At PAN, we run the gamut when it comes to collegiate backgrounds, but let’s face it, a good majority of us bleed orange. Over a dozen PAN employees graduated from Syracuse University, including CEO Phil Nardone, and we pride ourselves on being involved alumni who never pass up a chance to give back to SU. An adjunct professor in the public relations department at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications for more than 15 years, Phil was eager to leave his stamp on the University. This extends to not only his work on campus, but at PAN’s Boston office as well.
Next week, Phil will be sitting down with Boston’s finest SU alumni, sharing his secrets – how he and why he started PAN, how his SU degree helped get him to where he is today, and how PAN is partnering with Newhouse to help shape the next generation of PR pros. In fact, I know that Phil will share some tips he wished someone had told him about being an CEO. He’s lived a high-impact career and will be sharing his story and the lessons learned over 30+ years. These experiences enabled him to become the youngest VP and GM at Hill & Knowlton and ultimately found PAN.
Back on campus, Phil has worked closely with the current dean of the PR department to develop the PAN Portal, an initiative which helps students produce an online ePortfolio of their professional and academic successes. Each semester a team of PAN professionals join senior PR majors on campus to advise them on their ePortfolios. The PAN Portal team speaks to classes each semester not only about their online portfolio work, but what life is like in a PR agency and what employers are looking for in today’s public relations job market. Just recently, four of our staff (including several SU alums) travelled to campus, where they met with dozens of students and spoke with classes ranging from freshman to senior year.
Phil’s transparent leadership style not only inspires the next generation of PR pros in the classroom at Syracuse University, but it also helps to cultivate an employee community that comes to work every day ready to collaborate on the next big idea, from traditional PR and social media campaigns to content marketing, creative services, data insight and more. Phil’s energy and passion is contagious! Come see for yourself…….