USC Rossier Office of Communication
Who We Are
The USC Rossier Office of Communication highlights the achievements and contributions of our students, faculty, alumni and supporters and the impact they are making in the field of education. The office oversees USC Rossier’s digital presence including the USC Rossier news page, the school’s social media channels and Dean Noguera’s monthly e-newsletter. The office also manages the school’s annual print publication, USC Rossier Magazine.
Meet Our Teams
USC Rossier community members are invited to connect with the communications team.
Among the many services we provide include the following:
- Op-Eds
- Social media posts
- News features
- Media pitches
Eric Olsen, Executive Director of Communications
olsene@rossieusc.edu
Eric oversees USC Rossier’s communications team. He can be contacted for general requests, questions about communication strategies and for help promoting research or an event.
Ellen Evaristo, Director of Media Relations, Promotion and Publicity
evaristo@rossier.usc.edu
Ellen manages USC Rossier’s public profile and promotes the school’s achievements to the general public. Contact her for any work you would like to publicize through the media (op-eds, interviews, press releases, etc.). She manages and contributes content on the USC Rossier news page and the dean’s monthly newsletter.
Kianoosh Hashemzadeh, Director of Publications
khashemz@rossier.usc.edu
Kianoosh contributes to the USC Rossier news page and serves as the editor of USC Rossier Magazine, an annual publication that explores pressing issues in education and features interviews and articles about school initiatives, faculty research and our standout students and alumni. Contact Kianoosh if you have a perspective or research you would like featured in the magazine or on the USC Rossier website.
Antonio Reyes, Assistant Director of Digital Strategy
reyesant@rossier.usc.edu
Tony oversees USC Rossier’s digital strategy, including the USC Rossier website and social media channels. Contact Tony if you have questions about the USC Rossier website or need advice on how to develop and execute effective digital communication strategies.
Note: USC Rossier Central Communications Team is not in charge of strategic enrollment or advancement marketing. Please contact Rachel Beal (bealr@rossier.usc.edu) for questions pertaining to the Advancement team and Tabitha Courtney (cour325@rossier.usc.edu) for questions pertaining to Strategic Enrollment.
What We Do:
The USC Rossier Marketing Team promotes our degree programs and brands to prospective students.
We oversee the following functions:
- Content Marketing
- User Generated Content (UGC)
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Paid Media
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Administration
- Website and social media management
- Email marketing
- Enrollment analytics
Jacob Garrison, Senior Manager, Marketing
jacobgar@rossier.usc.edu
Jacob oversees USC Rossier’s marketing team. He is responsible for setting a marketing strategy and plans to attract mission-aligned students to our community.
Deepa Pau, CRM Manager
Deepa manages Slate, our marketing and recruitment technology platform. She supports prospective student information and communication throughout the admission cycle, including application, portal and user security management. She also supports CRM-related concerns raised by stakeholders and validates queries for internal and external stakeholders.
Wenjun Liu, Digital Marketing Manager
Wenjun manages the digital marketing efforts for the marketing team. She manages multichannel paid campaigns for degree programs and at the brand level. Wenjun also manages the marketing content calendar, email marketing, SEO content, and website strategy.
Makie Pun, Marketing Administrator
Makie leads the creation and management of student-generated content, serving as a key pillar of our marketing strategy. She manages the Student Ambassador Program and the Unibuddy platform, fostering authentic connections between prospective and current students. Makie develops content across various channels (e.g., social media, email, website) and builds creative assets in-house, including video production.
What We Do:
USC Rossier Advancement Communication fosters relationships with alumni, donors and partners to secure funding and resources that support the school’s educational initiatives. Advancement Communications is responsible for crafting and executing targeted communication strategies that effectively convey USC Rossier’s mission, achievements and funding needs to key stakeholders, ensuring continued engagement and support. The team’s efforts directly contribute to the growth and success of programs that prepare future educators and drive innovation in the field of education.
Katrina Nash, Senior Director of Advancement Communications
nashk@rossier.usc.edu
Katrina leads strategic communications and engagement with alumni and donors, overseeing the communications of fundraising initiatives, stewardship reports and newsletters. Alumni and donors are welcome to reach out to Katrina.
What We Do:
The USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (CANDLE) brings educational innovation and developmental affective neuroscience into partnership, and uses what is learned to guide the transformation of schools, policy, and the student and teacher experience for a healthier and more equitable society.
Kori Street, Executive Director
kestreet@usc.edu
What We Do:
The USC Race and Equity Center’s mission is to illuminate, disrupt, and dismantle racism in all its forms.
Lara Aposhian, Chief Marketing Officer
laposhia@usc.edu
Lara spearheads the USC Race and Equity Center’s marketing and creative strategy, driving brand awareness and overseeing the development of all print and digital materials to elevate the Center’s impact across various media platforms.
What We Do:
The mission of the Pullias Center for Higher Education is to bring a multidisciplinary perspective to complex social, political, and economic issues in higher education.
Sheryl McPhee, Communications Manager
smacphee@rossier.usc.edu
Sheryl directs all aspects of communications for the Pullias Center. She is tasked with getting the Center’s research and recommendations in front of the higher education community in general, and policymakers and practitioners in particular. She leads external communications including the various Pullias websites, digital communications, social media channels, media relations, and creation and distribution of research reports and briefs.
Resources and Support
USC Rossier Communications Resources for Faculty (Onboardng Packet).
A reference for faculty, the on-boarding packet is a centralized location for all communication tools, templates and information.
Best Practices for Faculty in Linkedin and Infographic
This memo outlines proven strategies to maximize USC Rossier faculty LinkedIn presence.
Writing for The Conversation
A nonprofit, independent news organization, The Conversation is for scholars or researchers affiliated with a college, university or research institution. The page includes the outlet’s editorial priorities and offers writing and pitching guidelines.
Learn How to Contribute to The Conversation
Submitting an Academic Minute
The Academic Minute features researchers from colleges and universities around the world. In addition to a library of past stories, pitches can be submitted through this page.
USC Rossier Op-Ed Strategy
A best practices resource, the op-ed strategy has been developed to optimize USC Rossier experts to share their thoughts and views with the media.