Kelly Shannon, vice president for marketing and communication, announced that she will be retiring later this spring. She indicated that this is the right time for her to transition out of working full time after a 40-plus year career with more than 15 of those years in higher education.
She has made significant contributions in her more than two-and-a-half years with Saint Mary’s. “Ms. Shannon shared her many gifts and talents with Saint Mary’s and gave her full attention, commitment, energy, and creativity to our collective work,” said Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D. “She has been an excellent colleague and accomplished a great deal, which leaves the university in a stronger position as we focus on our future.”
Among her accomplishments, Father Burns noted the following initiatives led by her and her team that have positively impacted the strategic plan and operating goals of the university:
- Rebuilt, set metrics, and developed the marketing and communication function and team.
- Created and launched Saint Mary’s new brand; one that is consistent, compelling, and relevant to our many stakeholders.
- Launched a new website that is already seeing a significant increase in new and repeat visitors, length of time spent on the site, and major increases in clicks on request for information forms and applications.
- Improved the amount and quality of internal communications around key news and information, important for all stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and students.
Shannon provided advance notice to ensure a smooth and orderly transition for the marketing and communication team and the many partners the team serves. To that end, and through a targeted search, Michelle Rovang, a communication and marketing strategist with significant experience and success in Catholic higher education, will join Saint Mary’s in April as vice president for marketing and communication.
Rovang consulted with Saint Mary’s for several months in 2021 on several strategic academic and enrollment marketing and communication projects, and her work and leadership was recognized and well received. Rovang served as the director of the Veritas Institute at the University of St. Thomas, Opus College of Business for a dozen years. While in that role, she handled branding, social media, partnerships, and connected the larger university community and external partners to the mission and vision of the institute, focused on socially responsible organizational conduct.
Additionally, she served as vice president for advancement for a healthcare foundation, has significant experience in community outreach, was managing director for a full-service marketing and advertising firm, and has experience in the classroom as a course-contracted faculty member in the areas of public relations, public speaking, and interpersonal communications. She holds a Master of Business Communication from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Notre Dame.
“I believe strongly in the transformative power of education, particularly Catholic education, and am excited to be joining Saint Mary’s at this time in its storied Lasallian history,” said Rovang. “Saint Mary’s has a great story to tell and I will be privileged to spread the good news in collaboration with excellent colleagues.”
Shannon will work with Rovang to ensure a smooth transition.
