John Cramer Becomes New VP of Marketing and Communications
Connecticut College has named John Cramer, currently the director of public and media relations at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, as the College’s next vice president for Marketing and Communications. Cramer will begin his new role on May 2.
“John Cramer is a talented leader who brings to Conn more than three decades of professional experience in higher education communications, marketing, and journalism together with a deep commitment to academic excellence, innovative storytelling, and equity and inclusion,” said Conn President Katherine Bergeron. “We are excited that John will be bringing his vision of strategic narrative to Connecticut College.”
Cramer earned a bachelor of arts in English literature from Denison University and a master's in journalism from Ohio University. As a journalist, his award-winning coverage of the environment, urban affairs, social justice and other issues appeared in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Roanoke Times and other venues. His work as a foreign correspondent included coverage of military and civilian conflicts and other issues in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the former Soviet Union. His work in higher education has included senior communications positions at Rutgers University, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Vermont Law School.
Cramer’s career in higher education has revolved around collaborative leadership, innovative storytelling and developing integrated strategies to enhance institutions' reputations. At Rutgers, Princeton, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins and Vermont Law School, his work significantly increased national and international news media coverage and improved audience engagement on news, social, media, marketing and other platforms at those institutions.
As the new Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Cramer is responsible for leading Connecticut College’s talented Marketing and Communications team, leveraging the College’s history of academic excellence, crafting a compelling narrative of educational excellence and impact, and developing strategies to elevate the College’s national reputation as a higher education leader.
“John comes to us at a critical moment for higher education, as institutions navigate the financial, demographic, and cultural challenges of a post-pandemic future,” Bergeron said. “It is also an unique time for Conn as we seek to realize the ambitious goals of our Defy Boundaries campaign. Our continued success as a college will depend on our ability to build our national reputation for academic excellence, and convey the power of our distinctive educational philosophy and our formidable campus community. John’s impressive experience in so many aspects of communications, his collaborative nature, and his creative energy make him the ideal leader for this moment.”
