McCandless named communications director for Agriculture and Life Sciences

McCandless

Linda McCandless has been named director of communications for Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). She will direct the strategic planning, execution and maintenance of communication efforts for CALS on both the Ithaca and Geneva campuses. The appointment became effective Jan. 5.

The position reflects a reorganization of communication efforts by CALS central administration and a commitment to providing a more strategic response to the college's communication needs in the form of news releases, reports, brochures and other communication materials.

"As we embark on our centennial year, CALS is making it a top priority to design and implement strategies that communicate the mission, goals, priorities and accomplishments of the college to internal and external audiences and a wide variety of stakeholder groups," said Susan A. Henry, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "Linda brings to this position a strong background in strategic communications, as well as a thorough knowledge of the college and its key programs and priorities. We are happy to have her aboard."

To help with the initiative, Henry has established a collegewide committee on strategic communication that will develop a blueprint for the approach CALS needs to take to achieve effective, informative communication to support the strategic goals and mission of the college. The committee will identify themes, messages and audiences around CALS' newly refined focus on Cornell's land-grant mission, the social sciences, the environmental sciences and the new life sciences.

McCandless will be a member of the college's Public Affairs office, which is being renamed Alumni Affairs, Development and Communications to better reflect its work for the college.

McCandless has been director of communications at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., since 1994 and is a current member of the LEAD New York program. She graduated from Cornell with a B.A. in 1974 and lives in Spencer, N.Y.