Dear colleagues,
Robert Hancock is taking on a new role within our school, associate dean of strategic communications, effective February 28, 2024. He will oversee our communications and events operations, working very closely with me to advance the reputational goals of our School of Public Health. A proud Brown alumnus, Robert joins us from the United Way of Rhode Island, where he serves as senior director of marketing and communications. He has a rich wealth of experience in the education and nonprofit sectors and has guided institutions in their communications as an expert in the field for many years. He previously managed communications strategy operations at Roger Williams University, Buzzards Bay Coalition and Save the Bay in Narragansett.
Becky Ebeling will join us as the school’s new director of events and internal communications, filling a position held by our colleague Karen Scanlan, who retired in January. Becky’s years of expertise in event management and leadership communications make her an ideal fit for this role. Most recently Becky served as special assistant to the president of the Rhode Island School of Design. She has held leadership positions in the fields of events & conference management and donor relations at RISD and Wheaton College. We’re thrilled to have Becky on board with us here at Brown, and we look forward to her start date of March 18, 2024.
Additionally, I’m pleased to announce that our own Patrick Schaefer has accepted the position of senior director, academic initiatives, for the School of Public Health. In this new role, Patrick will oversee our advancement and fundraising efforts. Patrick has been a key part of our development and donor relations team for nearly four years, and this new position will allow him greater latitude to steward growth for the school’s priority initiatives. He will continue to serve as the development lead for Brown’s Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute. Please join me in congratulating him.
Sincerely,
Ashish K. Jha M.D., MPH
Dean, School of Public Health
Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice