2020-21 president of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations, who tells how he found himself in a leadership position within NCMPR, how it has benefitted him professionally and personally, and how members can get more involved and take on leadership roles within the organization. Gutierrez, director of marketing and pu...

S1 Episode 9 – The University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville doesn't have a paid social media specialist, but that hasn't slowed down their marketing efforts. Hannah Keller Flanery, the college’s communications and marketing coordinator and sole marketing staff member, got the idea for a student-driven social media program from a past NCMPR conference. "I’m a one-person marketing office,...

S1 Episode 8 – How in the world do you roll out 16 website redesigns in five weeks? Just ask NCMPR's 2020 national Rising Star Jackie Watson, director of web strategy for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Watson is a certified content marketing specialist with more than 12 years of digital marketing and content writing experience, and she's spent the last four-plus years de...

S1 Episode 7 – Daniel Ramirez, director of public relations and marketing at South Texas College, describes himself as a “data nerd” and unashamedly puts his mathematical mind to work to embrace a data-focused approach to marketing that’s positively impacting enrollment. He answers the question, "If you had one piece of data to help with enrollment, what would it be?"

S1 Episode 6 – Barb Dreger, director of marketing at Fox Valley Technical College in Wisconsin, is a steadfast proponent of brand consistency. Listen as she shares how to effectively manage marketing projects while protecting the community college's brand.

S1 Episode 5 – In the most recent NCMPR Paragon awards, Kellogg Community College in Michigan took home three golds and the best in show. Eric Greene, the college’s chief communications officer, gives an inside look into what makes a gold-winning entry.

S1 Episode 4 – In this “topical medley,” longtime NCMPR members Terri Giltner from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and Heather McDorman from St. Charles Community College in Missouri share their expertise about a variety of topics related to community college marketing and PR.

S1 Episode 3 – The marketing department at Leeward Community College (Hawaii) didn’t exist until the college asked Kathleen Cabral to start it. That was nearly 20 years ago. Now listen as Kathleen, Leeward's director of marketing and communications as well as the 2020 NCMPR national Communicator of the Year, recounts tales of her 30 years in the industry – and how she stays open to discovering new...

S1 Episode 2 – With the highly successful "Redefine U" podcast to their credit, the marketing team from Anne Arundel Community College (Maryland) knows a thing or two about digital storytelling. Listen as Dan Baum, executive director of strategic communications at AACC, talks podcast creation in this month's episode of "Peer and Simple." Get a sense of what they're doing at AACC – and how to...

S1 Episode 1 – Lynn Whalen, Juan Gutierrez and James Walters, members from NCMPR’s executive committee, discuss the changes their community colleges are making to adapt to closed buildings, cancelled graduations and no end in sight. Whalen, executive director for public relations and marketing at Lincoln Land Community College in Illinois, was NCMPR president for 2019-20; Gutierrez, director...