Alumna Bettina Johnson '06 installed as new president of CAN.
As it prepares for its second year, the Communications Alumni Network has elected its new leadership and steering committee. Bettina Johnson ’06 G’11 was named president, succeeding Katie Sherman ’04, who served as the network’s inaugural president.
Stuart Jones ’12 was selected as the new vice president, and Alexa Boschini ’10, Lindsay Eney ’09, Kerrie Lindstrom ’93 and Madelyn Smith ’13 will sit on the steering committee.
The changes were announced at an alumni luncheon during Homecoming, where Sherman gave an overview of the past year’s activities, sharing that “a significant number of Communications alumni have joined the Elon Mentor Network and have been reviewing digital portfolios for the school.”
Other activities included an alumni gathering with communications faculty in New York City during the summer and a dinner in October with first-year Communications Fellows in Atlanta.
“We really wanted to make it easy for alumni to share their post-Elon knowledge,” Sherman said.
The Communications Alumni Network connects alumni across both distance and years, providing opportunities for collaboration, for sharing information about job and internship openings, and for interacting in various ways with current students and the School of Communications.
Johnson presented her vision for the upcoming year for CAN.
“I want us to continue with the portfolio reviews,” she said. “You are closer to what’s critical, and your feedback helps better prepare communications students for the workplace.”
Johnson said she also hopes more alumni can visit with classes or use Skype to help educate students.
“I hope we can hold meetings in more cities this coming year, as well,” she added. “It’s important for alumni to know who else is living in their community and what work they are doing.”
She concluded her presentation by thanking the outgoing steering committee and presenting a gift of a carved wooden acorn to outgoing president Sherman.
School of Communications assistant professor Gerald Gibson, who serves as the School’s coordinator of alumni relations, welcomed more than 40 alumni to the Homecoming gathering, which also featured remarks from Dean Paul Parsons, who provided details about the further expansion of School of Communications facilities.
“We’re excited not just with the opportunities these new facilities will provide, but also with possible expansion of our majors,” Parsons said.
The dean shared the possibility of new undergraduate majors in Communication Design and Media Analytics and a proposal for a Ph.D. program that would focus on teaching, as well as theory and research.
— Gerald Gibson