JESSICA ROBERTS CONTINUES HER WORK IN COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE COLLEGE

Jessica Roberts, the MHCC director of marketing and communications, has been in the position for about 14 months now – arriving just in time to take on the challenges of the COVID pandemic.

Roberts started at Mt. Hood in January 2020, and before that, worked as a director of communications at the University of Oregon for three years. She has also worked at different public relations agencies, including time at both Ogilvy and Edelman, the former firm serving popular large clients such as Coca-Cola, Samsung, Pizza Hut, IKEA, Turkish Airlines, and Rolls-Royce.

In her position at MHCC, Roberts works with a communications team whose tasks include managing the social media accounts of the college; sending out digital newsletters (News and Notes), RAVE emergency notification alerts, and press releases; and handling public records requests and all matters involving marketing and advertising. The team will also be working on a brand new MHCC website for the next couple years.

“I really like [that] no two days of work are the same,” she said of her profession.

Roberts said she decided to come to MHCC for a variety of reasons.

“I’m really happy to be here, it’s really nice to be a part of this team. It’s an honor to be leading committed people.

“I have a lot of passion for community colleges,” she added, explaining that she enjoys learning new things and the wider diversity that comes with community colleges.

The pandemic has impacted her position in that the team is busier sending out alerts and updates about campus, as well as communicating with faculty and students, she said.

Roberts was born and raised in Nancy, Kentucky. She attended high school in Somerset, Kentucky, and earned her bachelor’s degree in communications at the University of Louisville, then in 2007 earned her master’s degree in international public relations from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

She is married and has a daughter, who turns two in early April. She and her husband enjoy going for hikes and running marathons, as well.

Outside of work life, Roberts said she likes traveling and eating seafood and street tacos. She also loves listening to a variety of music, including country, hip-hop/rap, classical, European pop hits, and jazz.