Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

The Chief Communications and Marketing Officer (CCMO) is senior leader responsible for developing, leading, and continuously advancing a comprehensive and integrated communications and marketing strategy for Adler University as it continues through a critical period of institutional transformation. This role calls for an innovative/visionary, hands-on strategist and go-getter who can assess, build and manage. This role leads with clarity to complexity, solves problems in real time, and designs new ways to position the institution competitively.
Reporting directly to the President, the CCMO serves as the University's most senior communications leader

enhancing institutional reputation, shaping public narratives, and ensuring that every dimension of Adler's communications presence reflects and advances its mission, strategic priorities, and values. They will have a mandate to build and strengthen the University's communications and marketing apparatus with a commitment to innovation and excellence, advancing the School's newly established mission, vision, values, and rebranding.
This is a role of strategic consequence and institutional leadership. The CCMO navigates a complex, multi-stakeholder environment to align the needs and priorities of academic and administrative leaders, the Board of Trustees, faculty, students, external partners, media, and the broader public into a single, coherent institutional strategy. The CCMO has a deep understanding of the media landscape, the evolving role of communications technology and how new centers of social influence drive decision making.
Integrated Communications Strategy & Institutional Planning

Develop, own, and continuously advance a comprehensive communications strategy that unifies institutional priorities, institutional planning, enrollment, advancement, academic excellence, and community engagement into a coherent narrative framework.
Serve as the central integrating voice for University communications, translating the priorities of diverse stakeholders into a unified institutional strategy and consistent brand voice across all channels, geographies, and audiences.
Play an active role in the University's strategic planning processes, ensuring communications goals and resources are embedded from the outset, not a tactical after thought
Establish the institutional messaging architecture

core narratives, brand voice, and audience-segmented key messages

that anchors all University communications.
Build and systematize the infrastructure, standards, and tools that make Adler's communications consistent, scalable, and coherent across all geographical hubs, programs, and channels.
Elevate and advance academic achievements, the voices of outstanding faculty experts, and University-wide thought leadership to show Adlerian work in action and highly relevant public conversations.
Serve as the senior steward of brand integrity, making final determinations on the use of the University's name, identity, and narrative in high-stakes or diverse contexts.
Serve as a full member of the President's executive team, contributing communications expertise to institutional decision-making and serving as a strategic thought partner to fellow cabinet members.
Represent Adler University at national higher education associations, communications conferences, and policy forums, advancing the University's external profile and contributing to the field as appropriate and with a clear ROI.
Presidential & Executive Communications

Shape and amplify the Institution's public presence through thought leadership and executive visibility in deliberate service of Adler's institutional mission, strategic priorities, and reputational goals.
Develop and execute a multi-year presidential communications strategy that advances the President's visibility among national and international audiences as an expression of the University's leadership and impact.
Prepare and advise the President for high-stakes engagements: major speeches, media interviews, accreditor and government interactions, donor presentations, and crisis moments.
Serve as the primary communications advisor to the President on matters of institutional significance, in close coordination with the SVP/COO, Provost, and VP for Advancement.
Marketing & Digital Strategy

Lead the development and execution of an integrated marketing strategy

spanning digital, paid, content, and CRM channels

that drives awareness, consideration, conversion, advocacy and retention across all of Adler's academic programs and audiences.
Own Adler's integrated marketing strategy across owned, earned, and paid channels, ensuring a cohesive, data-informed presence that reflects the University's brand and advances enrollment and institutional visibility goals.
Direct paid media strategy and investment

including search, social, programmatic, and display

with campaigns that are audience-segmented, performance-tracked, and optimized against clear enrollment and awareness KPIs.
Lead content marketing strategy, overseeing the development of mission-aligned content that engages prospective students, alumni, donors, and partners across the full funnel.
Champion earned media storytelling as a strategic enrollment and reputation lever, translating faculty expertise, student outcomes, and institutional milestones into narratives that reach and resonate with target audiences.
Oversee CRM and marketing automation strategy, ensuring prospect and constituent communications are personalized, well-sequenced, and integrated with broader institutional communications and advancement goals.
Bring rigor and accountability to marketing investment by establishing clear performance frameworks and reporting cadences that translate data into actionable strategic decisions.
Analyze and evaluate emerging communications technologies, including digital innovations, social media changes, generative AI, etc to ensure Adler is maximizing new tools with intention, focus and integrity
Enrollment Marketing

Provide executive oversight of Adler's enrollment marketing function, supervising the communications and marketing leads responsible for prospective student engagement across all programs and geographies.
Ensure enrollment marketing strategy is fully integrated with the University's broader communications, brand, and advancement priorities to unify various functions, share assets and operate cohesively
Partner closely with enrollment leadership, internal communications and marketing leadership, and the Provost to align marketing activity with recruitment goals, program priorities, and institutional targets, ensuring the team is resourced and directed accordingly.
Hold the team accountable to clear performance outcomes, reviewing campaign results, pipeline data, and conversion metrics to inform ongoing strategy and resource allocation decisions.
Establish enrollment marketing metrics and reporting standards, leading ongoing analysis of campaign performance, pipeline health, and conversion trends to drive continuous improvement and ensure the team is consistently optimizing toward measurable outcomes.
Institutional Reputation, Public Relations & Advancement

Own and actively manage Adler's external institutional strategy

including senior media relationships with global, national, and regional outlets, higher education press, and issue-specific journalists.
Lead proactive PR strategy: identifying high-impact story opportunities, placing Adler's voice in relevant conversations, and managing the University's press profile with strategic rigor.
Serve as a senior spokesperson in high-stakes situations, including crisis coverage and major announcements.
Partner with the VP of Advancement to ensure institutional communications strategy supports robust development and advancement goals; serve as a critical strategic partner in alumni engagement and donor communications.
Maintain proactive, sustained and prioritized communications with Adler's key external stakeholders, including donors, alumni, community partners, accreditors, peer institutions, and government contacts.
Lead communications strategy for major institutional milestones, new programs, campus development, major gifts, strategic partnerships, etc to ensure precision and impact.
Amplify the University's thought leadership ecosystem, coordinating faculty, executive, student, and alumni voices to ensure Adler's expertise shapes relevant public discourse.
Cross-Functional Coordination, Governance & Crisis Leadership

Serve as the University's primary cross-functional communications leader, convening and aligning communications activity across academic and administrative divisions to ensure a unified institutional voice.
Establish enterprise-wide communications policies, standards, and governance frameworks ensuring consistency, compliance, and institutional alignment across all campuses and channels.
Provide strategic communications counsel to academic deans, vice presidents, and senior leaders, ensuring major initiatives are supported by well-sequenced, coordinated communications plans.
Present communications strategy, reputation updates, and major initiatives to the Board of Trustees and University Senate, maintaining transparent and active communications with both governing bodies.
Serve as the University's lead communications executive during crises and reputational threats to managing media, stakeholder communications, and internal messaging with clarity and speed.
Develop and maintain the enterprise crisis communications framework, ensuring preparedness across reputational, legal, regulatory, public health, campus safety, and political risk categories, in close coordination with the Provost, SVP/COO, and legal counsel.
Anticipate and monitor emerging issues through regular environmental scans of media, policy, and peer institution developments.
Unit Management & Team Leadership

Supervise communications and marketing team, partnering with them to set clear priorities, foster a culture of excellence and mission alignment, and invest in the professional growth of all team members.
Oversee and delegate management of relationships with external consultants, agencies, and communications firms

directing their work, managing contracts, and ensuring external resources are strategically deployed