KEVIN C. KAUFMAN • 215/651-6551 • kauf99@comcast.net
Experienced higher education strategic communications professional
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Came to Hawk Hill to handle the editorial side of the advancement
communications effort: monthly alumni e-newsletter, issue-, newsand initiative-related talking points for gift officers, edit and write
the four-page advancement spread in the university magazine and
mid-level event scripts … Three years into the position, continue
these tasks using metrics and analytics to seek constant improve
in quality, content, timeliness and effectiveness … Taken on other
responsibilities, which has freed my supervisor to concentrate more on her
administrative duties … Duties have expanded to entail communications
consulting, strategy and planning, presidential scripting and speechwriting
and scripting for all events, including the signature-level gala and hall of
fame dinner … As part of a project team, manage the strategic development,
selecting, assigning, editing and approval of the feature story content of the
three-time-yearly online president’s report, one of which includes the honor
roll of donors … Conceptualized and contributed to the success of campuswide scholarship campaign kickoff, at which the community set a Guinness
World Record for the “longest continuous group flap.” … Create and project
manage numerous CMS-based e-newsletters and several printed newsletters
from concept to delivery … Write press releases and feature stories and
contribute graphic design and desktop publishing skills.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF
ADVANCEMENT COMMUNICATIONS
Saint Joseph’s University
Philadelphia
August 2012 – present
Hired as a media relations manager … Utilizing relationships with
reporters, editors and assignment desks, immediately attracted
the university unprecedented local news media coverage … Fox29
broadcast a four-minute feature about the Kinks-based rock opera
the theater arts school was performing … The Philadelphia Inquirer
featured enrollment management’s forward thinking in a front page,
above-the-fold story about the impending decrease in college-aged
children related to aging Baby Boomers … Conceptualized and brought to
fruition a campus-wide weekly email featuring relevant events and news
and timely announcements … Named assistant director with the addition
of becoming writer, editor and project manager of the three-time-a-year
alumni magazine … Was editor and writer for re-imagined, re-launched alumni
magazine … With the advent of segmented email marketing, developed and
implemented a monthly e-newsletter for all alumni, parents and friends …
Was editor and writer of the universityʼs internal e-newsletter … Launched
and managed the university’s Facebook and Twitter accounts … Regularly
collaborated with university president and upper-level administrators on
strategic news media and editorial planning … Developed and implemented
cross-media news gathering and distribution operation.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF
UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
The University of the Arts
Philadelphia
June 2005 – September 2010
Kevin Kaufman / Pg. 1
NEWS BUREAU DIRECTOR
Drexel University
Philadelphia
May 2000 – May 2004
Facilitated news media relations for 11 academic units on four
campuses encompassing nearly 18,000 students and 5,000 faculty
and staff … Researched, wrote and distributed news releases, media
kits and other materials that led to features, bump segments and
expert interviews on the local television news broadcasts … Faculty,
students and university initiatives were regularly featured in the pages of
The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News and on the Associated Press wire …
Successfully pitched the Wall Street Journal on a trend story about the rise
of affinity banking that utilized the University’s online affinity banking project
as the story lead … CNN came to campus for a full-day shoot for a story
about the University’s wireless network. The story ran on several CNN shows
and Headline News … During NBC’s 2002 Winter Olympics coverage, a Thai
native science professor who qualified for the Games’ cross country skiing
competition garnered coverage for the university after I pitched and facilitated
the story … Maintained in newly launched Dateline Drexel, the university’s
online “newsroom.”
Supported sales and operations through internal and external
communications efforts for an Engineering News Record top 150
firm with more than 500 employees and 16 offices worldwide …
Wrote press releases, feature stories, newsletters, announcements,
brochures, website copy … Designed newsletters, program book
advertisements, brochures and marketing collateral … Placed stories in local
and industry-specific news media outlets.
PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR
Pennoni Associates
Philadelphia
December 1997 – December 1999
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ATHLETIC
COMMUNICATIONS / PUBLICATIONS
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
August 1996 - December 1997
Wrote, designed and project managed 95 percent of athletic
department’s publications, including media guides, event and
game programs, schedule cards, newsletters, ticket brochures and
development pieces … Conceptualized and carried out a publications
overhaul that led to a uniform look to media guides and game day
publications and saved considerable money.
EDUCATION
Master of Education, athletic administration, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, May 1995
Bachelor of Science, news-editorial journalism, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, May 1992
Kevin Kaufman / Pg. 2