Colorado College is pleased to announce that Johanna Blickenstaff is the new Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing. Blickenstaff comes to CC from the University of Denver, where she held progressive leadership positions for over three years.
Blickenstaff started her role on October 21 and jumped into executing a number of new measures. In addition to leading the Office of Communications and Marketing, Blickenstaff is developing a research-based, multichannel messaging, marketing, and brand management plan for CC. She oversees the college’s branding work with the marketing agency Truth & Consequences, collaborates with Advancement and Enrollment on targeted engagement efforts, and guides a cohesive, integrated vision for messaging and storytelling that enhances the CC brand.
“I am joining this community at an exciting time as we commemorate Colorado College’s 150th anniversary and envision new ways to support and prepare the leaders of tomorrow,” said Blickenstaff. “I believe the liberal arts are best experienced in an immersive, hands-on environment — and that is what CC, and the Block Plan, delivers. I am eager to share its value with new audiences and re-engage alumni as we tell the powerful stories that set this college apart.”
Most recently, Blickenstaff was Associate Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Strategic Positioning at DU, overseeing reputation and revenue-generation efforts and leading large-scale communications and marketing initiatives aligned with DU’s values and priorities.
Blickenstaff also spent 13 years in brand and digital marketing roles at her alma mater, the University of Idaho. She led the creation and release of multiple university-wide brand campaigns, developed audience segmentation strategies and standards, and worked extensively in enrollment marketing to drive engagement with prospective students and families.
“I know the college will benefit from Johanna’s strategic expertise, depth of experience in higher education, and collaborative leadership style,” said Interim President Manya Whitaker. “I want to thank the members of our search committee, who were dedicated to this process for many months, as well as to the search firm WittKieffer for helping us identify the leadership qualities and skillset we were seeking in this role, and for bringing forward a strong candidate pool — of which Johanna rose to the top.”
Blickenstaff holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Idaho.