Dr. Carrie Phillips has been named the new chief communications and marketing officer for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“I am certain that Dr. Phillips’s professional experience in this area will serve our campus and community well in the years to come,” said Christian O’Neal, vice chancellor for university advancement. “Her creative energy has driven results in advancing the university brand, telling the university story, supporting campus collaboration, and recruiting students.”

Phillips joins UA Little Rock from Arkansas Tech University, where she previously served as director of communications and marketing. In her 14 years at Arkansas Tech, Phillips led a brand study, the university’s first comprehensive brand campaign, and helped develop the campus’s current capital campaign.

“I am so excited to be part of the UA Little Rock community,” she said. “When I interviewed for the position and came on campus, I could sense the excitement and energy at this university. I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of this community.”

In her new role, Phillips is responsible for providing vision, oversight, and management of strategic communications, marketing, media relations, publications, and web/social media across the institution. She leads the Office of Communications and Marketing, implementing strategies to increase awareness and positive brand recognition in order to attract students, motivate alumni and donors, recruit and retain exceptional faculty and staff.

“Education is so important to me and the transformative power that we have,” she said. “My grandfather only had a middle school education. He was very adamant that my dad should pursue a college education. I think that decision changed the direction of our family. I see the transformative power of education. I want to make sure UA Little Rock is doing everything we can to give our students the same opportunity.”

Phillips earned a Doctor of Education in higher education administration this spring from Texas Tech University, where she studied how regional public universities are using marketing efforts to mitigate the enrollment cliff. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a Master of Arts in multi-media journalism from Arkansas Tech.

Phillips will share her leadership tips in her upcoming OHO U professional development talk, “15 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Manager,” on June 8. In this session, she’ll candidly share managing mistakes she made, offer some lessons she learned the hard way, and provide practical takeaways to support the management journey.

In her professional pursuits, Phillips is a member of the American Marketing Association and holds the Professional Certified Marketing credential. She is also a member of the District IV Cabinet for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the University & College Designers Association as well as a conference committee member for HighEdWeb.

Phillips and her husband Chris Phillips, a UA Little Rock alumnus and lifetime member of the Alumni Association, live in Conway with their Maltipoo, Eleanor Belle, and enjoy reading and traveling in their free time.