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Jeffery G. Hanna Named Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs

Washington and Lee University announced that Jeffery G. Hanna will join its staff on Sept. 1 as the executive director of the Department of Communications and Public Affairs. Hanna is currently senior director for public affairs at the University of Virginia.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity, and I am grateful for the invitation to return to Washington and Lee and to join a talented communications staff,” said Hanna. “W&L is a special institution with a clear sense of its mission. I look forward to having a role in telling the University’s story, especially as the new strategic plan is being implemented.”

Hanna worked at W&L from 1981 to 1988 as the news service director, University editor and director of communications. From 1988 to 2000, he was the executive director of college relations and then associate vice president of college relations and marketing at the College of Wooster, in Wooster, Ohio. From 2002 to 2005 he served as vice president for public relations of Illinois Wesleyan University, in Bloomington, Ill. In 2005, he came to the University of Virginia.

“I am thrilled we have attracted Jeff back to Washington and Lee,” said President Kenneth P. Ruscio. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience accumulated during the course of his career at different institutions, and he has a clear understanding of W&L’s mission, culture and goals. He will be a great addition to the staff.”

“A national search sought a congenial colleague and an experienced professional who can enhance communications in a rapidly changing technological environment,” said Dennis Cross, vice president for University advancement, of which Communications is a part. “I am confident Jeff will bring deserved attention to the distinctive characteristics of Washington and Lee and its community in a way that is mindful of the national leadership of the University in liberal arts and legal education. We could not be happier to welcome Jeff.”

Hanna also worked as a newspaper reporter for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot and the Nashville Tennessean. He has a B.A. in religion from Oberlin College and studied for a master’s of divinity at Vanderbilt Divinity School.