Communications Staff

#MBUfamily, if you have an interesting and important story to tell, Liesel wants to help. As AVP of External Affairs, she is the head storyteller for MBU. Liesel serves as liaison to media outlets and government agencies, develops and oversees content creation and delivery — including the MBU newsletter, magazine, and social media.

Leighton connects MBU’s core message to target audiences through news stories and public communications. Not the easiest task in today’s busy world where less is more and competition for people’s attention is fierce. The MBU story, however, is an important one to tell and Leighton is more than up to the challenge. Leighton’s writing and editing skills are on display in MBU news, magazine, and marketing materials.

Eric J. Wallace is an award-winning journalist with 10-plus years of experience writing feature articles for more than 70 print and digital magazines, and numerous businesses, government agencies and nonprofits. His stories have appeared in major national outlets like WIRED, Atlas Obscura, Outside, Backpacker, Okra., VinePair, Modern Farmer, All About Beer, and more.

He is a two-time James Beard Foundation media award nominee and was named an International Association of Culinary Professionals Best Feature Story media award finalist in 2021. His story about a Virginia chef’s effort to revitalize Appalachian foodways was selected for inclusion in the 2021 edition of Best American Food Writing. He won a Virginia Press Association award for Best Feature Writing Portfolio in 2019.

Christi is a spring 2022 graduate of James Madison University having earned a degree in Media Arts & Design. Her current role as Content Creator at MBU is to lead the charge across MBU social media platforms through the enhancement and building of the university’s brand image. She has a passion for all things marketing, communication, and design, and seeks to utilize her professional skills in these areas to represent MBU in a positive and professional manner.

Associate Vice President of Brand Strategy and Creative Direction
Office of Integrated Communications

Gabe is a recent Mary Baldwin University graduate (’22) who is deeply passionate about her community – creating it, nurturing it, and reveling in it. As the social media manager, Gabe is able to continue fostering the university’s community by encouraging collaboration and promoting the MBU brand image across all official affiliate social media accounts. Her strengths lie in providing conscious guidance on social media strategy, account creation, and implementation.