Veteran Journalist Eric Mansfield Joins Kent State as Executive Director, University Media Relations

WKYC-TV anchor and reporter Eric Mansfield will become Kent State University’s new executive director for university media relations. The award-winning journalist and Akron native begins his new position with the university on June 1.

Mansfield will lead the media relations team in the University Communications and Marketing department. He will be responsible for developing and implementing public relations plans and strategies to enhance the university’s image with internal and external audiences. He also will be involved with Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, teaching and mentoring journalism students.

“Eric brings a wealth of media knowledge and contacts to Kent State,” said Tom Neumann, associate vice president for university communications and marketing. “He will add to a great team, increase our capacity to continue to tell our great story and reinforce Kent State’s role as Northeast Ohio’s leading public university, and help us leverage the recognition we are gaining nationally. He has a great reputation, is well-respected and is a true class act.

“Eric is no stranger to Kent State,” Neumann continued. “Over the years, he has covered Kent State and has done stories on our students’ successes, served as a guest speaker at our School of Journalism and Mass Communication and has spent many hours on our campus with his youngest son’s involvement in our musical productions. He also is pursuing his master’s degree from Kent State. We’re excited to have him join us to share the many great stories and news coming out of this great university.”

Mansfield said he is looking forward to this new position with Kent State.

“This is a great opportunity for me to join a world-class organization,” Mansfield said. “I can’t wait to be part of telling the great news of Kent State University every day. As much as I love being a journalist, I’m really excited about working with young journalist, crafting their skills at Kent State.”

Mansfield received bachelor’s degrees in journalism and broadcasting from the University of Dayton. He expects to earn a master’s degree in public relations from Kent State in fall 2012. While at the University of Dayton, Mansfield hosted an evening sports call-in show on WDCR-AM (campus radio) while completing television internships with WAKC-TV (Akron), WHIO-TV (Dayton) and ESPN. In 1991, he was named the Omar Williams Award winner as the university’s top broadcasting graduate.

He began his professional broadcast career doing play-by-play sports announcing in college and later anchored overnight news reports at WHIO-TV in Dayton. In 1992, Mansfield came home to Akron as an anchor-reporter with WAKC-TV.

Mansfield’s recognition includes Emmy awards for Outstanding Service Reporting, Outstanding Live Reporting, and Outstanding Continuous Coverage for the Channel 3 News series “Project AED,” which identified dozens of local areas that were in need of the life-saving devices. He has been nominated for many other Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Anchor. His work also has been honored by the Cleveland Press Club, the Ohio Associated Press and the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

A major in the Ohio National Guard, Mansfield spent 14 months on active duty in 2003-2004 in Iraq and Kuwait and responded with other Ohio Guardsmen in 2005 to the Gulf Coast to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He also responded to help lead a platoon of MPs at the Lucasville Prison riot in 1993, and he was the honor graduate and class president of his Officer Candidate School class. Mansfield is a graduate of multiple military leadership and management academies, including the Defense Equal Opportunity Military Institute (DEOMI) in Coco Beach, Fla. His awards include the Army Commendation Medal (two) and service ribbons for Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and other deployments. His commander nominated him for the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. Mansfield retired from the military with 20 years of faithful service.

He lives in Akron with his wife, Lisa, and their three sons.

For more information about Kent State’s University Communications and Marketing, visit www.kent.edu/ucm.

For more information about Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, visit http://jmc.kent.edu/.

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Photo Caption:
WKYC-TV anchor and reporter Eric Mansfield will become Kent State University’s new executive director for university media relations on June 1. (Photo courtesy of WKYC-TV)

Media Contacts:
Tom Neumann, tneuman1@kent.edu, 330-672-8533
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595