Announcement: Leadership Update

To the Emerson community:

I am excited to announce that Rebekah Carmichael, who has served in senior communications and marketing roles in federal government and higher education and shares our core commitment to storytelling, has accepted my offer to join the College as our new Vice President for Marketing and Communications. She will begin at Emerson on August 1, 2024. I also sincerely thank Michelle Gaseau for her dedication and support as Interim Executive Director and Interim Vice President.

Rebekah’s career has been characterized by building relationships, teams, and capacity to serve strategic institutional objectives. Currently, she is the Associate Vice President for Communications at Carnegie Mellon University. Before that, she was the Chief Communications Officer for NYU Law, where she led the law school’s communications and marketing efforts and helped develop its strategic plan. She also taught at NYU as an adjunct faculty of law.

Rebekah previously served as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Department of Justice, holding positions in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the District of New Jersey and as spokesperson for the Department’s Criminal Division in Washington. While at the Justice Department, Rebekah handled media relations on numerous sensitive and high-profile investigations and prosecutions. Before joining the Department of Justice, Rebekah worked with media and entertainment clients as a risk services broker for a Fortune 500 firm.

Rebekah holds a BA in psychology and studio art from James Madison University and earned an MFA in imaging arts from Rochester Institute of Technology. Her 360-degree communications approach is informed by studies in verbal, visual, and non-verbal communication contextualized by social science.

“It is thrilling to have a leadership role at an institution with deep expertise in fields so close to my heart,” Rebekah said. “I am enthusiastic about Emerson’s future and excited to work with President Bernhardt to advance Emerson’s work in celebrating and facilitating human connection.”

Please join me in congratulating Rebekah, welcoming her to Emerson, and thanking Michelle for her excellent work.

Sincerely,

Jay M. Bernhardt

President