BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (February 10, 2023) – Dr. LeNá Powe McDonald has been named Affiliate Commissioner for Educational Relations for the Southeastern Convention, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey introduced on Friday.

“We’re excited to have Dr. LeNá McDonald be a part of the Southeastern Convention employees within the important position of supporting and selling applications and actions designed to spotlight the instructing, analysis and repair accomplishments of scholars, school and employees within the SEC,” mentioned Sankey.  “Dr. McDonald is uniquely certified to steer our efforts to spotlight the endeavors and achievements of the SEC’s world-class universities.”

As Affiliate Commissioner for Educational Relations, Dr. McDonald will lead SEC actions meant to spotlight the educational accomplishments and affect of SEC universities, together with academically targeted intercollegiate athletics alternatives.  These actions embrace the SEC Educational Management Growth Program, SEC College Achievement Awards, SEC College Journey Program, SEC School Tour, SEC MBA Case and Scholar Pitch Competitions, SEC Rising Students Program and SEC schooling overseas and worldwide efforts.

As well as, Dr. McDonald will administer the SEC’s broad educational messaging effort, which incorporates social and digital media methods, paid promoting campaigns in main increased schooling publications, and excessive affect messaging alternatives, whereas leveraging the SEC athletics model in highlighting the educational accomplishments and affect of SEC universities.

She may even function employees liaison to the SEC Provosts and the SEC Vice Presidents/Chancellors for Communications.

Dr. McDonald involves the SEC from the College of Alabama the place she has served as Director of Inside Affairs and UA System Liaison since 2019.  She beforehand labored in communications for UA’s Division of Development. She has additionally served as a college member in UA’s Division of Communication Research. Extra earlier roles embrace: Director of Operations, Development and Advertising for the Birmingham Youngsters’s Theater, Govt Director of Workforce Growth for West Alabama Works of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce in addition to mission supervisor in strategic initiatives for the Birmingham Enterprise Alliance.

Dr. McDonald earned her Bachelor of Arts diploma from Alabama in 2007 earlier than incomes a grasp’s diploma in Communications Research in 2009 and a Physician of Philosophy in Larger Schooling with an emphasis in Communications and Info Sciences in 2020.

She was a presenter on the Oxford Ladies’s Management Symposium in 2018 and named a Birmingham Trailblazer by The Birmingham Information in 2015. She was additionally named Greatest Younger Skilled by Birmingham Journal Greatest in Minority Enterprise Awards in 2014 and an honoree in Who’s Who in Black America in 2012.

She is a member of the Birmingham Chapter of The Hyperlinks, Included and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Included. She has been lively in her neighborhood and volunteers with a number of neighborhood boards.