Lorra Brown joined the University of North Carolina’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media in July 2025. She brings more than 30 years experience spanning higher education, public relations and integrated marketing. Before joining UNC, Brown served as an associate professor, internship coordinator and graduate director at William Paterson University, where she created and led innovative academic programs.
In her new role Brown develops and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in public relations and brand writing, integrated marketing communication, reputation management and corporate social responsibility. She also serves as director of online graduate certificates in the M.A. Digital Communication program.
An accomplished program and curriculum developer, at WP Brown led the creation and launch of a new BA in Public Relations, MA in Professional Communication and developed a fully online MA in Integrated Marketing Communication including accellerated certificate bundles.
As a professor, internship and career expert and former senior PR agency executive, Brown has spent more than 30 years providing internship, career and management guidance to students and PR professionals. Brown was recognized with numerous university awards for her committment to academic excellence and student success.
As a lifelong coach and mentor to students and professionals at all levels, Brown created this site to share wisdom and resources including:
- Management, leadership, general career and professional advice
- Industry news links and commentary
- Public relations, strategic corporate communication, integrated marketing and advertising insights
- Internship, job and career leads
- Resume, interview and cover letter tips
- Guidance for navigating public relations, marketing and communication industries and the increasingly blurry lines across social media, digital media, news and marketing disciplines
As an educator, Brown strives to share her business experiences with students to provide them with real-world scenarios which they can apply to future professional situations. Her teaching philosophy encompasses professional practice-based learning. She is committed to helping students build their skill sets and knowledge base to become outstanding members of the workforce and society. She has a long track record of placing students in meaningful paid internship experiences and has extensive job placement outcomes.
Before transitioning to higher education at higher education, Brown was a senior vice president at Ogilvy where she led its New York consumer marketing practice. She chose to step down from her position at Ogilvy following the birth of her first child. During her tenure at Ogilvy she worked such industry leaders as LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Johnson & Johnson, Target Stores, SlimFast, Cendant (including CheapTickets, Orbitz, Lodging.com), General Mills, Jackson-Hewitt, Ortho-McNeil, Virgin Atlantic Airways and the American Red Cross Save a Life Tour, which was the largest blood donor initiative in Red Cross history. Particularly skilled at managing cross-practice business, Brown led accounts spanning the consumer marketing, travel, entertainment, corporate, technology, public affairs and health & medical sectors.
Brown was recognized with Ogilvy’s Professional Achievement Award for Best in Show cross-practice collaboration on the team who created the National Institutes of Health: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), “The Heart Truth” Red Dress® campaign. The iconic integrated marketing campaign doubled women’s awareness of their biggest health threat. The Heart Truth® and Ogilvy Public Relations received numerous industry awards, including PRSA’s Silver Anvil, the Holmes Group Gold Sabre and was recognized by PR Week as one of the top campaigns of the last 20 years.
Prior to Ogilvy, Brown was a Managing Director at Weber Shandwick where she helped launch their travel and lifestyle practice. She oversaw marketing communication activities for Royal Caribbean International, Lindblad Expeditions and The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s Grand Bahama Island business. She began her public relations career at boutique New York City firms working on a variety of sports, travel, culinary and lifestyle accounts. Many of Brown’s client programs were recognized with public relations industry awards including the PRSA Silver Anvil and Big Apple, CIPRAs, SABREs and HSMAI Awards.
During her time at WP Professor Brown received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Service, the “Student’s First” President’s Award and has been recognized as Advisor of the Year three times by the Student Government Association for her work with the Student Public Relations Association (SPRA)/Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and as an academic and career advisor. The club was recognized with the Pioneer Award as the best new organization on campus when Brown founded it with students back in 2007. Professor Brown previously served as an advisor for the student-run newspaper the Pioneer Times.
For the Public Relations Society of America she is a frequent featured panelist and previously served as a judge for the Silver Anvil, Bronze Anvil and Bateman industry competitions. Brown’s articles about careers, internships, workplace gender issues and management have appeared in PR Strategies & Tactics, PRSay blog, PR Daily and Employee Relations journal.
Brown earned a Master of Arts Degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor of Arts from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania where she was named Outstanding Communication Major.
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