Board member profile: Rebecca Noran

Rebecca Noran, UMCF chair
assistant director for web communications
Academic Health Center Office of Communications   
ran@umn.edu      
612-625-4523 

Find me online:
Personal website | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Became a member of UMCF: January 2001

UMCF member profile 2010

About my role on the UMCF board:
According to the Forum bylaws, the chair "presides at all meetings of the board of directors ... generally supervises the activities of the organization ... represents the organization."

Some great Forum memories:

• Two programs I helped plan in my early days at the U on the program committee: 1. inviting a favorite professor from Macalester, Ruthann Godollei, to talk about typography, and 2. the infamous institutional identity talk where Janet Abrams, head of the Design Institute, trash talked the work of U communicators (and we loved to hate it!).
• When the design swap group would meet
  
• Helping develop the concept for a people's choice Mike award as a member of the awards committee, inspired by a paper event where they did this
  
• Designing the Mission: Possible conference "FBI" file
  
• The hands-on sessions at conference, like paper cutting this year, letterpress a few years ago
  
• Debra Frasier
  
• Grammar Girl
  
• Wing Young Huie's workshop (which inspired a session at Extension program conference)
  
• Touring the U Library archives 
• And of course, seeing everyone at annual conference and enjoying the day talking to all my communications colleagues... and sometimes winning prizes at the raffle (Vikings tickets! First Aid kit!)!
  

About my role at the University
I am currently assistant director for web communications for the Academic Health Center (AHC) Office of Communications. I started at the University of Minnesota on January 1, 2001. I previously worked leading the communications team in the Extension Center for Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences (EFANS/CFANS-Extension) and as part of the communications team for the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).

Favorite place on campus:
Weisman Art Museum and my morning walk across the Washington Avenue Bridge.

What I like about working at the U:
There are interesting, amazing things happening in all its nooks and crannies. It is filled with potential... and bringing that potential to reality through various projects is an exciting challenge. I learn new stuff all the time here.

A person at the U whom I admire:
Nance Longley, graphic designer/design coordinator in CEHD communications, course leader for Philosophy Camp, sometimes instructor for basic media graphics in the School of Journalism: I sat next to Nance for more than 7 years in the CEHD communications office, and she is an inspiration and a mentor. She gives back greatly to the U community in so many ways, and definitely has to the Forum over the years: She was a volunteer of the year, her Imagine! Inspire! Ignite! matchbook for the 13th UMCF conference invite was fantastic, and she's the person who actually found the Mike and had it made into an award!   


Some of the coolest projects I've worked on at the U:
So many!

• At CEHD: I loved going on photo shoots and interviewing people when I worked for the alumni magazine (would end up in the most interesting places!), the visual identity project, creating recruitment materials for our diversity programs and for the first undergraduate programs when we became a new college, designing various T-shirts, designing the "education in every nook and cranny" building notecards, planning our State Fair booth, our Get smart(er) campaign. The project of getting banners on our buildings for CEHD was an eye-opener. Finding grass in January for a summer catalog photo shoot my first month working at the U (turfgrass lab had some we could use!).
  
• At CFANS Extension: It was neat being there when emerald ash borer was discovered in MN, and our team created a go-to web page and educational materials.... also getting to know all the amazing Extension educators! I am proud of establishing some clear processes in a time of transition, the EFANS Connects webinars to stay connected across the state, of the work our communications team created (what a great team, and interesting content!), and speaking to a room full of people at Extension program conference in Duluth after less than two months on the job.
  
• Other: I love the projects I did for the Weisman Art Museum with Springsteen, Gehry, Dylan, and for the Goldstein Museum of Design (Hip Art That's Square, Seeing Color, Mayan Textiles...), doing the Places to Go: Bathrooms of the Twin Cities exhibit for my M.F.A. in College of Design, assignments for documentary filmmaking and artists' books classes, participating in training and such for Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter.
  
• At AHC: And now it's really interesting being part of the health sciences, including launching our new health.umn.edu and hub.ahc.umn.edu websites, planning our web upgrade transformation, and working with an amazingly talented team of great people!

Accomplishments I'm most proud of (at the U):

• Getting an M.F.A. while working full time -- what a great perk of being at the U!
• Doing the President's Emerging Leaders (PEL) program and the Women's Leadership Institute -- working on our PEL innovation project.
• Serving on the CEHD diversity committee for a number of years and helping make some of the committee ideas come to life.
• Being photo editor on Connect magazine.
  
• Contributing to the visual identity projects for CEHD and Extension.
• Helping get Extension's web overhaul off the ground.
• Embarking on a web transformation for the Academic Health Center.
• And since this is a Forum interview, of course: Being on the receiving team for 27 Maroon and Gold Awards, including 4 MARGOS, 3 GREENS, and 2 MIKES!
  

More about Rebecca

My hometown:
Montclair, New Jersey | view it on a map

Paper book or e-book:
Paper

Favorite website (most used, anyway):
Wikipedia | Metro Transit
 
Favorite source of inspiration:
Walking. Sketching. Looking at examples. Visiting a museum.

Favorite word:
Groovy

Word that makes you cringe:
"Harvesting" in reference to an animal or anything that requires unsuck-it.

Favorite brand:
The Muppets

What I do for fun:
Color with markers while listening to music. Watch the tube. Connect with friends and family. Take photos and write captions for them. Explore. Travel. Riff. Play Boggle (when the opportunity arises).

My dream jobs (besides the one I have!):
Museum director. Creative director at IDEO or such. Innovation think tank thinker. Person like Diana Vreeland who says "I'm thinking magenta elephants with a NY77 vibe" and amazing things result. Fancy pen and marker tester.