Dana Cruikshank named communications manager of College of Architecture and Urban Studies

10 Dec 2010

Studio portrait of Dana Cruikshank — Dana Cruikshank

Dana Cruikshank was recently named communications manager for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech.

Previously, Cruikshank was a senior media officer at the National Science Foundation.

In his new position, Cruikshank will be responsible for creating and executing a comprehensive communications program for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. The college is one of the largest of its type in the nation, and many of its programs have been consistently ranked among the best in the country. It consists of the School of Architecture + Design, the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, the School of Public and International Affairs, and the School of Visual Arts. The college has campuses and centers in Blacksburg, Alexandria, Va., Richmond, Va., and Riva San Vitale, Switzerland.

As a media officer for the National Science Foundation, Cruikshank was responsible for the public communications needs of the foundation’s Office of Polar Programs and the National Science Board while also helping to publicize results from sponsored research projects. His work resulted in numerous national and international media placements and was recognized by the National Association of Government Communicators.

In previous positions, Cruikshank helped steer public communications efforts for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and handled public affairs activities for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. In the private sector, Cruikshank was an associate producer for the Discovery Channel and an account executive at Vanguard Communications, a public relations and advocacy consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Raised in Ithaca, N.Y., Cruikshank received a bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University and a master’s degree in organizational communication from Bowie State University.