203: How a Chief Communications Officer Builds Brands Through Storytelling w/ Dara Royer, Syracuse University [Main T4C episode]

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Dara Royer is the senior vice president and chief communications officer at Syracuse University. She is the first leader of the school’s marketing and communications division and is responsible for oversight of internal and external marketing efforts including media relations, strategic marketing campaigns and brand stewardship for the school. She is in charge of a team of about 80 people who all work to make Syracuse one of the best private universities in the world. Dara has worked in other high-level marketing jobs prior to her joining the higher education world in 2017.  She was previously chief development and marketing officer for Mercy Corps, a leading global humanitarian and development organization where she was responsible for private, corporate and foundation fundraising, global marketing and brand development. Dara  was also in charge of brand marketing for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the largest healthcare charity in the world. Dara started her career as an Emmy and Associated Press award winning television journalist with ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates after earning her bachelor’s degree in history. Are you a solution-oriented, go-getter who enjoys problem solving? Are you looking for ways to articulate your past work experiences in a new field? Are you a curious storyteller that wants to develop audience-driven content? Then this is the episode for you! Tune in to this episode of T4C to hear about Dara’s extraordinary career journey and to learn what it takes to enter the marketing and communications field today. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why it’s important to have experiences and skills outside the classroom
• Why mentorship leads to constructive and invaluable professional feedback
• How this industry has changed over the years and the skills you need to cultivate
• How to create inner confidence and how to be your own cheerleader and build your personal brand
• Why identifying what “fills your tank” is essential to enjoying your job
• Why there is no one path to success and no wrong decisions when starting your career 
• How to embrace and learn from mistakes rather that looking at life as a journey of perfection
• Why you should try to live in the present during college, and beyond