Richmond – Dan Heath, co-author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling business book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, headlines a group of marketing, communications and fundraising leaders who are speaking to institutional advancement and public relations officials from Virginia’s Community Colleges during a biennial development conference June 6-7 at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel & Conference Center in Staunton.  This year’s conference includes a special focus on crisis communications and emergency preparedness understanding the lessons learned from the Virginia Tech shooting.

“I am delighted with the impressive collection of presenters for this conference,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges.  “Professional development opportunities like this are an integral part of serving Virginia families and students effectively and efficiently.  Spreading the word out about the opportunities we offer and communicating effectively in an emergency are responsibilities we take seriously.”

At the conference’s opening keynote session, Heath will be speaking about the necessary elements of making ideas tangible and memorable, reinforcing the concepts he and his co-author brother explored in their popular book.

On Thursday, the conference will conclude with a session focused on how Virginia Community College communicators can effectively update their crisis communications plans with expert advice from Corinne Geller, the Virginia State Police’s Public Relations Manager and Christopher Simpson, CEO and Partner of SimpsonScarborough.

Throughout the conference, attendees will participate in sessions dedicated to working with the media, improving graphic design, better using Web 2.0 resources and effective, creative ways to enhance private partnerships for and contributions to higher education access.

The conference is being funded in part through generous donations from NTELOS and Old Dominion Electric Corporation.

Featured Speakers and Presenters

• Jeff Comfort, Senior Director of Planned Giving, Georgetown University
• Sean Cooke, Lead Instructor, Techead
• Corinne Geller, Public Relations Manager, Virginia State Police
• Dan Heath, Author, Made to Stick:  Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die and Director, Duke Corporation Education in Durham, NC
• Karine Joly, Founder and Editor of www.collegewebeditor.com
• Steve Mullen, President, EndGame Public Relations LLC of Richmond, VA
• David Renz, the Beth K. Smith/Missouri Chair in Nonprofit Leadership and the Director of the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership
• Christopher Simpson, Chief Executive Officer and Partner, SimpsonScarborough
• Jennifer Wishon, Richmond Bureau Chief, WDBJ Television, Roanoke CBS
• For more information about the conference presenters and the schedule of sessions, please visit our web site at www.myfuture.vccs.edu.           

About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Created more than 40 years ago, the VCCS is comprised of 23 community colleges located on 40 campuses across the commonwealth. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than a quarter-million credit students each year. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu.

For more information, contact:
Jeffrey Kraus
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Relations
Virginia’s Community Colleges
804-819-4949