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A principal at��, a boutique public relations agency specializing in higher education (higher ed),��Teresa Valerio Parrot��(Comm, EPOBio’97; MPubAd’03) is known as the agency’s “president whisperer” for her ability to help senior administrators translate their expertise into sharable insights (think: blogs, podcasts and other media formats). Valerio Parrot also co-hosts the��and is the founding co-editor and a contributor to the blog����

What are some of the biggest issues higher ed is facing?��

Higher education is critiqued for being too elite, expensive and out of touch — but these criticisms boil down to an education being too far separated from someone else’s current experience, reality or memory. When I talk to people about their own experiences of college, I almost exclusively hear stories about how a degree positively changed someone’s life.

If you could communicate one thing to institutions, what would it be?

I would encourage institutions to own their excellence and stop trying to be like everyone else. Each institution has its own sparkle, and they often lose what makes them unique when they try to be like everyone else. Mimicry is where institutions go to die.��

You’ve been called a ‘higher ed truth teller.’ What does that mean?��

It is easy for leaders to surround themselves with those who tell them what they want to hear. I tell presidents and boards what the moment requires and what it demands from a leadership response — which means telling the truth. It’s never the easy route, but it’s the appreciated approach.

Why does higher ed matter today?����

Higher education provides opportunities. Degrees and institutions make a difference in graduates’ lives, create economic impact in their communities and directly benefit society through research.

How did your time studying and working at ����ֱ�� shape your career?

I majored in just about everything ����ֱ�� had to offer before settling on communications and public relations, and I’m so thankful this is where I landed. This field has allowed me to travel the world, specialize in higher education and launch my own business. Through the university, I have been fortunate enough to learn from and have access to phenomenal leaders, mentors and communicators who invested in me as a professional and human being. I’m forever grateful to ����ֱ�� and the Presidents Leadership Class for seeing my potential and investing in me as a professional.

Sko Buffs!

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Photo courtesy TVP Communications