KENT, Ohio -- Eric Mansfield, WKYC-TV anchor and reporter, will become Kent State University’s new executive director for university media relations. The award-winning journalist and Akron native begins his new position June 1.
Mansfield will lead the media relations team in the university communications and marketing department. He will be responsible for developing and implementing public relations plans and strategies to enhance the university’s image with internal and external audiences. He also will be involved with Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, teaching and mentoring journalism students.
“He will increase our capacity to continue to tell our great story and reinforce Kent State’s role as northeast Ohio’s leading public university, and help us leverage the recognition we are gaining nationally," said Tom Neumann, associate vice president for university communications and marketing. “Over the years, he has covered Kent State and has done stories on our students’ successes, served as a guest speaker at our School of Journalism and Mass Communication and has spent many hours on our campus with his youngest son’s involvement in our musical productions. He also is pursuing his master’s degree from Kent State."
Mansfield said he is looking forward to this new position with Kent State. "As much as I love being a journalist, I’m really excited about working with young journalists, crafting their skills at Kent State,” he stated.
Mansfield received bachelor’s degrees in journalism and broadcasting from the University of Dayton. He expects to earn a master’s degree in public relations from Kent State in fall 2012. He began his professional broadcast career doing play-by-play sports announcing in college and later anchored overnight news reports at WHIO-TV in Dayton. In 1992, Mansfield came home to Akron as an anchor-reporter with WAKC-TV.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.