Students listen to Susanna Tull ('76), right, talk about her experiences as a communications professional.

alumni news

The Department of Communication would like to thank all of our alumni volunteers for collaborating with us to create meaningful and enriching experiences outside of the classroom.

Students network with alumni during career class event

Alumna Lesa Linster, right, chats with students Kendra Hall, left, and Patrick Anderson during a networking event that was organized by Jerry Baldasty and Florangela Davila for their careers class.

Communication alumni drop in periodically to help our faculty mentor students in the Department’s popular careers class. The course is co-taught by Professor Jerry Baldasty, dean of the Graduate School and Lecturer Florangela Davila a former features writer for The Seattle Times and currently a reporter for KPLU.

Fall and winter quarter careers class students had the opportunity to network with a prestigious group of alumni:

Pat Foote ('71), – former managing editor of The Seattle Times; Communication Alumni Board; Communication Alumni Hall of Fame
David Blandford ('87) – director of Public Relations, Seattle Visitors and Convention Bureau; Communication Alumni Board
Lisa Cohen ('80, '89) – Director, Washington Global Health Alliance
Meghan Peters ('08) – online producer (news), The Seattle Times
Karen Johnson ('06) – online managing editor, Seattle magazine
Mike Seely ('96) – managing editor, The Seattle Weekly
Pam Cory ('83) – Vice President Marketing, NetMotion Wireless
Erin Combs ('03) – Project manager, Pyramid Communications
Candice Douglass ('95) – Director of Marketing and Communications, UW College of A&S
Lorraine Howell ('82) – Owner, Media Skills Training
Catherine Hinrichsen ('95) – Principal, C&C Communications
Lesa Linster ('00) – Director - National Camp Erins; Corporate & Foundation Relations at The Moyer Foundation

Event includes networking, panel of communication entrepreneurs

In January, the Department invited alumni and friends to campus to network with Communication students and alumni for an Evening of Career Development & Networking. My Tam Nguyen ('06) hosted the event that brought together students and alumni with company representatives from ComScore, Edelman, Starbucks, Washington FilmWorks and Washington Technology Industry Association. The event also featured a lively panel discussion on entrepreneurialism moderated by Kristina Hudson ('92), Director of WA Interactive Network, enterpriseSeattle.

The panelists:
Fitz Cahall ('02) Founder of The Dirtbag Diaries (http://www.dirtbagdiaries.com/)
Laura Pavlou ('06) founder of the interactive online magazine WWISH (http://www.wwish-inc.com/)
Lucas Mack ('04), founder and principal of 4th Avenue Media (http://4thavenuemedia.com/)
Sarah Stuteville, The Common Language Project (http://www.clpmag.org/)
Read more about the panelists on the WWISH website: (http://www.wwish-inc.com/articles/47)

• Watch a video of the panel >>

Mentor lunches give students face time with alumni

Our impressive Fall 2009 and Winter 2010 Mentor Lunch lineup of alumni includes:
Susanna Tull ('76) – Owner, Susanna Tull Communications
Gary Odegard ('72) – Vice President, Corporate Communications, Services Group of America
Joni Balter ('74) – Editorial writer, reporter, The Seattle Times
Diane Scott ('88) Public Affairs and Communication office,Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Heather Brooke ('92) – Freelance journalist
Pam Cory ('83) – Vice President Marketing, NetMotion Wireless
Mary Daheim ('60) – Award-winning author of over 50 novels
Philip Garland ('01, '03) – Vice President of Methodology for SurveyMonkey.com
Kurt Carlson ('85) – President and CEO, Propel Insurance

AWC presents tips for internships and interviewing

The Association for Women in Communication (AWC) presented an April 1 workshop for our students on "Tips from Communications Professionals on Internships and Interviewing." UW students had a chance to hear from Janet Wainwright ('75) of Janet Wainwright PR, Whitney Tyner ('08) of Zillow, Andy Wappler ('86) of Puget Sound Energy, and Pat Foote ('71), former managing editor of The Seattle Times and a current member of the Communication Alumni Board and Alumni Hall of Fame. The Panel moderator was writer Kathleen F. Miller ('87), owner of Blue Emu Communications and a member of the Communication Alumni Hall of Fame.