“The very first time that I remember setting foot in a classroom was at a community college with my mom,” said Juliet V. Casey, Director of Marketing and Media Design at Los Medanos College. “She was taking ESL and GED classes, and I was about 4 years old. I was kind of just a tag-along with her. I do remember that the teacher always had some seats near the front for me and my mom.”
The experience left a long-lasting impression on Casey, who recalled how this teacher’s attentiveness and dedication awakened her love of learning. She still remembers the impact her mother’s education had on their lives–how it taught her mother English and prepared Casey for school.
Today, Casey maintains a steadfast passion for graphic communication, yet that wasn’t her goal when she first enrolled in college as her focus was American studies and journalism at the University of New Mexico.
When she first entered the world of print journalism, the field was already changing. Her first job was in San Bernardino, and when that newspaper was taken over by another organization, she was offered a position at her hometown paper, the Albuquerque Journal.
She later transitioned to the Las Vegas Review-Journal where she and her partner–now husband of 20 years–had relocated.
Through her five-year tenure at the Review-Journal, Casey found herself covering social services and minority affairs, which frequently led her to the city of North Las Vegas to pursue stories.
One day, the city had an open position available, and a high-ranking staffer encouraged Casey to apply. She was told she was a good fit, and even with the role being highly competitive, Casey was selected for public information officer.
As she stepped into government work, it was undoubtedly different, yet there was still a sense of familiarity. Casey came to recognize and appreciate the new forms of communication she experienced. While no longer reporting, there was still material being published and information being relayed to the public under her administration.
All of this culminated in Casey’s belief that being accurate, timely and fair when presenting information will help people “make decisions in their best interest,” even if that means addressing challenges.
“Because if we’re truthful about what those challenges might be, I think you can come to solutions more quickly when people are not dancing around the issue,” said Casey.
Casey’s work also involved a lot of community engagement, and it didn’t take long for her to discover that this was her passion. Later, she cultivated a platform to revive interest in the city to foster a vibrant, thriving community.
With this in mind, the transition from PIO to marketing was a natural one, combining her love of community and education. Now, she has the opportunity to educate students on what LMC has to offer.
She stressed the importance of coordinating with others. In this line of work, there is a need to orchestrate dozens of moving parts simultaneously to cater to a diverse body of students.
“Time is often of the essence for not just the college itself, but our students. They are in a hurry to advance their careers, or to hopefully find a solution to whatever challenges they might be facing in life,” Casey said.. “And if they could just get that job, or just have that skill to bump them up to the next level, we might be the key–but we need to make sure that they find us, or that we find them.”
One of the advertisements Casey is most proud of is the TV commercial that aired on Telemundo48 during the Women’s World Cup Tournament. It consisted of a 30-second commercial showcasing the college’s Women’s Soccer Team.
Casey notes that early development involved quite a few concepts until the marketing team decided to go around campus for a few hours and seek feedback. From that point on, the team had their winning concept, and Casey couldn’t be more proud of it.
“A lot of why I love that ad is because we used all LMC people, we didn’t hire any talent. All the footwork and ball movement that you see is all our own LMC Women’s Soccer Team,” Casey said.
Alongside maintaining information on the website, the marketing team’s duty ensures students are receiving timely promotional material and information about programs offered through the college.
A recent brochure mailed to students contained a myriad of facts about the college and its programs, including information on early college credit and the free tuition program. The brochure, written in both English and Spanish, centered around the slogan, “The future is ours.”
“Together, the future is ours. We’re all going to be living in this said future together, and now’s the time,” Casey said.
Outside of work, Casey loves being outdoors, gardening and hiking. She is passionate about athletics, and tries to be involved with LMC’s program as often as she can. Above all, she loves working with students and giving them a chance to express their creativity and advance their skills.
