Tweet

A lifelong learner is what Kendall Dillon, the new Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Grand View University, describes herself as. A woman who enjoys giving back to the community and helping non-profits, but has an even bigger passion for something that she once found out she’ll never be able to leave behind.

Around 20 years ago, Dillon embarked on her college journey at Mount Mercy College, where she got her bachelor’s degree in graphic design and marketing. To find her place in life once she had graduated, she began slowly moving from job to job, but she quickly found out that she kept being led back to that one thing. After jobs in design with business publications and a telephone company, she realized she wanted more.

Dillon got a job at Drake University, where she designed, but also worked more in the marketing department with branding and student recruitment. This job is what led her to a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at Drake, and ultimately cemented her avid passion for working in the field of higher education — something she kept coming back to.

After going into detail about her past employment, she laughed. “That’s my career in a nutshell,” Dillon said. “My 23 plus years.”

Dillon found out that she had a knack for being on a campus and being surrounded by students and faculty. She said being in a career of higher education is “rewarding.”

Her last job before coming to Grand View was with the fibrocystic fibrosis board, a non-profit organization. She was still missing the lack of higher education, which made her look for another new challenge.

“I don’t think I’ll ever, ever, ever be able to leave higher ed,” Dillon said about her decision to leave the board.

When looking for her next obstacle, Dillon said she knew Grand View was the perfect choice. She watched President Henning transform the university with his continuous vision. She cracked a smile when asked about her new job at the university, even after being here for just two months.

“I just felt that this was the place for me,” she said. “And honestly, in all my other careers, I’ve never felt that strongly about leaving an interview… I knew it was going to be a perfect fit.”

Even though she has enjoyed her time so far, she does have a few improvements in mind to help bring Grand View into the new media age. Since the university is fairly new to social media, she wants to enhance that, and improve their digital presence. She said she wants to be able to share Grand View’s story to the community online, especially since she believes that the university provides great experiences for the students to get out into the community, which she said she feels strongly about.

 

Kendall Dillon’s Top 5 Initiatives

1. Website: “Our website is our window to the world. I want to make it more effective in showcasing all the great things that are happening at GVU.”

 

2. Social Media: “Like the website, it’s where students spend their time. We should be more present and more engaged.”

 

3. Branding: “Grand View has transformed itself into a vibrant liberal arts university in the heart of Des Moines, yet we’re under-appreciated. I want the Des Moines community (and beyond) to fully appreciate the quality educational experiences we have to offer.”

 

4. Faculty expertise: “In my relatively short time here, I have been extremely impressed by the work of faculty and the level of academic expertise we have on campus. I want to use that in a variety of ways – public relations, community events (and) marketing.”

 

5. Community involvement: “Related to branding, (Grand View) students, faculty and staff are a civic-minded group. I want to make sure we are best utilizing our time and talent to impact our community at-large.”