Nov 13, 2020

Life Inside CENIC: Lee Ann Weber and the Communications Department

During the COVID-19 pandemic, CENIC’s Communications Department has engaged and informed members, providing our community with reassurance about network capacity and reliability, compiling data and case studies, connecting partners, sharing networking expertise, and educating leaders about the challenges and solutions surrounding broadband Internet in California.

“Good communication fosters collaboration and innovation among our CENIC community members,” said Director of Communications Lee Ann Weber. “The human network, the 20 million users of CENIC’s advanced research and education network, powers the physical network through the relationships they have with one another.”

As a nonprofit governed by its member K-12 schools, libraries, community colleges, universities, and other public-serving institutions, CENIC and its community offer unique sharing and partnering opportunities. Members share insight on everything from future network technologies and cybersecurity to strategies for bridging the digital divide and innovative applications in teaching, learning, and research.

CENIC’s communications team is responsible for managing the CENIC and Pacific Wave websites, the CENIC blog, member email updates, newsletters, and social media channels; publicizing network news; conducting research on broadband status among community anchor institutions and regions statewide; producing internal and external marketing and presentation materials; researching and developing partnering initiatives; and producing CENIC workshops and events such as CENIC’s annual conference. The team includes Weber, Writer and Editor Amanda Ricker, and Research Specialist Jaime Augst.

In a typical day, Weber reviews industry news, meets with managers from all CENIC departments to discuss the status of current initiatives, meets with communications staff to plan the editorial calendar and assign projects, works with technical staff to craft board meeting materials, logs on to the content management system to publish updates on CENIC’s website, and answers emails from communications colleagues at member and partner organizations.

Weber joined CENIC in 2015, and has worked in digital marketing and advertising on both the client and agency sides for more than 30 years. Ricker has a background as a journalist and communication specialist, and Augst has worked as a museum educator at a major natural history museum and also has a background in nonprofit administration.

A point of pride for Weber is the amount of content the communications department delivers with a small team. Challenges for the communications team include building CENIC’s customer relationship management system to track and to manage interactions with past, current, and future members and stakeholders; getting relevant, high-quality content from internal and external stakeholders who are incredibly busy; and learning about who all of our members are, as it can be difficult to know exactly who is served downstream of CENIC backbone connections.

The communications team’s work is driven by CENIC’s mission to advance education and research statewide by providing the world-class network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. We share our knowledge and serve as an advocate for public policy that advances broadband access for all. “Broadband improves the overall quality of life, providing new opportunities for research, education, jobs, and healthcare,” Weber said. “CENIC’s communications team is an important link in our human network, informing and uniting staff, community members, and decision-makers around shared goals and values.”

Related Content:

• Life Inside CENIC: Manuel Ortiz and Inventory Control
• Life Inside CENIC: Nick Plunkett & Internet Peering Services
• Life Inside CENIC: Stanley Han & the Network Operations Center

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