Communicator roundtables are small-group, affinity-based meetings for campus communicators. Each of the roundtables meets regularly with the goal of building communities of practice in support of the university’s communications and marketing objectives. Roundtables are co-facilitated by someone on the Office of Communications and Marketing staff and a member of our campus community. Below is a description of each of the roundtable group along with its meeting and communication details.
Roundtable Details
Content Development Roundtable
Ideal for campus communicators who plan, develop, write, and share feature and news stories with internal and external audiences. The group meets quarterly (on the third Wednesdays of those months) to cover topics such as content strategy, writing memorable and UT-centric stories and articles, ideas for creative storytelling through various media, grammar and editorial usage, and more.
Co-facilitators:
- Erica Estep, assistant director of news and information in the Office of Communications and Marketing, eestep2@utk.edu
- Deborah Crouse, director of communications and marketing for the College of Communication and Information, dcrouse@utk.edu
To receive invites and updates relevant to the content development roundtable meetings, email Erica Estep at eestep2@utk.edu.
- Wednesday, September 20, 2023 11 a.m., Student Union Room 270
- Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 11 a.m., Student Union Room 270
- Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 11 a.m., Student Union Room 270 (combined with Social Media Roundtable)
Design Roundtable
Ideal for designers and visual communication professionals who utilize the university’s brand identity to create communications for their units. The group meets monthly to share work among members, discuss challenges and opportunities, deepen professional connections between campus designers, identify design needs, and work together to develop tools and resources that elevate the university’s visual identity.
Co-facilitators:
- Patrick Wolf, director of creative communications in the Office of Communications and Marketing, pwolf1@utk.edu.
- Kristy Keel-Blackmon, creative manager for the Institute for Public Service, kristy.kb@tennessee.edu
The design roundtable also keeps in touch through a Slack channel. Email Patrick Wolf at pwolf1@utk.edu with a request to join.
- Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 11 a.m., Geier Hall Room 033/034
- Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 11 a.m., Student Union Room 270
- Tuesday, January 9, 2024, 11 a.m., Geier Hall Room 033/034
- Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 11 a.m., Student Union Room 270
- Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 11 a.m., Student Union Room 270
Multimedia Roundtable
Ideal for campus communicators who produce and utilize video, audio, and photography in creative communications for their unit. The group meets every other month (on the last Tuesdays of those months) to share work, ask questions, learn new techniques, work together to develop tools and resources that elevate the university’s visual identity, and discuss best practices for video production, audio production, and photography.
Co-facilitators:
- Isaac Fowler, senior video producer in the Office of Communications and Marketing, ifowler1@utk.edu.
- Jason Moody, communications manager in the Center for Global Engagement, jmoody9@utk.edu.
To receive Outlook invites to the multimedia roundtable meetings, email Isaac Fowler at ifowler1@utk.edu.
- Thursday, October 19, 2023, 11 a.m., OCM Photo Studio
- Thursday, January 18, 2024, 11 a.m., Student Union Room 270
- Thursday, April 18, 2024, 11 a.m., OCM Photo Studio
Social Media Roundtable
Ideal for communication professionals from across campus who support their units and the university through official social media accounts. The group’s meetings offer a space to ask questions, share tips, find opportunities for collaboration, get ideas, and even brag a little.
Co-facilitators:
- Carrie Mills, social media manager in the Office of Communications and Marketing, cmills27@utk.edu.
- Rachel Heckle, social media coordinator in the Office of Advancement, rheckle@utfi.org.
To receive Outlook invites to the social media roundtable meetings, email Carrie Mills at cmills27@utk.edu.
- Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 10:30 a.m., Culinary Institute and Creamery A/B – 128/129
- Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 10:30 a.m., Student Union Room 270
- Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 10:30 a.m., Zoom (email facilitators for access)
- NO January meeting (cancelled due to holidays)
- Tuesday, February 6, 2024, 10:30 a.m., Student Union Room 270
- Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 11:00 a.m., Student Union Room 270 (combined with Content Development Roundtable)
- Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 10:30 a.m.,Culinary Institute and Creamery A/B – 128/129
- Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 10:30 a.m., Zoom (email facilitators for access)
The social media roundtable group also keeps in touch through the Big Orange Social Facebook group. Request to join the group through Facebook.
Web Developers Roundtable:
A community of creative technical professionals sharing ideas, problems, and solutions related to web development and digital communications. It is ideal for web designers, web developers, digital content managers, digital marketing specialists, and IT specialists. The group meets virtually three times a year to provide opportunities for digital communications professionals to connect with colleagues, learn best practices, and collaborate on shared university resources.
Co-facilitators:
- Michael Purdy, assistant director of digital communications in the Office of Communications and Marketing, purdy@utk.edu.
- Brittney VanDeventer, web developer-designer for Tickle College of Engineering, bvandeventer@utk.edu
To receive Outlook invites to the web developers roundtable meetings (including each meeting’s link), email Michael Purdy at purdy@utk.edu.
- Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 2 p.m., Zoom (email facilitators for access)
- Wednesday, February 28, 2024, 2 p.m., Zoom (email facilitators for access)
The web developers roundtable also keeps in touch through a Slack channel. Email Michael Purdy at purdy@utk.edu with a request to join.