Lorra Brown is the certainly worthy of the PR Queen title HCWPUNJ has rewarded her with! Professor Brown actively promotes the public relations sphere for the Communication Department and is always willing to help students out by providing valuable internship opportunities and other experiences. As a graduate director, internship coordinator, club advisor and professor, Professor Brown eagerly leads the Communication students to success and is a familiar face on campus. Her strong dedication and support for William Paterson students is extremely commendable, which is why she deserves to be our first member of the university’s staff to be featured as a campus celebrity!
What are your many job titles?
- Graduate Program Director, M.A. in Professional Communication
- Communication Internship Coordinator
- Advisor, Student Public Relations Association (SPRA)
- Assistant Professor, Public Relations, Department of Communication
What classes do you teach?
I teach a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses. Public Relations Workshop, Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility, Professional Seminar, Senior Capstone and others.
What is your undergraduate degree in? Graduate?
My undergraduate degree is in Public Relations/Journalism with a minor in Theatre. My graduate degree is an M.A. in Corporate & Organizational Communication with a marketing concentration
Where did you attend college?
I attended Mansfield University of Pennsylvania (one of the few schools that had a PR specialty at the time) and Fairleigh Dickinson University, as it was a graduate program that allowed access to M.B.A. coursework.
When did you realize PR was your passion?
In high school I was active in student government and other leadership activities. Our senior counselor gave us a career “quiz” and public relations, lobbyist, teacher and lawyer were the professions slated as ideal for me. I had no idea what public relations was until I read this description of the career path.
Where have you previously been employed and what positions did you hold?
Most recently I was Senior Vice President / Group Director of Ogilvy’s consumer marketing practice. Prior to that position I was a Managing Director at Weber Shandwick’s travel & lifestyle practice. I launched my career at boutique PR firms specializing in sports, travel, and lifestyle brands. See a complete list of Professor Brown’s many accomplishments in the workplace here.
Tell us about your most memorable experiences working in the PR industry.
On of my greatest accomplishments was running the American Red Cross Save a Life tour, which visited more than 345 cities and helped ARC increase blood donations in under-served minority communities. There were many other great memories – launching the world’s largest cruise ship, helping with crisis management, business recovery efforts and community philanthropy travel clients impacted by 9/11 (we represented both American Airlines and Marriott Hotels during this time so there were serious personally tragic elements to our work and for our colleagues and clients).
Why is it so critical that PR students get internship experience?
Most PR firms won’t hire a student who has not interned. PR is such a broad and applied profession. Students cannot achieve without having real-world experience to complement their academic studies. We do work closely with students to ensure our coursework provides rigorous practical skills and knowledge that students can immediately apply to careers and internships.
What advice would you give students entering the PR/Business world? What skills are needed?
Students must be critical thinkers, problem solvers, strong communicators (writing and oral). In the increasingly digital world, students who have the ability and confidence to generate ideas that can positively impact their organization or client will succeed. PR is no longer just about getting publicity. Instead, public relations professionals are really integrated marketing professionals and strategic communicators who help businesses achieve not only communication objectives but also business objectives. Students must also be open-minded, driven, and proactive. PR is a rapidly changing, dynamic industry that is essentially recession proof. PR applies to virtually every industry, so there are amazing opportunities for students to achieve in a variety of professional settings!
For more WPUNJ-related public relations material and updates, check out Professor Brown’s social media platforms listed below!