Higher Ed Folks We Follow (and You Should Too)

If you’ve ever spent time searching Twitter to find new folks working in higher ed to follow, you probably came up gangbusters. There’s an active community of higher education professionals out there, and they have plenty to say. Keeping this list to ten was no easy task as there are so many people sharing valuable content, thoughts, and tips, but we managed to whittle the group down to folks currently working in higher education who are also tearing it up on social media and blogs. If you’re not already following these experts, do yourself a favor and click the follow button now.

@CBarrows
Some might call him the hardest working man in social media because Chris Barrows seems to do it all. He’s a Social Media Strategist at New York University, podcaster, blogger, and EduWeb Conference chairperson. He shares tons of higher ed and social media thoughts, links, and tips on his Twitter feed.

@RobertBoc
In addition to being Assistant Director of Alumni Marketing & Communications at Harvard Business School, Robert Bochnak blogs about social media and higher education at Social Media Matters. After you read his latest post on alumni engagement, check out his twitter feed for links to insightful higher ed how-to’s and articles on social media.

@ashley_budd
If you’ve ever attended HighEdWeb, Confab Events, NACAC, or CASE Conferences, you’ve probably heard Ashley Budd speak about enrollment, fundraising, and communication technology in higher ed. While she’s not on the speaking circuit or blogging on her site, she’s making her mark as Assistant Director of Social Media Strategy for Alumni Affairs and Development at Cornell University.

@DaveCameron
If you were at HighEdWeb last year, you might remember Dave Cameron’s session Human at Work; Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Get Better at My Job. He made quite an impression on the crowd and took home the coveted red stapler. So it only makes sense that you’d want to hear more of what this Ithaca College web professional has to say. You can find his musings on Twitter, or here, or here.

@andrewcareaga
There’s a lot to know about higher ed PR and marketing guy Andrew Careaga. He’s the Communications Director for Missouri University of Science and Technology, as well as a blogger here and here. You’ll want to follow him on Twitter feed even if you’re not a Cardinals fan.

@perryhewitt
Perry Hewitt is a groundbreaker. As Harvard University’s first chief digital officer, she leads digital strategy for communications and engagement for audiences, and explores ways organizations can effect digital transformation. She writes and speaks on a variety of topics related to digital, marketing, content, user experience, and more. When you follow her on Twitter, don’t forget to set aside some time to read her blog as well.

@joshuajensen
Josh Jensen’s Twitter feed just might be your new best friend with its links to interesting articles on a range of higher ed related topics. As the Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at Connecticut College, he knows great shareable content when he sees it - follow him and you will too.

@marleysmom
A self-described conquistador in fabulous shoes, Tonya Oaks Smith is the Executive Director of Marketing Communications at Henderson State University where she manages the law school’s communications, marketing, and public relations strategies. She contributes to higheredsolo.com and often shares her thoughts on social media at higher ed conferences.

@mar10s
Martin Sickafoose is Director of Digital Marketing at Purdue University and a higher ed tweeting machine. His feed is chock full of links to great content that higher ed marketers will love and put to use in their schools.

@collegewebguy
His Twitter handle sort of says it all, doesn’t it? Drew Stephens is a Digital Design and Development Manager at the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business. He does really cool things with visual design and interaction design. He also tweets helpful links for higher ed design folk.