Syracuse University names Kevin C. Quinn, press secretary to Gov. Pataki, to new position of vice president for public affairs

Friday, March 31, 2006, By News Staff

Syracuse University names Kevin C. Quinn, press secretary to Gov. Pataki, to new position of vice president for public affairsMarch 31, 2006Kevin Morrowkdmorrow@syr.edu

Kevin C. Quinn, press secretary to Gov. George E. Pataki, has been named to the newly created position of vice president for public affairs at Syracuse University, effective April 24. He will report to SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor.

“I am honored to join Syracuse University as vice president for public affairs,” Quinn says. “The University is globally recognized for its distinguished academics, world-class research and strong commitment to higher education excellence. I look forward to working with Chancellor Cantor, her team and the entire faculty and staff to advance the University’s goals and meet the challenges ahead. Whether it’s ‘Scholarship in Action,’ ongoing campus-community engagement initiatives or new academic research and development ventures, it’s certainly an exciting time to be at Syracuse University.”

“I look forward to having Kevin as a colleague,” says SU Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement Thomas Walsh. “His broad experience with the national media is going to be so helpful as we position the University with important external constituencies.”

In his current role, Quinn is the primary day-to-day spokesman for Gov. Pataki, currently the nation’s longest-serving governor. Quinn speaks on the governor’s behalf to national and statewide media outlets on a daily basis and manages the media relations operations of the governor’s press office and more than 70 state agencies and authorities.

Quinn has developed and coordinated a proactive media strategy to promote the governor’s goals and policy agenda, and has collaborated in the development of Pataki’s major speeches, including the annual State of the State Address. He also has advised the governor’s senior staff on policy and strategic decisions and related messaging strategy.

Prior to his appointment as press secretary to the governor, Quinn was director of communications for the New York State Division of the Budget, which spearheads New York’s $112 billion budget–the third largest public-sector budget in the nation. In this role, he served as the budget division’s chief spokesperson and oversaw the agency’s media relations activities.

Prior to joining the Budget Division, Quinn served as director of communications for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and director of communication and marketing for the New York State Office of Science, Technology & Academic Research (NYSTAR).

Quinn holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY College at Plattsburgh and has undertaken graduate work in communications at the University at Albany.