Venessa Littleton is one of the fresh faces on campus. She is the new Director of Public Relations for Grambling State University.
Littleton is very excited to be here. She feels that we are in an interesting time because of all of the major changes going on campus. As her job title implies, she is the spokesperson for the whole university. Media Relations is now a part of her job as well, as she serves as a liaison between GSU and its internal and external constituents, helping to coordinate public relations and marketing information flow, and promote effective relations with local, regional, state, national and international news media.
With regard to her goals as a public relations director, Littleton says she plans to focus on shaping the positive perception of Grambling State in the public eye. Creating a good image is extremely important for the school as well as the for community. She is currently developing a new PR and marketing plan for the new president.
According to Littleton, she is also working on mending the relationships between the community, students and staff, and ensuring better communication between the president and university.
Littleton is originally from Shreveport. She has two sons, who serve in the military, and one daughter. She herself served three years in the US army in such places as Alaska and Germany as well as in several states in the US.
She received her undergraduate degree at Northwestern in nursing and got her graduate degree at LSU in Baton Rouge in public administration. Currently, she is a PhD student at the University of Central Florida.
As she was getting ready to finish her PhD, she began searching online for the jobs that would best suit her interest. Having spotted the position on the GSU web site, she applied and got a call for an interview. Once hired, she made the decision to move from Orlando to Grambling.
Littleton has had broad experience in the work force before coming to GSU. A couple of her previous job titles included being a director of non-profit organizations. Her knowledge in nursing and her experience in the military army have helped her to find serenity in some of her most confronting times. She believes that her discipline will help her to excel in her new position on GSU campus.
“I am proud to be at this school,” said Littleton, telling how excited she was when she got to attend her first home Grambling football game. According to her, a lot of people have a profound pride about Grambling and like the fact that black people are educated.
“Right now is our opportunity to shape GSU. It’s a profound experience. History is great but we have to focus on the future,” commented Littleton.
Venessa Littleton can be contacted at mediarelations@gram.edu or (318) 274-2560.