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.

Beth is an innovative and passionate marketing executive with over 20 years of brand, integrated, and digital marketing experience. Fueled by the knowledge that data and creative go hand-in-hand, Beth oversees the marketing and advertising efforts to continue growing the #MBUfamily online and on campus.

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.

Hillary brings over a decade of design and content strategy experience to MBU and leads the integrated communications creative team with a passion for developing engaging, holistic campaigns; the drive to push the envelope and stand out in the noise; and a flair for the unexpected. She has led campus-wide rebranding initiatives in her higher ed career, developed vision and execution plans for national events, and isn’t afraid to dive in headfirst to create compelling content across print and digital platforms to tell the #MBUfamily story and bring our student-centered promise to life.

Nicole is the voice of MBU across social channels and online. As digital content is the modern currency and MBU’s brand is still evolving, it’s a tricky gig. Good thing she has a passion for connecting with people and storytelling. So, let’s connect. ICYMI, the #MBUfamily’s story…it’s kind of a big deal — but we need you to help us do it. Send Nicole your social content and ideas at social@marybaldwin.edu.

As the project manager for the Office of Integrated Communications, Melissa has a lot of juggling to do. Design calendars, production timelines, communications sequences… she balances it all and helps streamline processes to bring the MBU brand to life. Do you have a story to tell but don’t know where to start? Melissa is ready to assist, armed with her calendar and cup of coffee.

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.