A new advisory council established by the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Department of Mass Communication will equip aspiring public relations professionals to become experts in the industry.
Led by Aerial Ellis, Ed.D., NCCU’s Wells Fargo Endowed Chair, and Tianduo Zhang, Ph.D., assistant professor of mass communication, the council is composed of prestigious leaders in the public relations, marketing, branding, digital media, advertising sectors. The group will ensure that the university’s undergraduate public relations program has adequate resources and a well-designed curriculum to prepare students as competitive candidates for public relations and other related specialties.
"Direct exposure to professionals in the field is critical to the success of NCCU students,” said Ellis. “The advisory council will enhance the overall experience of students and increase their chances of landing suitable jobs, all while getting an inside view of the public relations industry.”
The council will also provide the university with insight regarding the top skills that employers seek in graduates and access to their networks for job and internship opportunities.
“Resources, audience and direction - those hands-on experiences offer invaluable insight for the university’s public relations program and our students,” Ellis added.
Members of NCCU’s Public Relations Advisory Council include:
- Maya Brown, executive director of marketing and communication at Fisk University
- Tristan Brew, client success strategist at Newswire/Issuer Direct
- Courtney Crowder, managing director at APCO Worldwide
- Joseph Dawson, director of strategic communication at Freddie Mac
- Del Galloway, senior vice president of communications at Wells Fargo
- Ariel Germain, director of communications and marketing for the NCCU Division of Student Affairs
- Jessica Griffin, associate brand marketing manager at Walgreens
- Ayana Hernandez, interim associate vice chancellor for strategic communications at Elizabeth City State University
- Nicholas Love, vice president of global marketing at Hotwire Global Communications
- Pamela Meek, global head of communication at SAS
- Debra Miller, Ed.D., director of communications for Cone Health
- Adam Novak, vice president at PAN Communications
- Nyree Wright, senior vice president of public relations at TV One Networks
For more information about NCCU’s Public Relations Advisory Council, please contact Dr. Aerial Ellis at [email protected] or 919-530-6338.
