DelVal’s media relations coordinator chosen for Rising Star Award

Annmarie Ely, Delaware Valley University’s media relations and publications coordinator has been selected for the 2016 Joseph W. Donovan Young Professional/Rising Star Award. The award will be presented at the College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals Conference (CUPRAP) at the Hotel Hershey on Thursday, March 10. Past recipients include: Samuel Wagner assistant director of communications for Mount Aloysius College (2015); Molly Israel, Ithaca College’s director of communications (2014); Rosie Braude, an assistant director in the media and public relations department at Rowan University (2013); Bill Keller, Muhlenberg College’s senior director of communication(2012); and Whittney Trueax, a Penn State marketing specialist (2011).

“In most institutions, the tasks that are Annmarie’s responsibilities would be split among a minimum of two people – the media relations director and the editor of the alumni magazine,” said Laurie Ward, DelVal’s chief marketing and communications officer in the nomination. “Annmarie finds a way to juggle – and excel at – both jobs, by taking a systematic approach to story telling and creating opportunities to tell the story from a different angle….One of Annmarie’s many strengths is her ability to create strong relationships with the media, by giving them what they need. As someone who is willing to share her knowledge, she has worked with students in our media and communication program and has assigned stories to them for Horizons (the alumni magazine), which allows them to have published clips before they graduate.”

The award, started in 2011, recognizes a person with great potential in the communications field. The winner must be under 40 years old. In addition to a plaque, the winner is awarded a scholarship to attend the annual CUPRAP spring conference.

Ely became a full-time member of DelVal’s team in 2011. At DelVal, she manages all media relations for the University and works to highlight DelVal’s stories in the media. She is also the managing editor of the University’s alumni magazine. During her time at DelVal, she has been part of announcing exciting changes at the school including the move to university status and the selection of the institution’s first female president. She earned her B.A. in English, with a specialization in journalism, at Millersville University. She is currently a student in Delaware Valley University’s MBA program. Before joining DelVal, she interned with The Intelligencer, a daily newspaper in Doylestown, where she wrote feature stories and community news. She has also served as a freelance writer. Follow @AnnmarieDelVal to connect with Ely on Twitter.