Leah Campbell graduated from Anderson University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations and a minor in marketing. She then went back to AU and graduated with her MBA in 2015. She has held a variety of roles such as Manager of Marketing and Communications at Community Health Network, Communications Specialist at Remy International and now, in her current position, as Director of Consumer Brand at Community Health Network.
Tell me more about why you decided to get your MBA.
I decided to come back to AU to get my MBA because I wanted to continue my education and professional growth. I thought it would be a great opportunity to continue growing professionally and personally.
How do you feel like AU prepared you for your career?
AU is a great place to be able to learn about yourself and gives you an opportunity to grow professionally. The liberal arts background that is provided at AU is a great way to learn about yourself and helps to round out the education that is provided at AU. It is a great platform for professional and personal growth.
Tell me more about what your job is and the kind of work you do.
I am the Director of Consumer Brand at Community Health Network. I am over anything that has our logo on it. I track our social footprint, our website, our social media platforms and most importantly what our brand promises. I make sure that what we are telling consumers that they are going to experience or making sure that this thread is woven throughout our messages.
Community is built around a lot of different subspecialties like OB, Cardiovascular or Oncology. Making sure that the brand promise, exceptional care simply delivered, is a part of everything we do. We want to make sure this promise is visible when we are talking about things like having a baby, open heart surgery or even having cancer. We make sure that the philosophy of who we are and what we say we are is visible no matter what door you come in or what service you are coming in for.
You used to work for Remy International, a corporation that specializes in making car parts. Do you prefer working at a business like this or working in healthcare and why?
Working in health care has always been my passion. After I got married and had kids, working at Remy International made more sense for me. I learned a lot from this job, but it is vastly different from working in healthcare. I worked at Remy international for about four years and it really provided me with a chance to grow professionally, but I always knew that health care was where my interests lay.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career?
Some of the biggest challenges that I faced were actually at Remy. I had to deal with some headcount reductions and some difficult media relations. Doing headcount reductions is a very difficult part of communications and it was not something that I enjoyed. I learned a lot during these times, but it was very difficult.
What advice would you give someone who is wanting to do public relations in a hospital setting?
Respecting and appreciating those around you and continuing to work hard is a big part of the job. Continue to learn everyday from those who you are serving.
Sarah Lucas is a senior at Anderson University, majoring in public relations and political science. Lucas is an associate with Fifth Street Communications®, a student-run public relations agency at Anderson University.