Andrea Brunais
BLACKSBURG, Va., Jan. 8, 2010 – Andrea Brunais, of Bluefield, W.Va., has been named communications manager for Outreach and International Affairs at Virginia Tech.
In her new position, Brunais will be responsible for communicating news and achievements from Outreach and International Affairs to its many audiences, including alumni, business and industry leaders, and peer research institutions.
Brunais brings more than 25 years of news media and public relations experience to the position, including experience in print, video, and Web communications. She is co-author of a book on media relations titled I See Your Name Everywhere. She has served on the editorial boards of Knight Ridder and Richmond-based Media General newspapers in Tampa and Tallahassee, Fla.
Brunais received her bachelor's degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida, where she was named Outstanding Graduate in Journalism by the faculty. She is the recipient of a Robert Kennedy Journalism Award and first-place awards from the Florida Press Club, the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.
Before joining Virginia Tech, Brunais was news service coordinator of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va.
Virginia Tech’s Division of Outreach and International Affairs represents faculty, staff, and students devoted to sharing knowledge and experience between Virginia Tech and the global community through learning, discovery, and engagement. The division’s overarching goal is to achieve greater economic opportunity and social well-being for the world’s citizens in ways that include community partnerships, professional development programs, technical assistance, and economic-development initiatives. Outreach and International Affairs has a presence on five continents along with regional research-and-development centers and campuses throughout the Commonwealth dedicated to continuing and graduate education. In Blacksburg, the division includes centers dedicated to student engagement, language, and policy.