Vice President of Strategic Communications
AccessU

Rachel’s expertise in strategic planning, qualitative research, brand messaging, public relations, and crisis communications has proven integral to AccessU for over 16 years. She began her career at a health and government-focused PR agency in Washington, DC, where she mastered the art of media relations. She later became the primary liaison for media at the American Diabetes Association and helped address the needs of patients with diabetes affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Rachel is a member of the Leadership Roanoke Valley Class of 2022 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a concentration in Communications. Rachel’s client roster includes Virginia Community College System, Ethero Truck + Energy, Emory Healthcare, Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM), and Goodwill Industries of the Valleys.

Senior PR Specialist
AccessU

Brenda is a seasoned communications professional who is passionate about education and how it transforms lives. For more than 19 years, she helped educational institutions tell their stories to stakeholders in compelling ways. Brenda continually aims to assist organizations in making a significant impact. Her experience in education prepared her for balancing the many needs of mission-driven organizations.

Brenda holds a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Communication Studies from the University of Lynchburg.

Brenda excels in strategic communications, crisis communications, media relations, and reputation management. Her clients include Virginia Community College System, Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing, Ethero Truck + Energy.

Senior Social Media & Communications Manager
Virginia Commonwealth University

Saher Randhawa plans and creates content for the main Virginia Commonwealth University social media sites, partners with departments on their universitywide social media goals and initiatives, and offers guidance and training for the numerous social media administrators across VCU. Randhawa’s main focus is in well-being, recruitment and retention, student affairs and crisis communications, but she also works on a variety of other projects that involve social media storytelling on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and more. Randhawa is a two-time VCU alumna with a B.S. in mass communications: concentration in public relations (2014) and a master’s in mass communications: strategic public relations (2021). She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, VCU Alumni Council and teaches as an Adjunct Professor for the VCU Robertson School of Media and Culture.

Director of Digital Marketing for University Marketing
William & Mary

Tiffany Broadbent Beker is the director of digital marketing for University Marketing at William & Mary, leading the office's efforts in strategy, analysis, and management of social media, email marketing, web and digital applications. After a few years at two technology startups, she entered the higher education sphere in 2010 and has loved being a part of this community ever since. She has presented at HighEdWeb, CASE Social Media & Community, Higher Ed Experts' Higher Ed Social Media Conference, and the College Communicators Association of Virginia and D.C. (CCA) Conference. She is the immediate past president of CCA, along with being the Institutional Representative for W&M to the American Council on Education's Women's Network for Virginia.

Associate Director of Publications and Design
Georgetown University

Martha Holland is an engaging marketing communications professional with two decades of experience in the Washington, D.C. area. With a passion for integrated and coordinated communications, she has successfully cultivated and implemented numerous matrixed campaigns for organizations including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Marriott International, and Arlington County, Virginia. Holland began her career on the agency side of the business and holds a BA in economics and art history and an MBA from Georgetown University. With expertise in public relations, loyalty programs, integrated marketing, and process improvement, Holland is known for building strong client relationships and delivering high-quality results. Above all else, Holland is dedicated to the principle of marketing for good.

Founder & Creative Director
2Communique

Kelly McMurray is the founder & creative director at 2communiqué, a content strategy and creative design firm. She founded the firm in 1999 to focus on strategy and design with a narrative lens. Working primarily with clients in the education sector including Bowdoin College, Brown School of Medicine, Georgetown Business, Iowa State, and the University of Tampa the firm advises their clients on how to connect and engage with the communities through storytelling.

Kelly has presented at CASE, Folio, UCDA, AIGA, and AM+P, and she is published in Currents, Folio, Designer, and Signature. Her work has received recognition from AIGA, AM+P, AAF, ASME, CASE, Folio, SPD, and UCDA

Director of Executive Communications
Virginia Commonwealth University

Jeffrey J. Kraus has worked at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2022 and today serves as the director of executive communications for the Office of the Provost. Jeff has worked in communications for more than 25 years. He began his career as an award-winning radio, wire service, and television journalist. He worked as senior advisor and speechwriter to former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. For 15 years, Jeff served as the head of strategic communications and marketing for the Virginia Community College System, leading innovative research projects to study diverse student populations; creating novel workforce development programs like FastForward; and administering marketing campaigns, like G3, that earned awards and boosted student enrollment. Jeff earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from VCU.

Executive Director of Academic Operations, Office of the Provost
Virginia Commonwealth University

Jamie Stillman is the executive director of academic operations in the Office of the Provost at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). With communications and fundraising at the heart of her 38-year career, she has raised awareness, engagement and financial resources in the non-profit and higher education sectors at the local, state and national levels. In 1999 she joined VCU as chief fundraiser for the College of Humanities and Sciences and later, in 2006, moved to the provost’s office to become the provost’s chief communicator. In her current role, she focuses on building community and ensuring transparency for the university’s academic enterprise. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from VCU in Mass Communications and Business Administration, respectively.

Multimedia Producer
Virginia Tech

Chase Parker is the Multimedia Producer for University Libraries at Virginia Tech. Chase has been a professional content creator since 2018. He worked at multiple TV news stations before accepting a position as a multimedia producer at Virginia Tech in 2022.

Digital Accessibility Officer
Virginia Tech

S.B. “Chandler” Chandler, Ph.D., is the Digital Accessibility Officer in the Office of Equity and Accessibility at Virginia Tech, working closely with TLOS Accessible Technologies. He holds IAAP’s Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies and Web Accessibility Specialist certifications, forming the Certified Professional in Web Accessibility. Chandler has over 25 years of undergraduate and graduate teaching experience at Virginia Tech. His professional consulting experience spans health care, publishing, non-profits, and education. Much of his early work was at Apple, Adobe, NASA, and the federal government. Chandler’s expertise in user experience, web design, electronic publishing, and programming provides a base for his digital accessibility evaluation, advocacy, and compliance analysis.

Assistant Vice President for Communications
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Amy Ostroth is the assistant vice president for communications at the Virginia campus of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). During her two-decade career in educational communications, she has managed all aspects of institutional communications, including marketing, social media, media relations, videography, photography, website, emergency communications and more. Prior to VCOM, she served as senior director of communications at Sweet Briar College in Virginia and director of development communications at Cushing Academy in Massachusetts. She also spent more than a decade at Virginia Tech in a variety of communications roles. A Blacksburg native, Amy earned her M.A. in English at Virginia Tech and a B.A. in English from the University of Mary Washington.