Communicating impact: Building a powerful development and communications relationship

Author's Biography

Pete Mackey has led communications operations in higher education and related non-profit organisations for more than 25 years. In March 2014 he became Amherst College’s first chief communications officer (CCO), and is responsible for building and leading its first comprehensive communications office, including supporting a new Amherst campaign. Mackey played a similar role at Bucknell University, where from 2006 to 2014 as CCO and then VP of communications he established and led Bucknell’s first comprehensive communications office. This included overseeing communications for the US$500m ‘WE DO’ campaign, introducing a new website named by several organisations as the most innovative in higher education, and shaping a marketing plan that contributed to a 40 per cent increase in admission applications year on year. From 2003 to 2006 Mackey served as the founding director of communications for the then-new Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which supports high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds. From 2000 to 2003 he served as founding director of communications for the then-new Science Foundation Ireland, established to build world-class research in biotechnology and information technology at Ireland’s universities. From 1989 to 2000 he oversaw communications for three different presidents at the University of South Carolina (USC), including during its US$500m campaign. Mackey earned his PhD in 20th-century British literature from USC, and his MA and BA in English, legal studies and film studies from Case Western Reserve University.

Charlie Melichar is a senior consultant and principal at Marts & Lundy. For the past 15 years he has been immersed in the field of nonprofit communications, serving as an adviser and thought leader for colleges and universities and the professional organisations that support them. Most recently, Melichar served as associate vice chancellor of development and alumni relations communications at Vanderbilt University. Prior to his work at Vanderbilt, he was vice president for public relations and communications at Colgate University from 2005 to 2010. He came to Colgate in 2003 as director of media relations. He had previously worked in a similar position at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, before being named director of news and information. In his early career, Melichar worked for PR Newswire, a news service distribution company, and ProfNet, a subsidiary service that links academic experts to journalists. He has served on the CASE Commission on Communications and Marketing, and is a past chair and current member of the Executive Committee for the Public Relations Society of America’s Counselors to Higher Education section, which focuses on senior leaders in higher education public relations.

Melanie Moran is executive director of the Integrated Communications unit in University News and Communications and associate director of the overall news and communications office. She oversees university web communications, internal communications, Vanderbilt Magazine and the editors supporting Vanderbilt’s schools and colleges. Moran came to Vanderbilt from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, where she was responsible for managing media relations, events, speech writing, graphic arts and the website. While with the state, Moran also served as a communications assistant to Governor Don Sundquist. Moran holds a master’s degree in public administration from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State.