Aguilar and Dettman present sessions on project management on a shoestring budget

Valla Aguilar, North Central College director of marketing, and Mary Dettman, associate director of marketing and graphic designer, copresented at the University and College Designer Association Design Conference last fall in California.

Presented in two breakout sessions to designers and marketing professionals working in academia, their presentation was titled “Project Management on a Shoestring Budget.”
 
They noted that North Central’s Office of Marketing and Communications (OMC) didn’t exist six years ago. By taking small steps that gradually increased the size, capacity and impact of the office, OMC took the College from decentralized marketing efforts to an in-house marketing and communications team that manages the external face of the College in print, media and on the web—all on a small college budget.

Aguilar and Dettman highlighted two initiatives that were critical to the success of the effort: first, a powerhouse student design team and, second, an online project management database that helps keep multiple project managers and designers, including students, on schedule. Their presentation also included an interactive “Who Done It?” design game along with video interviews from several design students.
 
Aguilar has been part of the marketing staff since 2010 and Dettman joined the College in 2007.