As the director of communications for RCLA, Colleen SchwartzCoffey oversees strategic communications for the Center including brand management; writing, editing and production of publications and materials; internal communications for faculty and staff; design and updates to the Web site and social media platforms; and targeted outreach activities.
Colleen also directs RCLA's Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service, a unique leadership and career development program for recent college graduates working in public service. The seven-month program helps individuals early in their careers evaluate and enhance their leadership skills, deepen their understanding of the public service landscape, formulate a career plan, and develop a network of talented, dynamic peers. In addition, Colleen co-directs the Wagner Leadership Academy, a quarterly leadership and management series for graduate student group Board members. She also manages the Reflective Leadership Program for the MBA-MPA students at NYU Stern and NYU Wagner.
Previously, Colleen was the director of communications for the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, DC dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. As part of this work, she helped build relationships with journalists, policymakers, and key stakeholders to position the organization as a resource for nonpartisan data and analysis on US and EU immigration policies, the status of refugees and internally displaced people, migration and development, immigrant integration, and migration policies and emergent trends worldwide.
Prior to graduate school, Ms. Coffey participated in a selective two-year nonprofit management fellowship at El Pomar Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation in Colorado. There she served as the director of an international exchange program for elected and appointed officials; served on a team managing a statewide awards program, including directing the video production process for a film featuring 33 exemplary nonprofits; contributed articles to the Colorado Springs Gazette as part of a half-million dollar fundraising campaign to support social services; and served as director of the Colorado Springs Leadership Institute.
Colleen holds an MA in International Print Journalism from American University and a BA in English from the University of San Diego.
