JMU alumnus Ken Terrell has returned to the campus after 23 years in corporate communications. Most recently, Terrell was the Executive Director of Employee Communications for Verizon Corporation. During his corporate career, Terrell worked in an array of capacities: speechwriter, annual report and newsletter editor, video producer/writer/director and media spokesperson, among others.

He was responsible for employee communications during two of the biggest corporate mergers in U.S history – Bell Atlantic/NYNEX and the Bell Atlantic/GTE combination that created Verizon. He also oversaw internal communications for Verizon as its employees restored communications on Wall Street and at the Pentagon in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

After graduating with a BA in Communications in 1978, Terrell spent a number of years working for newspapers, magazines and television news operations. He also earned an MA in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University.

After transferring to JMU for his junior and senior years, Terrell was a sports editor for the Breeze and was the first editor of Curio magazine, a feature magazine for the Shenandoah Valley that is still published annually by students.

Teaching interests: Corporate Communications, Journalism

Research/Creative activities: New media in employee communications, feature writing