This series will feature career advice from IPR ELEVATE Members. IPR ELEVATE is a diverse and select membership community of high-performing innovators and catalysts for growth, change, and advancement who support the mission and insights-focused work of IPR.
Carina Sitkus is a communications and public relations professional with 14 years of experience, a bachelor’s in journalism and political science from Rutgers University, and a master’s in urban education policy from Brown University.
She started her career as a science teacher and corps member in Teach For America, a highly selective corps and diverse network of leaders who confront educational inequity by teaching for at least two years. Then, she returned to her writing and communications roots and helped lead the communications strategy and fundraising for a network of K-12 charter schools in Rhode Island. These early career experiences developed her passion and commitment to education and solidified her natural role as a communicator.
More recently, she has been in the higher education space. At Gettysburg College, as the director of communications and content strategy, she oversaw the College’s content strategy.
Today, she is at Lehigh University, where she is the director of communications leading crisis and strategic institutional communications.
As a communicator who is passionate about writing, over the past decade she has developed a freelance writing and editing business. She serves on the board of CUPRAP (College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals), a voluntary organization of communications professionals from colleges, universities and independent schools dedicated to advancing the understanding of higher education and enhancing the professional development of its members.
What inspired you to join IPR ELEVATE?
I was introduced to IPR by Brett Ludwig, IPR trustee and treasurer, and vice president for communications and public affairs at Lehigh University. Having always been involved in research in some capacity (first in the science world, then communications and working in higher education), I value IPR’s intentional connection between research and practice and the opportunity to connect with top leaders in different sectors who are shaping the future of communications. It’s been a pleasure to get to know the incredible IPR staff, my ELEVATE colleagues, and the trustees and members who have been gracious in sharing their time, knowledge, and experiences. I cannot recommend IPR ELEVATE more highly.
What is your biggest takeaway from your IPR ELEVATE experience?
Making learning—from both research and one another—a part of our regular practice as communicators helps us to stay ahead of the next curve and maintain important perspective. While part of ELEVATE, I’ve also attended the IPR Bridge Conference and the IPR Commissions and Centers Summit and participated in several online programs and discussions. I’ve gleaned practical takeaways on topics ranging from generative AI and employee perceptions of disability inclusion to the impact of disinformation and how to communicate effectively using humor—IPR is always sharing new information on a variety of topics, which provides fresh perspectives and new ideas.
How would you describe your experience at the most recent IPR Bridge Conference?
Informative, productive, and engaging. I loved the breadth and depth of the content and the balance of short and longer sessions on various topics.
As the Director of Communications at Lehigh University, what is your method behind navigating crisis communications?
Fully understanding the context in which we are communicating and meeting the moment with the appropriate tool (whether that’s a certain tone or specific medium) is critical. For emergencies, speed is important and a direct style may be most appropriate to convey time-sensitive information. Other times, sharing thoughtful context and adopting a more relational tone that addresses the emotional needs of an audience may be more appropriate.
It’s important to understand the needs of your audiences and stakeholders, and the values and information your organization and leaders aim to convey. Given the speed information is shared on social media, it can be incredibly difficult to strike the right balance. So being proactive and staying attuned to developing contexts before they become crises is also extremely important.
What skill do you think has helped you most when you are faced with a strategic communication decision?
Listening—analyzing and distilling information, identifying patterns, and making connections across diverse sources of information. I think many people assume crisis communicators have to be forceful or the loudest voice in the room—I have found it to be the opposite in my experience. Listening and staying calm go a long way in stressful situations.
Any advice for young professionals?
Don’t underestimate the power of asking smart questions of people who have more experience than you when you are early in your career. Confidence is great, but no one expects you to know everything early in your career. It’s the perfect time to soak in as much knowledge as you can and let people take you under their wing. You won’t get as many chances to do that later in your career. I’m very fortunate to have had several amazing mentors over the years. People generally like to mentor and share their knowledge with those just starting—the best thing you can do is take them up on it and embrace a growth mindset. You never know where learning something new will take you in your career. Having humility and the ability to listen and learn are important at every stage.
How has your background in journalism and education/academia influenced your career journey?
A passion for good stories and content has been a throughline of my career. And being a naturally curious person has driven much of my path. I’ve always been drawn to different fields like science and technology and making connections across different areas—-that’s what I love about communications and education. I get to be immersed in different worlds and learn new things daily.
In starting your own freelance writing and editing business, what have you learned about yourself as a writer and communicator?
Change is constant, and that’s exciting. When I first started, blogs were the cutting-edge medium, and now we are talking about generative AI. I love our field because we get to constantly learn, grow, and evolve as professionals.