Strategic Communications Expert Selected as Vice President for Communications

Vice President of Communications Lori Friedman will take on her new role at Lewis & Clark on March 13.Lori Friedman has nearly two decades of experience as a strategic communications and media relations specialist. Friedman was most recently at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where she and her team are credited with dramatically increasing the institution’s visibility and reputation as a national and international higher education leader. During Friedman’s tenure, the team doubled the number of media hits, increased opinion piece placement by 50 percent, and secured stories in influential, top-tier news outlets such as AP, BBC News,The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Washington Post.

Prior to her eight years at Lehigh, Friedman was a strategic communications consultant on projects for high-profile, nonprofit clients of top public relations agencies, including Edelman, Rally Advocacy Agency, and Hershey Cause Communication. She also served as a senior strategic communications leader for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles, CA, helping to increase awareness of the foundation and position it as a leading global healthcare provider and advocacy organization.

Friedman will take on her new role at Lewis & Clark on March 13. As Vice President of Communications and a member of President Robin Holmes-Sullivan’s executive team, she will be responsible for providing vision and leadership for Lewis & Clark’s external and internal communications initiatives, including public, community and media relations; issues and crisis management; executive communications; the web; social media; and video, digital and print marketing.

“Lewis & Clark has an amazing story to tell, but we have historically been too humble to tell it,” said President Holmes-Sullivan. “It will be Lori’s job to tell our story in a way that creates a consistent mission-centered image, brand, and identity that enhances our national and international reputation, improves our rankings and attracts more students and talented faculty and staff.”

Friedman said she is ready and eager to get started.

“I am honored and excited to join Lewis & Clark at this pivotal moment in its journey,” said Friedman. “I can’t wait to work with the senior team, the Office of Communications, and the staff of CAS, the Law School and the Graduate School, to strengthen and grow the institution’s reputation. Thank you to the search committee and President Holmes-Sullivan for the invitation to join this great community and to apply my leadership and experience to advance the institution’s mission.”

In addition to her work at universities and other mission-oriented organizations, Friedman has been an active member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), serving as co-chair of the organization’s Oregon Membership Committee. She received PRSA’s Bronze Anvil Award for Best Nonprofit Annual Report and Best Editorial/Op Ed. Friedman also received the Bulldog PR Award for Best Use of Digital for a Cause.

Friedman received a bachelor’s degree in theatre/literature and a master’s degree in theatre from the University of California, San Diego, in 1993 and 1999, respectively.