Marie Blakey
Marie Blakey, currently the senior director of communications and marketing in the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed to the newly created position of executive director of academic communications at the University. She will report to both Provost Thomas G. Burish and Paul J. Browne, the new vice president for public affairs and communications.
Blakey will have a broad mandate to create an innovative and comprehensive communications strategy that enhances the research and teaching reputation of Notre Dame. She will work closely with the University’s central communications departments and will share oversight of the communications teams in Notre Dame’s colleges, schools, institutes and departments with their respective deans, directors and chairs.
“As an alumna of Notre Dame, Marie has a deep appreciation for and understanding of this University and its mission,” Burish said. “She has excelled in promoting the work of our faculty and students in the College of Arts and Letters, and Paul and I are looking forward to collaborating with her and others in communications to tell the stories of Notre Dame’s broader efforts to make a genuine difference in our world.”
Burish offered his thanks to Matthew V. Storin, chief communications executive, who joined Burish in reviewing and interviewing candidates for the position.
“Matt’s instincts and understanding of the qualities needed for this new position were central to our search,” he said. “I’m grateful for his time, expertise and insight.”
A 1985 graduate, Blakey returned to her alma mater in 2008 to direct strategic communications for the College of Arts and Letters, the University’s oldest and largest college. With a staff of five, she has overseen marketing, editorial and creative projects for the college, which encompasses 20 departments, 500 faculty members and more than 20 research centers, institutes and special programs. She also has served as an adviser and writer for John McGreevy, I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean.
Blakey previously spent two years as director of public relations at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles and four years as director of creative services at Loyola Marymount University, also in Los Angeles.
Prior to her work in higher education, Blakey spent 12 years as an editor and writer with Primedia Business Magazines and Media in Malibu, Calif., and Leisure Publications in Los Angeles.