Member profile: Bill O'Connor

Assistant Director of Communication, Orientation & First-Year Programs (OFYP)

Started at the University of Minnesota in December 2005.

UMCF member since 2006.

What brought you to your current job? 

I was working at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and decided that I wanted to work on a masters degree. My hope was to find a job at the U of M to take advantage of the Regents Scholarship Program. I started job searching and luckily found my current position. In spring of 2011, I earned a Master of Public Affairs from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. 

What is your favorite aspect of your job?

Although many things are consistent, there is a lot of variety in my projects. Orientation and First Year Programs (OFYP) conducts focus groups, surveys, and is constantly looking for ways to improve. I like the balance of familiarity and change that happens in my job.

What advice do you have for communicators at the University of Minnesota?

We have so many talented colleagues throughout the University. I feel that many of my successes have happened because of the great people we work with and the willingness to share ideas and resources. Collaborate whenever possible! 

Your hometown and the first place you lived after leaving your hometown? 

Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1994, I finished my undergraduate degree but had no idea what I wanted to do. I found a job in Deerfield, Illinois working as a volunteer naturalist for Ryerson Woods, a preserve in Lake County. I taught basic environmental education classes, led nature hikes, and cared for an injured Red-Tailed Hawk named "Boo Boo". 

I'm happiest when: 

When I feel free: driving across the country, backpacking, biking, sitting in an unfamiliar coffee shop and people-watching. 

Before I die, I would like to: 

Live in another country for a few years, learn the language and customs, and experience life through a completely different lens.

Member profile: Ashley Piediscalzi

Multimedia Designer in Creative Services, University Relations 

Started working at the University in 2006 and has been in her current role since 2011. 

UMCF member since 2006. 

Connect with Ashley online: 

LinkedIn  

Twitter

What brought you to your current job? 

I was very eager to experience a work culture that was devoted to communications and communicators. University Relations has given me an opportunity to not only feel safe and supported as a designer, but it has also allowed me to grow and excel with new multimedia opportunities.

What is your favorite aspect of your job?

I am very lucky to work in a flexible environment that is very supportive of differing work styles. As a creative, I excel with a fluid work schedule that allows for mobility and sometimes unorthodox work hours. (Some of my most productive and creative times are in the evenings). So I am most grateful to work for and with colleagues that support and inspire our differences so we can all come together in the end to do our best work.

 

What excites you about working at the University of Minnesota and for University Relations?

I love working at the U of M for all the obvious reasons, but most especially for the optimism, energy, and creativity of the students. 

What is your dream job (besides the one you have!)?

I am a volunteer with the Twin Cities-based Animal Rights Coalition. As of late, most of my free time has been spent with these amazing people, who are trying to save the world one animal at a time. My dream job would be to do this kind of work everyday for the rest of my life--whether that's designing a social media graphic, handing out pamphlets, or holding up a protest sign.

Motto or personal mantra:

"Be the change you want to see in the world." --Gandhi

I'm happiest when:

I'm with my rescue dogs--Coraline, Jessie, and Tula.

Do I need to renew?

With the member drive email going out recently, we've received a number of questions from members about whether they need to renew. Here's how to check. Did you receive this newsletter? If yes, then you should be set. If it feels like you haven't received Communicators Forum emails or the newsletter recently, you can always check the member list. Want to be sure? Email umcf@umn.edu and ask.

2014 Maroon & Gold Awards now accepting submissions

The submission period is now open to enter the University of Minnesota 2014 Maroon & Gold Awards for Communications Excellence. The deadline for all submissions is 3 p.m., Friday, March 21.

Submit entries to the form on Submittable.

There is no cost to enter. Entries must be submitted by a University of Minnesota Communicators Forum member who is a member of the project team. Any work created and used by the University of Minnesota between March 1, 2013 and February 28, 2014 is eligible. Submission period is March 3-21, 2014.

This year, the submission form requires a digital file [PDF] of your entry to accompany your submission for verification purposes.

Awards will be presented at the annual Communicators Forum Member Appreciation Event, May 28, 2014, 3-6 p.m., Weisman Art Museum.

For more information and directions on how to enter, visit the awards section of the Communicators Forum website.

Please direct submission or other awards questions to awards committee member Echo Martin at mart1794@umn.edu.

Message from the chair - March 2014

Hello communicators!

March is awards time for the Communicators Forum. We are excited to offer a number of new categories this year, revised to reflect the work communicators at the University of Minnesota are doing these days, including a new innovator category.

There is no cost for members to enter their work, so go for it! Submissions are due Friday, March 21, by 3 p.m. The winners will be revealed at our annual Member Appreciation Event and Awards Celebration at the Weisman Art Museum, May 28, 3-6 p.m.

It's also time to start planning who will lead the Communicators Forum next year: Who will chair and participate on the committees that make all that good stuff happen? Serve on the board? Do things like run the social media, edit the newsletter, update the website, design materials, and so on? Leadership opportunities abound.

• --If you are interested in participating on or leading a committee, please let the current committee chair know.
• --If you are interested in a role on the board of directors, including social media, newsletter, and other communications activities, please let me know at ran@umn.edu.

Thanks,

Rebecca Noran, chair, Communicators Forum, 2013-14