➤ Content creation
➤Content strategy
➤ Copywriting
➤Crisis communications
➤ Media relations
Eliz has managed strategic communications for some of the University’s major initiatives and advancement efforts and has published dozens of articles in University publications. She currently leads communications and marketing, content strategy, and media relations efforts for the School of Health and Human Sciences, which serves over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Under her leadership, the School has launched two new social media platforms that have garnered nearly 1,000 followers, transformed its website content, and secured earned media placements in local and national media outlets.
Cover Story: Cutting Edge
In 1999, Summer Scott-Samuel ’96 drove from Greensboro to small-town Mount Airy, North Carolina. She had a bachelor’s degree in clothing and textiles from UNC Greensboro and little on-the-job experience when she walked into an interview with Cross Creek Apparel.
Scott-Samuel recalls her interviewer’s fateful words: “You don’t have all the qualifications we are looking for, but I like you so much we’re going to give you a chance.”
On a recent phone call from her Barbados office, her nostalgia is palpable. “What I learned, being in that job, is my strong suit was telling the story – giving every concept, design and product or color assortment a reason for being,” she says.
Jogging Your Memory
Dr. Jennifer Etnier recently gave her 79-year-old mother a smartphone. Her mother’s memory is almost impeccable, and Etnier knew she would quickly adapt to the technology. Her father, on the other hand, is in the early stages of late-onset dementia.
One difference between the two? Exercise. Throughout her life, Etnier’s mom has maintained high levels of physical activity. By contrast, her dad was active as a younger man, but let his exercise decline in his later years.
“I started wondering if their differing exercise patterns contributed to this phenomenon,” says Etnier, now the Julia Taylor Morton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at UNC Greensboro.
Pulling together to serve and protect families in need
It’s been five years since Catherine Johnson ’09 MS/EdS stepped into the role that would change her life and have a far-reaching impact on Guilford County. The 35-year-old graduate of UNCG’s Department of Counseling and Educational Development has helped serve more than 20,000 people at the Guilford County Family Justice Center-Greensboro, the “one-stop shop” in Greensboro for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and elder abuse.
Super Journey: From College Ave to Oscars’ Red Carpet
Long before Emily V. Gordon ’01, ’03 MS/EdS stood on the red carpet, she stood before a group of her peers in a handmade T-shirt with a cartoon character sporting a cape and the words “Peer Counselor.”
“I wasn’t a popular kid in middle school whatsoever,” Emily says. “But people knew I wouldn't tell their secrets.”
These days, the UNC Greensboro alumna and Winston-Salem native flies a little less under the radar – Emily and husband, comedian Kumail Nanjiani, received an Oscar nod for their film, “The Big Sick,” when it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay in 2018.
“She has shown leadership, skill and enthusiasm… From excellent writing skills to great planning and strategic thinking, to the flexibility to morph between different styles of work (promotion, advancement/fundraising, issues management, events, etc.), Elizabeth brings some of everything to her role.”
-Jeffrey Shafer, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications