Kate Stuard
Communications Director
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Interned at WISH-TV as a promotions intern.
Moved to Chicago after college to pursue a job in event planning at Red Frog Events. I quickly realized event planning (and Chicago) were not for me.
Moved back to Indianapolis and began my communications career at Bandy Carroll Hellige as a Communications Coordinator.
After a couple of years at BCH, I moved on to another public relations agency called Dittoe PR as an Account Executive.
Within two years, I was promoted to Senior Account Manager at Dittoe Public Relations.
I decided to make a career change and began my job as Communications Director for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Normal Community High School
Normal Community High School
Bachelor
Double Major: Communications and English Literature
Butler Univeristy
Double Major: Communications and English Literature
Butler Univeristy
Career
Communications Director
I oversee our communications strategy and handle media relations.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Writing
Education
Communicating / Sharing Stories
Day to Day
In my role, every day is different! A job in communications is great for someone who likes to pursue a new challenge each day. Some days I spend writing (talking points, press releases, etc.) and others I spend sharing communications thoughts and strategies with other members of the office and / or community partners. I also work a LOT with members of the media, so it's important for me to keep up with current events and industry trends.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
The very first step would be to talk to someone in that career. Reach out and ask someone to grab coffee or lunch just to chat! You'd be surprised by the amount of people who say yes. Use that opportunity to ask questions about the job / field and start to get a better understanding of how they got to where they are today.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Double Major: Communications and English Literature
Double Major: Communications and English Literature
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"There aren't any jobs out there for English majors."
Interviewed By
