Vanessa Holmgren

As the director of multimedia and internal communications, I help attract students to Lewis & Clark by building a strong and vibrant sense of community across the institution. I develop strategies and use video and other digital communication tools to promote Lewis & Clark to audiences, including current and potential students and parents, alumni and donors, faculty and staff. I also oversee The Source: News for Faculty and Staff and manage internal communications across the institution to ensure consistency and professionalism.

Through my work with various committees across campus, I advise internal communications strategies that improve information sharing and create employee engagement. I currently serve on the following committees:

• Employee Benefits Committee
• Lewis & Clark Kids and Families, manager
• Lewis & Clark Sustainability Council
• ONE L&C: Employee Engagement
• Portland Connections Council
• Transportation and Parking Committee

My everyday goal at Lewis & Clark is to build a strong and vibrant sense of community across our three schools.

Outside of working at Lewis & Clark, I taught a writing course at Portland Community College’s Rock Creek Campus; served as the president of the board of directors for Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest (an affiliate of the national Girls Incorporated), which serves at-risk girls facing intergenerational poverty, juvenile crime, substance abuse, and school failure; volunteered at Portland Community Media, assisting in the production of the television show “Face to Face: Community Matters,” a showcase for nonprofits in Portland to share their mission and their services; served on the marketing committee for the Western Association of College and University Business Officers; and now serve on the Sojourner Elementary Green Team working closely with the EcoSchool Network. 

Before coming to Lewis & Clark in 2003, I earned a master’s degree in rhetoric and composition from Oregon State University (OSU). While writing my master’s thesis, I worked as the marketing and publicity coordinator for OSU’s Office of International Education. When I arrived at Lewis & Clark, I worked at the graduate school as the director of external affairs, implementing fund-raising and communication strategies for graduate school alumni and community constituents.

When I’m not at work, I am most likely cutting back blackberry bushes in my garden, playing chase with my kids, and cooking with my husband (his specialty is crepes and my specialty is toppings).

• The Source: News for Faculty and Staff
• Overview of Lewis & Clark’s Video Resources