Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Committees Conferences Trainings Awards
Accomplishments
Timeline
Generic

Porscha Elton

Easley,USA

Summary

Communications leader with extensive experience, specializing in speechwriting and public relations strategy. Demonstrated success in stakeholder management and strategic planning, with a history of launching impactful campaigns. Skilled in relationship building and community engagement, while managing complex projects to enhance brand visibility. Proficient in advanced business software, facilitating effective communication across various platforms.

Overview

15
15
years of professional experience

Work History

Executive Director of Presidential Communications

Clemson University
Clemson, SC
06.2022 - Current
  • Researches and prepares all speeches, presentations, and other written materials for the President of Clemson University. These include, on average, 300-400 remarks and presentations a year.
  • Crafts book chapters, op-eds, media quotes, and prepares the President for media interviews, Q&As, fireside chats, roundtables, and keynote speeches.
  • Creates, edits and designs regular messages, letters, and media for key stakeholders to include but not limited to, the University Board of Trustees, President’s Advisory Boards, President’s Industry Councils, Foundation Boards, major donors, alumni, all other university boards, external boards, business and civic partners, governmental stakeholders, and campus communities.
  • Maintains an overarching content strategy for photos, media, social media, presentations, publications, and opportunities to increase and support Presidential and university brand awareness.
  • Manages webpages, campus messages, bios, headshots, and all digital Presidential content.
  • Supervises and manages a team in support of the President's/Executive-level correspondence and communication.
  • Has led efforts to successfully launch and monitor our university’s strategic plan, Clemson Elevate, as well as divisional strategic plans.
  • Has led efforts to launch our brand campaign and capital campaign, Fiercely Forward.
  • Works closely with the President’s Executive Leadership Team, including General Counsel as well as the Board of Trustees Office, to ensure a holistic and thorough lens is applied to all messaging, and to ensure all executive communications across the institution are consistent in their tone, clarity and overall messaging.

Coordinator of Scholar Support and Initiatives – Levine Scholars Program

University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
01.2019 - 06.2022
  • Onboards scholars upon their selection and acceptance to the Levine Scholars Program.
  • Serves as each scholar’s primary advisor during their first year and as their honors advisor throughout their undergraduate career, including the review of articulation agreements, course equivalency, and dual credit.
  • Forms community partnerships and networks for scholars' civic engagement, non-profit internships, and pre-professional internships.
  • Works directly with community partners in internship placements.
  • Plans and coordinates scholar travel for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School), ASB (Alternative Spring Break), and May Service Trips (including international travel).
  • Leads scholar travel, coordinate classroom instruction, and provides holistic care for scholars during program travel, both foreign and domestic, ranging from 7 to 28 days.
  • Created and managed the production of the LSP's blog, podcast, and magazine.
  • Created and implemented a strategic plan for the program.
  • Managed multi-million dollar budgets for the entire program, including individual budgets for every scholar, who each had unique budgets and experiences, as well as unit budgets.
  • Managed procurement for the entire unit.
  • Created and managed an alumni engagement platform, as well as began a philanthropy campaign for the program’s alumni.
  • Partnered with the Levine Foundation to ensure the Levine Family and Foundation who are the major funders of this program were kept up to date on their investment and continued their investment.

Academic Advisor/LC 101 Instructor

Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC
01.2017 - 01.2019
  • Enrollment advisor for all incoming students, freshmen, transfers, and re-entering students.
  • Partnered with community colleges in navigating articulation agreements, ensuring students planning to transfer into various degree pathways were set up for sucess.
  • Registered all assigned students for their first semester courses to assist in successful transition.
  • Acted as support advisor to designated disciplines.
  • Provided general career counseling.
  • Taught courses concerning academic success and first-year experiences (LC 101).
  • Managed Grades First for WCU’s entire campus (EAB).
  • Member of Campus Leadership Team for Grades First (EAB).
  • Worked closely with the Director of Academic Advising and Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success, regarding EAB’s Early Alert System regarding student and campus health and wealth being.
  • Served as a first-generation staff/student mentor.
  • Conducted research on similar positioned advising centers across the United States on best practices to construct an Advising Center Strategic Plan to begin implementation 2019.
  • Participated in SACSCOC accreditation, data collection, research, implementation, and addressing any questions or issues in ensuring excellence and best practices were being utilized in university advising.

Secondary Education English Teacher

Draughn High School
Burke County, NC
08.2014 - 06.2016
  • Classroom Teacher for 10th and 11th grade for two academic years.
  • Taught College Prep, Honors, Humanities, and Pre-Advanced Placement Courses.
  • Administered state and national exams, as well as conducted both informal and formal benchmark exams and assessments for the county.
  • Assisted in the creation of a school Drama Club for students.
  • Assisted in the implementation of a software program, Reading Plus, for the county focusing on increasing student literacy rates and development.
  • Assisted in a SACS accreditation through provided review material and evidence of rigor, best practices, and student growth for core English courses.

Psychological Operations Specialist

US Army
01.2011 - 01.2020
  • Graduated with honors, on the Commandant’s List, and was at the top of the graduating class.
  • Facilitated unit transportation operations, maintained documentation, and achieved all discipline, physical, and health requirements.
  • Developed relationships with communities in other countries.
  • Served as a liaison between the United States government, other countries’ civilian populations, governments, and other key world allies.
  • Conducted extensive research, created reports, action/operation plans, and briefs on nations and communities across the world with respect to surveillance, potential threats, and/or partnerships, with a key focus on communication and safety.
  • Honorable discharge upon completion of years of service.

Education

Doctor of Education - Higher Education Concentration

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
05.2023

Master of Arts - Higher Education Leadership

Appalachian State University
Boone, NC
12.2016

Bachelor of Arts - English and Secondary Education

Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
08.2014

Skills

  • Speechwriting expertise
  • Public relations strategy
  • Content development
  • Strategic planning
  • Stakeholder management
  • Project management
  • Relationship building
  • Effective communication
  • Community engagement
  • Software proficiency (Banner and EAB)
  • Advanced business software (MS Office Suite)

Committees Conferences Trainings Awards

  • President’s Leadership Institute Graduate, Clemson University, 2024-2025
  • Leadership Rutherford Graduate, 2023-2024
  • Recipient of the Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund, 2020-2022
  • NOLS graduate, 2020 + 2021
  • Member of Phi Kappa Phi
  • Member of Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society for Educators
  • Member of NACADA
  • Western Carolina University’s Leadership Academy Graduate, 2018-2019
  • Selected to Present at WIELS Symposium, 2017
  • Recipient of the Commendable Catamount Award, 2017
  • Recipient of the Excellence in Student Service Award, 2018

Accomplishments

· President’s Leadership Institute (Clemson University) 2024-2025

· Leadership Rutherford Graduate 2023-2024

· Recipient of the Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund; Awarded for 2020-2021/2021-2022 AY

· NOLS graduate 2020 + 2021/Instructor and Liaison Role

· Western Carolina University’s Leadership Academy 2018-2019

· Selected to Present at WIELS Symposium -2017 Focus on First-Generation College Students in the Appalachian Region

· Selected to Present at CACRO Registrar Conference – 2017 Focus on Putting the Student First

· Applied for and was selected to serve as a Staff-Mentor for First-Generation Students at WCU

· Applied for and was selected to serve as a Staff Liaison for the DegreePlus program at Western Carolina University

· Recipient of the Commendable Catamount Award- Student Success Division -WCU 2017

· Recipient of the Excellence in Student Service Award- Student Success Division - WCU 2018

· Assisted in research and publication of the Report on First-Year Student Retention - WCU

· Green Zone Certified

· Safe Zone Certified

· QPR Suicide Prevention Certified

Timeline

Executive Director of Presidential Communications

Clemson University
06.2022 - Current

Coordinator of Scholar Support and Initiatives – Levine Scholars Program

University of North Carolina at Charlotte
01.2019 - 06.2022

Academic Advisor/LC 101 Instructor

Western Carolina University
01.2017 - 01.2019

Secondary Education English Teacher

Draughn High School
08.2014 - 06.2016

Psychological Operations Specialist

US Army
01.2011 - 01.2020

Doctor of Education - Higher Education Concentration

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Master of Arts - Higher Education Leadership

Appalachian State University

Bachelor of Arts - English and Secondary Education

Wake Forest University

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