November 2010 Issue

Barbara Obrentz Named “Communicator of the Year”

Barbara Obrentz, chief public information officer and director of marketing for Georgia Perimeter College, has been named the “Communicator of the Year,” for the District 2 region by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations.

“We had a record number of nominations this year and the competition was very fierce but (Obrentz) really stood head and shoulders above the other nominees,” said Terri Giltner, Kentucky Community and Technical College System director of marketing and communications. Obrentz won for District 2, which covers colleges in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, The Bahamas, and Bermuda.

Obrentz directs internal and external communications activities for GPC, a University System of Georgia two-year college of more than 25,000 students located on four campuses and one site. In her role as chief public information officer, she provides overall leadership and develops and implements strategic marketing and public relations for the college.

Her many projects include the college’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration, a presidential inauguration and most recently, a visit to the college by President Jimmy Carter, who cut the ribbon on the opening of the Atlanta Center for Civic Engagement and Service Learning in 2010.

In addition, she is actively engaged on several college-wide committees responsible for raising the image and awareness of the college to prospective students, legislators, educators and donors. She works closely with Enrollment Services to target new student populations and to develop tools to facilitate communications with them throughout their college stay.

NCMPR is the only organization of its kind that represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges, and is one of the fastest growing affiliates of the American Association of Community Colleges. NCMPR encompasses more than 650 colleges in the U.S., Canada and other countries.

Obrentz received her award during NCMPR district conference meeting in Miami, Nov. 7-9.

Story provided by Georgia Perimeter College. For more information, visit http://www.gpc.edu.