Chapin Hall

Colleen Sharkey is the Media Manager for Chapin Hall. She is responsible for developing and executing media strategies that highlight Chapin Hall’s expertise and success in improving the lives of those most affected by adversity and inequity. She also writes materials for various internal and external projects, and supports Chapin Hall experts who write for mainstream media outlets and social media.

Sharkey came to Chapin Hall in 2022 after four years as an Assistant Director of Communications in the media relations office at the University of Notre Dame. There she worked closely with academics in the social sciences to interpret and promote their research. Prior to that, Sharkey helped establish the first communications office at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. As the International Media Relations Manager there, she built relationships with international journalists, connected them with CEU experts, and served as a key member of the CEU Crisis Communications Team when the university’s academic freedom came under attack by the Hungarian government.

Sharkey also served as Occidental College’s first Associate Director of Communications during the time its most famous alumnus, President Barack Obama, was elected. She also served as a Science Writer and Outreach Specialist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and as the Hubble Space Telescope Public Information Officer for the European Space Agency.

Sharkey holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Cincinnati and completed her coursework for a Master of Arts in Mass Communication at California State University, Northridge.