Communications and Public Affairs

Althea Blackburn-Evans has been named Western’s first-ever Chief Communications Officer in a reorganized communications portfolio, President Alan Shepard announced today. Reporting to the President, she will lead the Communications & Public Affairs team in her role beginning April 6. Currently, Blackburn-Evans serves as Executive Director of Communications Strategy & Stakeholder Relations at the University of Toronto. Over the course of a 20-year career at Toronto, her experience has covered the gamut from strategic planning, media, government, public relations, and issue and crisis management, to marketing, branding and editorial planning. “Following a national search that attracted a strong pool of candidates, Althea was the choice of our recruitment committee,” Shepard said. “She and the teams she has led at the University of Toronto have been recognized with several national and international awards for excellence in media and government relations. Her experience will add significantly to our team here at Western.” Blackburn-Evans holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Queen’s University in Sociology and Women’s Studies, as well as a certificate in public relations from Ryerson University’s Chang School of Continuing Education.