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MEET THE STAFF

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Heather Barkley, APR
Assistant Director of Public Relations

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)

Professional Experience: 
Heather Barkley, APR, has served in the Office of Public Relations at Huntington University since 2005. She has responsibility for directing the university's news bureau; writing, editing, and distributing news items and feature stories; maintaining a record of news coverage in local and regional newspapers; editing the weekly Campus Bulletin and monthly Academe publications; assisting with content development for Huntington University Magazine, Admissions materials, and other University publications; and submitting institutional research to several university-ranking organizations.

In addition, Barkley serves on the Web Development Team, Marketing Task Force, Crisis Management Team, Commencement Planning Team and Community Enhancement Council. She also manages a team of student writers, including the public relations practicum class in the Department of Communication. In the fall of 2008, she taught Introduction to Communication. In addition, Barkley advises Lambda Omega, Huntington University's chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication studies honor society.

Barkley and Margi Roush, director of alumni relations, co-founded Breast Cancer Awareness Week on Huntington's campus in 2006. Since then, they have co-organized the event every October.

Background: 
Barkley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Olivet Nazarene University (2001). As a student, she served three consecutive terms as the executive editor of the GlimmerGlass, the school newspaper. Post graduation, she used her knowledge and background to teach courses at her alma mater in business & technical writing, creative writing and service learning.

Barkley, along with a professor and another student, presented research at the National Communication Association's 2000 and 2001 annual conventions.

She is originally from Ohio, graduating from Logan Elm High School in 1997. During and after her senior year, Barkley did freelance work for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette (Lancaster, Ohio).

She served as the business reporter for the Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) from 2001-2003. Following that position, she worked as a case manager for adults who have mental illnesses at Thresholds, Inc. (Kankakee, Ill.) and Park Center, Inc. (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

Presentations & Professional Development:

• Member of the Public Relations Society of America
• "PR for the PR Office: Maximizing Rapport with Campus Clients" Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Communication Officers Conference, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich., June 2007.
• 2007 graduate of the Huntington County Leadership Academy
• Member of the Huntington County Leadership Board of Directors, July 2007 to December 2008. Vice president from July to December 2008.
• Member of the Marketing/Media Relations Committee for Pathfinder Services, Inc., June 2007 to December 2008.
• Member of the Huntington Kids Club Board of Directors, June 2007 to May 2009.
• Member of Phi Delta Lambda, an international honor society for graduates of Nazarene colleges and universities who have excelled in scholarship
• 2008 chair of Huntington University's LIVE UNITED campaign for the United Way of Huntington County
• Pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Ministry Leadership through the Huntington University Graduate School

Honors & Awards:

• 2009 Bob Smith Volunteer Award from the United Way of Huntington County
• 2008-2009 Huntington University Staff Member of the Year

Other Interests:
Barkley enjoys traveling, reading, public speaking, photography, and spending time with friends and family. She is passionate about overseas missions. She resides in Wells County with her husband Josh who is an estimator for Barkley Builders, Inc., a residential construction company. The Barkleys are members of Life Church Huntington, a church plant that began in 2005. There, they serve as small group organizers and as part of the mission support team for a family in Southeast Asia.

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