This new 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.

Justine Rodriguez currently serves as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC), an acute care 456-bed non-profit public hospital in Colton, California. Located about an hour east of Los Angeles, ARMC’s mission is, “in an environment of learning and innovation to serve our diverse community with high-quality compassionate care.”

Justine, a member of the hospital’s executive team, oversees brand marketing, organizational positioning, executive communications, internal communications, social media, physician influencer marketing, and press strategy. She also works with the team to conceptualize new county collaborations, hospital service lines, and events.

She is a seasoned healthcare marketing professional with more than 15 years of experience in transformational leadership developing award-winning visionary marketing and communications programs to grow the hospital’s digital footprint, maximize strategic communications and increase employee engagement.

As part of hospital leadership, she provides strategic guidance and hands-on development of marketing and communications programs for this world-class university-affiliated hospital. She oversees all facets of external marketing, public relations, crisis management, social media programs, as well as internal communications. She successfully rebranded the hospital to align with organizational branding standards, consistently generates positive media exposure, and she also started the hospital’s first formal diversity committee.

Justine is accredited in public relations with an APR and holds a master’s degree in the humanities. She lived abroad in her youth and traveled extensively before embarking on the adventure of family life. She lives with her family in San Bernardino County and in her free time enjoys reading, writing, kayaking, and time with her family.

What inspired or led you to the public relations industry?

My interest in journalism, photography, radio and TV arose in middle school. I would mark family events and occasions in a “family newsletter.” While in college, I worked on the school newspaper. Shortly after college, I worked on an arts-and-entertainment magazine where I interviewed comedians, musicians, and artists. I enjoyed interviewing diverse individuals and learning about their life lessons. My desire to focus on public relations was sparked during my tenure at The Wall Street Journal. There I learned about the process of packaging information for the public in a beneficial way, which brought all my skills to the fore. While at the newspaper, I started my graduate work in literature, philosophy, and politics. This work gave me a strong and broad foundation that allowed me to be flexible in all facets of communication including radio, TV, digital, social, ai, and print.

What skills have you found vital to your job?

The skills that are essential to my communications work are writing papers, analysis pieces, spotlights, in-depth industry research as well as day-to-day writing for the organization’s promotional needs. Other vital skills include being a “people person” who is energized by organizing events and interviewing and speaking with a diverse group of individuals from all walks of life. Also vital is a “life learning” attitude in which you are constantly reading and learning new ways to be a better leader and communicator.

What advice do you have for building connections within this industry?

Set your goals and then attend national conferences that bolster those goals. Attend lectures, training, meetings and communication forums that bring value to you. I would also encourage an acquaintance with a variety of subjects – the ones that an individual gets with a liberal arts education. Reading in different fields is also essential. Today’s journalists have had to keep abreast of the latest trends and anticipate new trends. It’s about constantly refining journalistic judgment.