Announcement about the Vice President for Communications and Marketing
April 14, 2021
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Today, I write to share with you the news that Angela Paik Schaeffer, our vice president for communications and marketing, will be moving on from her role to launch a strategic consultancy. Over the last four-plus years, Angela’s work has helped significantly to build the college’s public profile and to strengthen engagement and pride among alumni, families, and our campus community.
Angela joined Trinity in January 2017, and she immediately (even before officially beginning in her role) jumped into the strategic planning process that was underway at that time. She contributed greatly to our work and was the lead writer of the plan—Summit—that guides our work today. Ever since, she has done much to advance the goals of Summit, including through communications aimed at recruiting and retaining the very best students, faculty, and staff; telling the story of Trinity’s engagement with Hartford and the wider world; and engaging the broad Trinity community in ensuring a sustainable future for the college.
Highlights of her team’s work include a redesign of the college’s website, a refresh of our visual identity, the development of new admissions marketing materials, improved internal and crisis communications, and new storytelling and publications highlighting Trinity’s relationship to Hartford. Angela also helped to lead major college initiatives, including Bridging Divides and Women at the Summit.
In March 2020, before COVID-19 had been labeled a global pandemic, I asked Angela to co-lead (with Sue Aber) the college’s response. With all of the twists and turns of those early months, Angela stretched beyond her communications role, and her attention to detail helped make our efforts a success. Throughout the pandemic, her communications skills, honed from her early days as a newspaper reporter, provided her insights into what people wanted and needed to know and when it was appropriate to respond, “We simply don’t know yet.” For her clear communications and her dedication during an unprecedented year, Angela leaves behind a grateful community.
Along the way, Angela has supported and strengthened the college’s communications team, developing its expertise in social media, multimedia, design, marketing, and more, laying the foundation for a bright future. She also brought a keen awareness of and deep sensitivity to our numerous communications over the years regarding anti-racism and social justice. And because the news happens 24/7, she worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to ensure that our responses were timely and accurate.
Angela has agreed to stay on through the end of June to allow for a smooth transition and to provide me with time to determine next steps regarding this important role. Please join me in thanking Angela and wishing her well in this exciting next chapter!
Sincerely,
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
President and Trinity College Professor of Neuroscience
