Insights on Alumni Relations and Communications with Serena Mitchell

In this episode, Sarah's guest is Serena Mitchell, the Communications Manager at the Business School of the University of Sussex. With over 25 years of experience in alumni relations, communications, and public relations, she shares her insights on alumni engagement and the importance of communication campaigns in building strong alumni communities. Serena discusses her journey from central government communications to alumni relations, highlighting key milestones in her career. 

The discussion then moves to the launch of the Sussex Connect alumni engagement platform, the strategies for creating an effective launch plan, and the impact on alumni engagement. Serena highlights the importance of storytelling, sharing alumni success stories, planning and understanding your audience.

She also delves into the integration of Artificial Intelligence in alumni relations, describing it as an evolving tool to assist in data analysis and PR planning.