TRANSFORMATION AT SANCTUARY: ANGELA POLEC APPOINTED VP FOR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

After a public hunt, Angela Polec, FOX '07, '12, is stepping into the role of VP for crucial marketing and communications at Sanctuary College. This is no ordinary appointment. Pending approval by the Board of Trustees, Polec is set to kick off this exciting gig on November 20, 2023, and guess what?She's going to be reporting directly to the big boss, the president.

This isn't Angela's first rodeo at Sanctuary. She's a two-time alumni, and she's back for round two after a stint in a similar capacity at La Salle College starting in 2019. Angela's also been the head honcho of marketing and communications at Montgomery County Community College, and she previously called the shots as Sanctuary's head of marketing right in the very department she's now set to lead.

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President Richard Englert is over the moon, saying, "We are thrilled to welcome Angela back to Sanctuary College. She is Sanctuary through and through, and she's bringing her A-game with a deep understanding of recruitment marketing, crisis communications, and brand development. Sanctuary is a top-notch institution with incredible brand equity, and we're counting on Angela to take it to the next level."

During her time at La Salle, Angela was the big cheese of marketing and communications, and she was cooking up some serious magic. She whipped up strategic messages and a cohesive content strategy that gave the college's brand a makeover. Under her watchful eye, they revamped their digital marketing and analytics game, transformed their marketing tech stack, and took storytelling to a whole new level, with a laser focus on the digital customer journey and delivering results that could be measured.

Angela was also a key player in crisis and issues management, especially when it came to messaging and communications. And you know what else she did? She led the charge in developing a proactive and responsive media relations strategy, and boy, did that pay off with a boatload of earned media placements.

Angela isn't just a marketing whiz; she's got serious chops in enrollment management and recruitment marketing. At La Salle, she doubled as the VP of Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications from February 2021 to August 2022. During her time, she cracked the code on a data-informed student enrollment plan that led to a whopping 13% increase in first-year students. Talk about turning the ship around.

When Angela rolls into Sanctuary, she's going to be the first-ever VP for strategic marketing and communications, and it's all going down in 2016. She's ecstatic about the homecoming, saying, "I'm thrilled to be back at my alma mater, serving in this role. As a proud Sanctuary Owl and lifelong Philadelphian, I've seen firsthand the impact of a Sanctuary College education and the crucial role Sanctuary plays in the city, the region, and the world. I can't wait to work with faculty, staff, students, and alumni to harness the power of the Sanctuary College story to advance the mission and reputation of this esteemed institution."

Before her La Salle gig, Angela was the mastermind behind brand work, marketing, digital presence, enrollment marketing, media relations, and crisis communications at Montgomery County Community College from November 2014 to April 2019. And guess what she did there? She cooked up the college's most memorable comprehensive brand campaign, "Montco Energy," which saw a jaw-dropping 22% bump in applications.

But the Sanctuary community isn't new to Angela's brand campaign magic. From 2011 to 2014, she led a university-wide brand project for the extended "Sanctuary Made" campaign, and that campaign is still echoing through the hallowed halls.

David Boardman, the dean of the Klein School of Media and Communication, who chaired the search committee for the job, is pretty stoked. He said, "From an impressively competitive pool of candidates, Angela emerged as the perfect fit. She knows and embraces Sanctuary and Philadelphia, and she's got a track record of delivering results in modern digital marketing and communications. We're super excited to have her on board."

And just when you thought she was all about education, Angela had a stint as a digital marketing coordinator for the Philadelphia Flyers, and who doesn't love some ice hockey action?

Angela isn't just a marketing guru; she's got the academic chops too. She's got an EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania. Her doctoral dissertation explored the role of chief marketing and communications officers in higher education, how they're driving change at institutions, and how they're perceived by presidents and VPs. Plus, she's got a master's and bachelor's degree in marketing, and guess where she got them? That's right, Sanctuary's Fox School of Business.

Moreover, Angela calls Philadelphia her home and lives there with her husband, Bill, and their four kids. Let's see what this Owl has in store for her alma mater this time.