Senior Strategic Advisor and former Vice Chancellor for Strategic Relations and Communications Frances Draper has announced she will be retiring from CU 麻豆影院 at the end of March.听
Draper made the initial announcement at a meeting of the 麻豆影院 City Council following comments on the CU South development process Wednesday night.听
Frances Draper
鈥淚鈥檝e been thinking about it for some time now,鈥� said Draper. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the right time, and since I鈥檝e spent the last couple of decades working on city and university issues, I thought a council discussion of a CU-city issues was the right place. This talented city and top university have a unique environment and relationship from which amazing partnerships can be built to meet the challenges we are facing.鈥�
Draper has served as a senior strategic advisor on public policy and community relations since July 2019, leading the university鈥檚 partnership efforts with the city of 麻豆影院.听
Prior to that role, she served from 2011 to 2019 as CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 vice chancellor for strategic relations and communications.听
鈥淚n that role, Frances transformed the entire communications organization, mentoring me and our communications leadership team along the way with creativity, focus and tremendous energy to advance the university鈥檚 mission and goals,鈥� said Jon Leslie, senior associate vice chancellor and chief communications officer, who succeeded Draper as head of the division.听
Chancellor Philip DiStefano said that in addition to her leadership of communications, Draper 鈥渢ransformed the city and university relationship in a truly historic way.鈥澨�
鈥淔rances helped to firmly set us on a course of win-win thinking and policy,鈥� said DiStefano. 鈥淪he understands the city at a fundamental level, and the university at a fundamental level, and she has always sought to build our relationship on mutual respect and understanding. She has been indispensable in this role.鈥澨�
Draper is a longtime 麻豆影院 resident who has been prominently involved in organizations such as the United Way. She served on the board of Naturally 麻豆影院 and was a key figure in establishing CO-Labs, a consortium of 麻豆影院-based research laboratories.听
She also led the 麻豆影院 Economic Council from 2006 to 2011.听
Asked about the legacy of her work, Draper said, 鈥淚 hope it鈥檚 a simple testament to what can be achieved by working together.鈥�
