By: Ayah Galal
Quinnipiac University announced on Wednesday Mark G. Contreras will become the next School of Communications dean. The current dean, Lee Kamlet, is retiring at the end of the month and Contreras’ appointment will go into effect on Aug. 23.
“I am excited to begin work with a group of creative, talented and dedicated faculty and staff of the School of Communications,” Contreras said in a statement. “I look forward to working collaboratively with all constituencies of the School of Communications and the university to increase the school’s resources to advance the interests of our students’ education and future careers.”
Contreras is the chief executive officer of Calkins Media Incorporated, a television broadcasting, newspaper publishing and digital company in Pennsylvania and he previously worked as a senior vice president for the E. W. Scripps Company in Ohio.
In his new position, Contreras will oversee the 950 School of Communications students and 29 full-time faculty members.
Contreras, who has a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard, is Chairman of the Newspaper Association of America and a Board Member for the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, according to his LinkedIn page. He also served as Chairman of the National Press Institute for 12 years.
“[Contreras] understands the rapidly changing and emerging trends in the communications industry, which will help to ensure that we deliver on our promise of the highest quality education for our students,” Executive Vice President and Provost Mark Thompson said.
