51ĀŅĀ×

Robin Oliver

Today, 51ĀŅĀ× President M. Duane Nellis named Ms. Robin Oliver as 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s first Vice President for University Communications and Marketing. Ms. Oliver, who has nearly 20 years of experience and comes to 51ĀŅĀ× from Western Carolina University, will officially lead OHIOā€™s Office of University Communications and Marketing team beginning July 22, 2019.

ā€œRobin is deeply committed to the power of higher education to transform lives and positively impact communities. She is passionate about the role marketing and communications can serve in articulating the value proposition of our great university and in raising the profile and reputation of 51ĀŅĀ×,ā€ said 51ĀŅĀ× President M. Duane Nellis. ā€œShe will be a wonderful addition to the Office of University Communications and Marketing, my senior leadership team, and our community. I am looking forward to having her join our Bobcat Family.ā€

Ms. Oliver comes to us from Western Carolina University, where she served as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). She began her career as a Features Writer and Entertainment Editor at the Birmingham Post-Herald in Birmingham, Ala. She then went on to join Birmingham, Ala.- based Big Communications and served in numerous roles including Vice President for Public Relations.

She has extensive experience in marketing and communications ā€“ from developing and implementing strategy to integrating communications and marketing. Most recently at Western Carolina, she led a collaborative, university-wide process to establish a five-year Integrated Marketing and Communications Plan; restructured the marketing team to support the universityā€™s strategic plan; and launched Western Carolinaā€™s first comprehensive integrated marketing campaign. Last year, she received the American Marketing Associationā€™s Higher Education Marketer of the Year award.

ā€œI am honored to be 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s choice to lead the institutionā€™s marketing and communications team and collaborate with talented professionals across campus as we tackle ambitious and exciting priorities ahead. I fully believe the work we do ā€“ all of us in higher education ā€“ opens doors and transforms futures for the students we serve,ā€ Oliver said. ā€œItā€™s what brought me to higher education and what keeps me energized every day to tell stories about student success, research and discovery, and regional and national impact, all of which are engrained in 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s own story.ā€

Ms. Oliver holds bachelorā€™s degrees in English and Music from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She also will receive her masterā€™s degree in Business Administration from North Carolina State University later this month.