Appointment of Communications Director

Published: January 8th, 1999

Category: Memos

John V. Lombardi, President

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Gail F. Baker as Director of University Communications, effective immediately. During the six-month appointment, Baker will design and implement a comprehensive public relations and communications strategy for the University of Florida. Baker will take a leave of absence from her position as chair of the Department of Public Relations in the College of Journalism and Communications at UF.

As Director of University Communications, Baker will work closely with all communications professionals on campus in researching the effectiveness of the University of Florida communications activities, analyzing current programs, and establishing an overall public relations strategy for the campus. She will report directly to the president and will work with Provost Betty Capaldi on day-to-day issues.

Baker holds a B.S. in Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, a M.S. in Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University and a doctorate in Journalism from the University of Missouri. She is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America and holds a number of national positions in journalism education. Dr. Baker worked for IBM in Chicago handling corporate public relations for a nine-state region. Prior to that she was a public-relations specialist for International Harvester and she has also served as a reporter and managing editor for the Chicago Daily Defender Newspaper.

She is the author of Advertising and Marketing to the New Majority and co-author of Exploding Stereotypes: Milestones in Black Newspaper Research. Baker has written articles and book chapters on her research topics, which include cross-cultural communications, ethnic public relations and advertising. She has won awards for excellence in teaching and scholarship.

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