CASE STUDY
Institutional Identity & Change Management
Organization: University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
Role: Director of Communications & Marketing
Focus: Institutional Rebrand, Digital Strategy, and Reputation Management
The Challenge: Despite its status as a top-five national program, the Evans School faced an identity crisis. A fragmented brand narrative and an antiquated digital presence failed to reflect the school’s modern commitment to anti-racist public policy, innovative governance, and collaborative decision-making. There was a critical need to modernize the brand to better compete for elite faculty and diverse student cohorts in an increasingly digital-first academic market.
The Strategy: A multi-year institutional "evolution" to align the school's visual and verbal identity with its strategic vision:
Institutional Identity & Rebrand: Engaged multiple stakeholder groups in a collaborative decision-making process to redefine organizational mission, vision, purpose, and values, leading to the development of a new brand strategy and foundational messaging that honored the UW legacy while signaling a forward-looking, equity-centered mission.
Digital Ecosystem: Directed the end-to-end redesign of the school’s digital platform, optimizing the user journey for prospective students and increasing application accessibility.
Reputation Management: Secured high-profile earned media coverage and orchestrated strategic communications around the school’s climb in national rankings and its public policy impact.
The Impact
Unified Identity: Established a "full-circle" brand system that successfully bridged traditional academia with modern public policy influence.
Digital Growth: Launched a scalable digital platform that professionalized the school’s online presence and supported record-breaking recruitment cycles.
National Authority: Strengthened institutional credibility, contributing to the school’s sustained top-tier ranking and visibility among global policy leaders.
