FAMU Names Two-Time Emmy Award Winner Elise Durham as Assistant Vice President of Communications
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) Vice President of Communications and External Relations Jimmy Miller today named Elise Durham as the assistant vice president of Communications, Media Relations, and Marketing.
Durham, who is a FAMU alumna and accomplished brand manager and television producer, comes to FAMU with more than 20 years of media and public relations experience. For the past 14 years, Durham has worked at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. as the media relations manager and acting director of Strategic Communications. Prior to working at Morehouse, she spent almost 15 years in television news, working in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Houston, and Atlanta.
Durham was hired after a national search to fill the position.
“We are delighted to have someone with the dedication, commitment, and experience of Ms. Durham joining our team,” said Jimmy Miller. “Dozens of highly-qualified candidates applied for the position, but she stood out because of her passion and love for FAMU and its 128-year legacy of providing access to an affordable, first-rate education.”
Commenting on her appointment, Durham said, “This move in my career comes at a very important time for me, personally, and for FAMU. I am honored to come back to my alma mater to work with President Mangum and her team to restore FAMU to its rightful place as a best-in-class university. FAMU is a truly unique institution, and it will be a pleasure to use my experience to enhance its storied brand.”
Durham graduated from FAMU in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She will start work on Nov. 2.
About Elise Durham
Elise Durham is a two-time Emmy and five-time Telly award-winning journalist and public relations professional with more than 20 years of experience. Currently, she is the media relations manager for Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., where she is responsible for managing the college’s relationship with local, regional, and national media. Her primary focus is promoting the college’s image to the general public and protecting the institution’s brand.
She is an expert in communications and change management. She planned and managed the annual convention and career fair for the National Association of Black Journalists, produced and managed all aspects of the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists awards program, and has developed marketing strategies for major national media including: NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight,
The Washington Post, and The New York Times.
She received an Associated Press award for continuous coverage during WSB-TV’s breaking-news coverage of the Buckhead office shootings. The 28th Annual Telly Awards Competition honored her with four awards for the production of a video presentation called “The King Papers,” which was featured as a part of the exclusive exhibit of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection at the Atlanta History Center. In 2008, she won another Telly Award for the production of the Morehouse College Recruitment Video. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, and The Atlanta Press Club.
She grew up in Prince Georges County, Md. and in Tallahassee.
