The CVM Staff Council is pleased to highlight the CVM Office of Marketing and Communications (MarCom) in the March 2020 edition of eNews.

What is the CVM MarCom team? What are you responsible for here at the college?

We are a team of marketing and communications professionals whose primary mission is to raise the profile of the College of Veterinary Medicine and to help share the research and expertise of CVM’s experts with the world. We are responsible for the college’s internal and external communications as well as our overall messaging and brand. This covers everything from newsletters, eblasts and CVM’s web presence to our social media channels, ’Scopes, news stories, media relations and the college’s many brand efforts.

Could you each please share a little about who you are and what you do?

Each of us covers a range of communications responsibilities – if you ever have a question, you can come to any of us and we’ll make sure you’re put in contact with the right person. Below are our various roles.

Len Johnson is the assistant dean for marketing and communications. He leads the MarCom strategy for the college, oversees internal and external communication efforts, initiates and manages market research initiatives, and develops and maintains database and measurement tools to assess our efficacy.

Sarah Bassman is the CUHA marketing and communications assistant. She is responsible for client and referring veterinarian communications, provides marketing support for CUHA, and manages events and the hospital’s website.

Melanie Greaver Cordova is managing editor. She operates the college’s social media accounts, writes and edits news for the college and Cornell Chronicle, handles internal communications and is managing editor of ’Scopes.

Eileen Cunningham is the marketing and communications executive assistant. She provides administrative support for MarCom, liaises with vendors and collaborative partners, and plans and handles event and travel planning and management.

Carol Jennings is the multimedia producer. She creates video and photo content for education, strategic communication, news and social media.

Melissa Osgood is the assistant director of media relations and leadership communication. She places CVM experts, research and interesting hospital cases in a variety of media outlets around the world. She also provides media and interview training for college faculty, students and staff.

Tyler Poole is the assistant director of marketing and creative. As an art director his passion is to use design, strategy and collaboration to create intuitive and meaningful experiences and stories. He's in charge of branding, logos, event graphics and overseeing the CU View Event Screens for the college.

Lauren Roberts is assistant director of communications. She manages the CVM homepage, assists in building and editing many other web pages, and is responsible for web user experience and governance. She also writes and edits news stories for the college and the Cornell Chronicle, manages freelance editorial contributors and is the executive editor of ’Scopes.

How many and which publications and “news channels” are you responsible for?

Any official publication from the college typically comes through us. We share stories on our news site, with the Cornell Chronicle, we publish ’Scopes, the CVM annual report, the CVM social media channels, we create various brochures and presentations, and even the banners you see in the parking lot outside the hospital!

Can you describe what your big projects are throughout the year?

It varies depending on that year’s priorities, but can include both issues of ’Scopes, the annual report, leadership speeches and presentations, components of the college’s Westminster campaign and supporting various events. We’re also keyed in to the communications network across Cornell’s campus, including central’s media relations office, the Cornell Chronicle and the new media teams.

What background experiences prepared each of you for your role as part of CVM MarCom?

Len: I started my career at Unilever in consumer packaged goods marketing, managing several product categories and an innovation center. I then moved to McGraw-Hill where I led corporate marketing and had my first exposure to financial services and education marketing. I made the full switch to higher education with a stint at the University of Chicago and now at CVM.

Sarah: I have worked in veterinary medicine field for 16 years, which began in client service at a private practice out west. I truly love this profession and have embraced every opportunity that has become available to broaden my skill and knowledge base surrounding all things vet med. At CUHA I have been an afterhours coordinator, client service representative in both the admissions and discharge offices, veterinary assistant with anesthesia and pain management/rehabilitation and a client and referring veterinarian service coordinator, all before my current role in marketing and communications. From those many experiences I feel I have built an intimate knowledge of CUHA, its clinicians and staff and its external clients.

Melanie: I taught multi-genre writing for several years, and have done a lot of writing both for Cornell and elsewhere, both of which trained me to think of key questions like audience, goal and tone. I came to CVM from the CALS MarCom office, which helped me get acquainted with Cornell and its fast-paced work environment, too.

Eileen: After graduating from college, I worked for a law firm for 15 years as a legal secretary. A desire to do something different, combined with a love for animals, brought me to my next job at CVM. I enjoy assisting with promoting the accomplishments of the veterinary college.

Carol: I’ve been a producer/director of short films, documentaries, educational and marketing media for over 20 years and made hundreds of projects with teams of great people — but none so fabulous as the one I’m on now! I started making films as a student at Cornell, then moved to New York City where I worked as a freelance producer mostly for commercial and corporate clients, and did art films with friends on the side. I moved back to Ithaca more than 20 years ago to run a media production company at Ithaca College and teach courses in cinema production. I started here at CVM in June! 

Melissa: I started my professional career as a television reporter in Cleveland and have always enjoyed telling interesting and informative stories. After leaving the television business, I worked for a private high school and then spent eight years doing communications, marketing and issues management for a national dairy organization. I started my Cornell career promoting research and experts from around Cornell in the university media relations office. I am excited to be at CVM as each day is different and I truly enjoy helping you tell your unique story to the world.

Tyler: I got my start working in marketing and communications for Cornell in the Extension system. With over 10 years’ experience being the entire marketing department, I am grateful to be part of a much larger team at CVM that allows me to focus on design and telling great stories!

Lauren: I have a bachelor’s in biology from Cornell and a M.S. in science journalism from Boston University, and have been writing and editing for the past 11 years. During that time, I’ve worked for NOVA, Harvard Medical School, ABC News, SCIENCE magazine and more — which all helped me better learn how to work with scientists and communicate their work to the public. 

What is most difficult about your work?

Our work priorities can change at the drop of a hat depending on the needs of the college. Right now, for instance, we are fully supporting the university and college’s efforts surrounding COVID-19 planning and communication. In less unique times, the volume of work remains high and we strive to provide an excellent product, which can be a challenge for such diverse audiences. However, these things are also professionally stimulating because it pushes us to find creative solutions, collaborate and grow our skill sets.

What about your work do you enjoy the most?

We are fortunate in being the type of department whose everyday work touches nearly every component of CVM. Some of the most groundbreaking research, clinical and educational work in the world is accomplished here, and we love that we get to be the ones to help you share that work with the world. Each of us agrees that using our marketing and communications skills to enhance how CVM can help animals, people and the planet is one of the most professionally fulfilling joys of the job.

What would you like the CVM community to know about their MarCom team?

We are here to help! If you have questions about how you can share your work with others, if you want media training or brand guidance, if you have an idea for a story or how we can better reach new audiences, please let us know!

Reach out to us using our marketing and communications site, or feel free to stop us in the halls.

Please share anything else you think might be interesting about the CVM MarCom team.

Together, we have over a century’s worth of communications expertise — and we really, truly are here to help you however we can!

Have an idea for a spotlight? Reach out to the CVM Staff Council at cvmstaffcouncil@cornell.edu!