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College of Charleston Communication Dept. Adds Advisory Board Members

Submitted by: Michael Robertson on Dec 07, 2007 at 3:08 pm Tagged with: Academia Source: College of Charleston

Charleston, S.C. (Dec. 7, 2007) – The College of Charleston Department of Communication Advisory Council has elected a new chair and vice-chair for 2008. Tom Martin, who joined the Department of Communication in August as its first Executive-in-Residence after his retirement from ITT Corporation, will serve as chair. He succeeds Michael Fanning, vice president of Corporate Affairs for Michelin North America, who has served as chair for two years. Karen Kaplan, General Manager of Fleishman-Hillard Atlanta, will serve as vice chair of the Council, succeeding Mr. Martin who served as vice chair for two years.

In addition, the Advisory Council elected four new members at its most recent on-campus meeting. The newly-elected Council members are:

• Bill Heyman: Founder, President and CEO of Heyman Associates in New York. Heyman manages senior level searches for blue-chip and emerging companies, leading public relations firms. non-profit organizations, and government agencies. He serves as a trustee of the Institute for Public Relations, the Lagrant Foundation, a Los-Angeles-based organization that awards scholarships to minority students planning to major and pursue a career in public relations, and the Partnership for New York City. Heyman is a graduate of Gettysburg College and in June 2005 he was a recipient of the Gettysburg Meritorious Service award. He earned his MBA from Adelphi University.

• Rob Minton: Minton is communications manager for General Motors Fleet & Commercial Operations in Detroit. His responsibilities include product and non-product media relations, issues management, and internal communications. Minton has 20 years of experience in media relations, internal and crisis communications, community relations and executive communications and marketing. He has achieved the professional designation of Accredited Business Communicator through the International Association of Business Communicators. He is also the former President of IABC’s Phoenix chapter. He has served on IABC’s Executive Committee, which is the top governing body of the organization. His marketing and organizational communication programs have been multiple award-winners at local and national levels, and he speaks at many trade and industry conferences.

• Phil Noble, Jr.: Phil, a former U.S. Senate policy analyst, formed Phil Noble & Associates in 1979. He was recently given a special award as the International Political Consultant of the Year by his peers of the American Association of Political Consultants. Noble also founded the Palmetto Project, an innovative non-profit organization that develops and promotes effective solutions to local community problems in South Carolina. It has received numerous statewide and national awards including special commendations from both Presidents Bush and Clinton. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Political Consultants, the International Association of Political Consultants and Volunteers for Democracy International, the European and Latin American Associates of Political Consultants, and a member of the Academy of Political Science. He is a frequent guest lecturer in the U.S. and internationally, including the University of Amsterdam and Gutenberg University of Sweden. Born and raised in the United States, he attended Cambridge University in England and received a bachelor's degree from Birmingham Southern College in 1974. He studied international and Third World politics at the International Graduate School of the University of Stockholm. Noble and his family live in Charleston, S.C.

• H. Keith Poston: Poston is the managing director of Corporate Communications at AGL Resources [NYSE: ATG], a Fortune 1000 natural gas/energy holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. He provides strategic direction for external, customer and employee communications, as well as corporate branding. Prior to that, Poston directed public relations and employee communications at Progress Energy in Raleigh, N.C. He has a diverse communications background with experience in corporate reputation, financial media relations, crisis communications, branding and public affairs. His career includes corporate, agency, political and nonprofit communications. He has spoken at numerous conferences on crisis communications and highly enjoys mentoring students. He is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Department of Communication Advisory Council promotes the recognition and progress of communication instruction at the College of Charleston. The Advisory Council is made up of an outstanding and nationally prominent group of communication professionals who aid the Department of Communication in developing curricula, creating and improving departmental programs, and calling attention to the many accomplishments of the department's students and faculty.

With the largest undergraduate major at the College of Charleston, the Department of Communication enrolls more than 800 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. Students in the department study such topics as political communication, interpersonal communication, journalism, and public relations. The department is housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The College of Charleston is a nationally preeminent, public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. With a student population of approximately 9800 undergraduates and 1400 graduate students, the college is known for its small-college feel blended with the advantages and diversity of an urban, mid-sized university. Founded in 1770, the College of Charleston is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability.