Jonathon Taylor to lead Â鶹´«Ã½ public affairs
December 16, 2022
Jonathon will assume the position of director of public affairs for the Â鶹´«Ã½ system
office on January 17, succeeding Robbie Graham who is exiting due to moving out of
state.
Jonathon is a lifelong Alaskan and an alum of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Anchorage and
has held communication leadership roles in both public and private sectors.
He currently works as an account manager for Yuit Communications, a full-service public
relations, communications, and marketing firm in Anchorage. He previously served as
deputy press secretary to Governor Bill Walker and communications director for the
Alaska Department of Public Safety.
In these roles, Jonathon gained extensive external relations experience in media,
public affairs, government relations and policy development. In addition, Jonathon
has served in a volunteer capacity on the Â鶹´«Ã½ Foundation Board of Directors, on the
boards of the Pulse Dance Company and the Anchorage Community Development Authority.
As a Â鶹´«Ã½ alum, Jonathon brings a wealth of university knowledge and experience to the
position. He earned his B.A. in political science with minors in journalism/public
communications and economics. While at Â鶹´«Ã½A, he held a variety of positions in club
councils and student government, including as student body president. Jonathon also
is an alumnus of Â鶹´«Ã½A's Seawolf Debate Team and competed nationally and internationally
for three years, earning multiple accolades. He is also a past member of the Â鶹´«Ã½A Alumni
Association Board of Directors.
Jonathon said he looks forward to bringing his experience to the university system
and its work to create greater awareness about the importance of Â鶹´«Ã½ to the state including
the role the university has in developing job skills for graduates, its role in the
global Arctic, and the impact of university research on the economy.
Welcome Jonathon and in thank you to Robbie Graham for her many years of service to
the university during some very trying times.