By Shannon Mullane (MJour鈥�19)
Dawn Doty says she is always thinking forward, but when she received a lifetime achievement award, she took the opportunity to think back on her past鈥擳iger Woods and tyrannosaurus rexes, included.
Doty is an award-winning teaching associate professor in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design, and in 2022, she became the recipient of a new honor鈥攖he from the Public Relations Society of America, Colorado chapter. When she learned the good news, Doty was speechless.
鈥淚 was just blown away because I never really expected to win this award from PRSA Colorado,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e known of many award winners in the past, and I just never had that in my sights. But it was a lovely surprise, and I am deeply humbled.鈥�
During her 30-year professional career, Doty worked with corporations, global firms and nonprofits in Chicago, San Francisco and Colorado. Her clients were often high-profile and included the likes of Chipotle, Crocs, Southwest Airlines and the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 2016, she embarked on a new phase of her career and joined CMCI as CU鈥檚 first-ever, full-time public relations instructor for undergraduate studies.听
Her first job was as a public relations coordinator for an arts council in Ohio in the late 1980s. By 1995, she landed her first position at a global firm, Ketchum Public Relations, which she describes as one of her most meaningful experiences.听
鈥淚 was just over the moon because that was sort of the cr猫me de la cr猫me of jobs, to be in a global firm,鈥� she said.
There, she recalled learning how to work with national clients鈥攊ncluding some high-maintenance ones鈥攁nd how to supervise teams. The key is learning from your best supervisors and recognizing that every person has different needs, Doty said.
Then, while working with Burson-Marsteller, Doty helped McDonald's create an educational campaign focused on a tyrannosaurus rex fossil, named 鈥淪UE.鈥� The fossil, discovered in South Dakota, was acquired in partnership with the Field Museum of Chicago and is still available for viewing.
鈥淚 feel like that鈥檚 a neat legacy project. I did it back in the day, but still, kids are going to see it and just find it marvelous and wonderful,鈥� Doty said.
At Foote, Cone & Belding and Burson-Marsteller, she recalled working with the Tiger Woods Foundation and seeing how fans mobbed around the golf celebrity. Later with Linhart Public Relations, her team was a finalist for a PRWeek Award for its work with a different client, Crocs. It was one of the top awards in the field and a source of pride for a firm of their size, Doty said.听
After receiving her lifetime achievement award, Doty met with CMCI to share her career highlights, keys to working in public relations and tips for students launching careers of their own.
听What made you want to go into public relations?
Doty: I was an education major, oddly enough, at UD (University of Dayton), and I went in and did student teaching at a really tough, inner-city high school. I said to a teacher, 鈥淪o how do you motivate students?鈥� She looked me in the eye and started laughing and said, 鈥淢otivate students?鈥� And at that moment, I really paused and said, 鈥淥h my gosh, this probably isn鈥檛 for me.鈥�
My uncle鈥檚 partner was an executive at a company in Dayton, Ohio, and I remember talking to him about business. I think he was the one that first suggested public relations. Then I looked into it, and we did have a communications program at UD, so I just switched my major.听
听How did you feel before graduating as an undergraduate?
Doty: I was so excited to work. I was ready to wear a suit and have a briefcase. I was pumped, I really was. I was so excited about it, and I think I鈥檝e never really lost that enthusiasm, quite frankly. I love work, I do. If you鈥檙e doing the right work, I think it鈥檚 really interesting and doesn鈥檛 feel like work.听
I always tell students, too, if I鈥檓 talking about my career. You can see, I wasn鈥檛 trying to climb any kind of ladder. I wasn鈥檛 trying to become a chief communications officer. That was not the path I was on. I didn鈥檛 want that. So I always looked for what is interesting to do, and that is how I built my career.
听Does your career connect to your work with students?
Doty: Completely. I had a student tell me yesterday that鈥攂ecause of a class she was just in with me, PR Strategy, and her Strategic Writing for PR class鈥攕he said, 鈥淚 finally feel like I really love this profession and really get it.鈥�
It鈥檚 when students say that to me, I think, 鈥淥K, they鈥檙e ready.鈥� And that鈥檚 a magical time to me because you see it click, and it really needs to click. It is really hands-on work. So when students can really grasp that, I think they鈥檙e really well prepared for what鈥檚 next. And I love that. So my career completely informs how I teach.
听What do students give back to you?
Doty: So I鈥檒l never forget (when the pandemic started): The first thing I said to our PRSSA student board was 鈥淵ou guys, what are we going to do to be part of the solution for what we鈥檙e dealing with right now?鈥� I could see students kind of getting stressed about it a little bit. But I think in the end, it taught them this lesson that, if you鈥檙e in communications, when crisis hits, that鈥檚 what you鈥檙e going to do: You鈥檙e going to say, 鈥淥K, I鈥檓 going to work with my team,鈥� and 鈥淗ow do we need to communicate with our stakeholders to make sure that we manage our way through this?鈥�
That was a real moment of pride for me with students, and I think it taught them really important lessons. I was really proud of what they did. I think when you can get students in this proactive mode, that they鈥檙e being part of the solution, it really helps them cope.
听Do you have any advice for students as they launch their own careers?
Doty: I start the semester and end the semester with my three important things. Two of those important things are what I think are really important for lifelong advice.听
One is the grit theory that Angela Duckworth created. It鈥檚 all about putting effort into your life because that really helps you with your achievement. It鈥檚 effort, not talent. So I always remind them: If you can put in the effort, I think you will go far.听
The second is a line of poetry from Mary Oliver: 鈥淭ell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?鈥� I remind them that they鈥檙e here to figure that out. They鈥檙e young adults. They鈥檙e on their own. They鈥檙e trying to figure out their lives, and I think that鈥檚 super important for them to remember and to just hold on to.
The third, that鈥檚 servant leadership, a whole different thing. It鈥檚 my way of saying, I鈥檓 here for you. . . . If my students aren鈥檛 successful, that means that I鈥檓 not being successful either. I always say, 鈥淚f you ever need me after class ends, just ask me鈥攂ecause that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 here to do, is really support you.鈥�