Cohort 10 Summer 2023 Graduation
Twenty-three professionals from across Texas and the nation graduated from the Certified Public Communicator® Program (CPC) at TCU this summer. Not only did these public-sector communicators finish 95 hours of graduate-level instruction, but all of them created customized communication plans for their organizations.
The CPC program has been working for more than 11 years with communicators from cities, counties, school districts and other public-sector agencies.
“Many public-sector professionals have some graduate-level certification opportunities, and it made sense that the communication role should, too,” said Jacqueline Lambiase, Ph.D., professor and director for the CPC program.
With this in mind, TCU and the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers co-founded the program at TCU in 2013, which, to date, has awarded 245 certifications to communication professionals hailing from organizations in 15 states.
“One of the hallmarks of the program is its focus on listening,” explains Lambiase. “Through research at TCU, we have learned that listening is a key to trust. That means communicators can’t solely tell stories and create content for social media about their organizations; they also need to adapt to the role of listeners, too, and think about the inbound channels as much or more than outbound. This will elevate their role within their professional space, with a goal of making their organizations better.”
Communication is an essential function following a natural disaster or other major emergencies. Public information officers must provide accurate and timely information to residents during times of crisis to ensure public safety. Lambiase and other communication professors at TCU combined their public relations, advertising and marketing expertise to launch the residential program, where professionals get to network, engage in a yearlong process of professional communication planning and learn from one another.
“The Schieffer College teaches excellence in engagement with publics,” said Lambiase. “We infuse the curriculum with experiential learning and discussion, helping students build plans based on theory, case studies, metrics and their own research.”
The CPC program partnership includes TCU’s Department of Strategic Communication in the Schieffer College and TCU Extended Education, as well as four professional organizations: the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers, the National Association of County Information Officers, the Texas School Public Relations Association and the City-County Communication and Marketing Association.
Summer 2023 graduates include:
Heather Bates
Mary Beth Block
Kiana Rios Camp
Martha Lynn Eighme
Gloria Kim Fisher
Saul Garza
Catherine Glasby
Riley A. Grant
Zoheb Abdul Hassanali
Rosalee Hoffman
Shelly R. Klein
Amanda Bess McNew
Abbigail Murphy
Megan Elizabeth Nelson
Jeffrey Newpher
Allison P. Parker
Layne Newman Phillips
Paige Elizabeth Ruedy
Holly Browning Russell
Rhonda Eudaly Simpson
Tenishea Turner
Lee Woodward
Janet Marie Wilwerding