EMU welcomes new director of marketing and communications

Jeanette (Jen) Kulju has joined Eastern Mennonite University as its new director of marketing and communications. She will lead marketing and communications strategy, brand management, and public relations efforts for the university.

Kulju comes to EMU from James Madison University, where she marketed the arts for 12 years. Kulju was hired in 2010 to promote JMU’s new Forbes Center for the Performing Arts and its offerings. She helped to transform the center into a destination for the arts in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond, bringing in 480,000 patrons to 3,600 performances as of August 2022.

Kulju also supported the marketing and communications efforts for student recruitment to the College of Visual and Performing Arts, resulting in the reputation of JMU Arts as a competitive, internationally-known program.

“Jen brings a wealth of relevant work experience to this important position that will significantly enhance our marketing and communications capacities,” said Mary Jensen, vice president for enrollment and strategy at EMU. “With proven experience in building and marketing the Forbes Center brand and JMU Arts, she has shown she can lead our strategic efforts to expand our influence as a university.”

Kulju looks forward to drawing on her background in higher education to bolster brand awareness and enrollment to EMU, where she has “always been impressed by the people and educational offerings,”  she said. “The Lord led me to EMU, and I am excited to collaborate with campus and community partners to advance the Anabaptist mission, vision and values of the university.”

Kulju is a member and past president (2016-19) of the Public Relations Council of the Shenandoah Valley.

Prior to joining JMU, Kulju worked for several years as a television news producer at stations in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Lansing, Michigan. She also brings experience in corporate IT and leadership training, specializing in instructional design and curriculum development. 

She holds a master’s degree in technical and scientific communication from JMU and a bachelor of science in business degree with a double major in management information systems and decision sciences (applied statistics) from Miami University.