Teresa Flannery Joins SBU as Marketing and Communications Interim VP

Teresa “Terry” Flannery, PhD, one of the leading marketing and communications professionals in higher education, has been appointed Interim Vice President for Marketing and Communications for Stony Brook University, effective August 17, 2020, announced President Maurie McInnis. In this role, Flannery will lead the marketing and communications teams responsible for the academic and research enterprise, Stony Brook Medicine, and the Stony Brook Medicine Healthcare System, and will serve on the President’s executive leadership team.

With 35 years of higher education experience in a wide range of functions, most recently as a Policy Fellow at the Center for University Excellence at American University, Flannery also served as Vice President for Communication and a member of the executive team at American from 2008-2019. She also served at the University of Maryland in a number of roles, including 11 years as its first chief marketing and communications officer. She helped her institutions raise their profiles, elevate perceptions of quality, improve their digital and internal communications, and accelerate enrollment and advancement performance.

“We are at an important moment in our history as an institution, when internal communication, common understanding of our fiscal situation, and greater awareness of our University’s distinctive strengths have never been more important,” President McInnis said. “That is why I am pleased that we have identified a nationally recognized leader to guide our marketing and communication efforts at such a critical time.”

A well-rounded leader with a PhD from Maryland in a renowned program in higher education and student development, and a former fellow at The Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership, Flannery is known for creativity, innovation and inclusion. She was instrumental in leading the development of a university-wide student success initiative and its first Plan for Inclusive Excellence at American University. She is passionate about demonstrating the value of higher education to transform lives and societies, and her leadership network extends across the globe, serving as Chair-Elect of the Board of Trustees of CASE, one of the largest global education associations in the world. Flannery spent the past year completing a book, How to Market A University: Building Value in a Competitive Environment, soon to be published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.

“I am enthusiastic about joining a talented Stony Brook team and building on all that has been accomplished,” said Flannery. “I look forward to learning more about this incredible community, and am grateful for the opportunity to help demonstrate the value and impact of Stony Brook — an extraordinary University.”