University Relations Director Brenda Friday Announces Plans to Retire

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on March 16, 2022, One Comment

After being a member of the East Stroudsburg University community for 25 years, Brenda Friday, Ph.D., director of the office of university relations, has announced her retirement effective June 30, 2022.

“Brenda has been a valued member of the University community for 25 years, and she has been more than just a colleague to me and many others over that time,” said ESU Interim President Kenneth Long. “I can remember when I joined ESU, Brenda welcomed me, my wife, Evelyn and three daughters, as if we were family and over the past nine years that has not changed. Brenda’s knowledge and love of ESU, the community and the Pocono region is unmeasurable. It has been a true pleasure working side-by-side with Brenda for these many years and I will honestly miss our routine bantering. She will leave behind an important legacy in our University Relations office and on our campus.”

Dr. Friday began her tenure at ESU in 1997 as Manager of Annual Funds (phonathon coordinator), followed by two years as Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Development, before holding the title of Associate Director of University Relations from 2000 through 2012. She was briefly the Interim Director and was named to her current role as Director in 2013, shortly after the appointment of President Welsh.

Friday has compiled an extensive number of accomplishments in her years at ESU. Among her most recent achievements are chairing ESU’s 125th Anniversary Committee, which was celebrated in 2018, and supervising the launch of ESU’s new brand, logos and tagline, “Where Warriors Belong.” She has been a member of the President’s leadership team, the Middle States accreditation work group, and the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. She has launched multiple marketing initiatives to raise brand awareness and support student recruitment, provided purposeful, collaborative assistance with recruitment and retention initiatives by improving advertising effectiveness and analytics, supervised multiple website redesigns, supervised the creation of ESU’s social media platforms, helped launch two ESU mascots in 2008 and 2017, built and strengthened partnerships with regional media, directed internal and external messaging and awareness, and managed crisis communications.

She offered leadership and assisted with the execution of many significant university events, including: the inauguration of President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., the retirement of President Robert J. Dillman, Ph.D., the Economic Outlook Summit, the launch of the Lehigh Valley campus in Bethlehem, the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Hoeffner Science and Technology Center, the opening of residential suites, ESU’s capital campaigns, Homecoming, Family Weekend, Commencement, the signing of articulation agreements, the first-ever Pocono Concert Series featuring the NEPA Philharmonic, the initial University Authors Receptions, the launch of Lyme-Aid, SECA campaigns, service on the Government Committee of the United Way of Monroe County and the East Stroudsburg Community Alliance Economic Impact Committee, tsunami, Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Sandy relief initiatives, and the ESU Warrior Athletic Club Scholarship Auctions.

Additionally, Dr. Friday developed and implemented the ESyou campaign aimed to recognize faculty and staff members who demonstrated excellence in student-centered service, instituted the “town gown” relationship with Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg with the posting of ESU flags during the fall semester, and initiated the licensing program for ESU that has yielded more than $160,000 in royalty revenue since 2014. She was the administrative chair for WESS student radio administrative council, and was advisor to Lambda Iota and helped to collaborate with the Residence Hall Association to initiate ESU’s first move-in event involving volunteer support. She also organized and implemented alumni events and activities and executed the writing, design and supervised the printing of early versions of the full color Alumni Herald as the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Development.

Plans are underway for a reorganization of the university relations department, and more information will be shared with the campus community at a later date.