Amy Shanler

Amy Pavel Shanler draws on her 30 years of experience managing communications activities for multiple organizations and industries, including retail, technology, business, health care, and entertainment when teaching courses on principles of public relations, crisis management and communication, and media relations. In her role as associate department chair, Amy leads the teaching observation program, drafts administrative policies, and collaborates closely with the department chair on strategic initiatives.

Previously, Amy spent 10 years as co-director of PRLab, the nation’s longest-running student-managed public relations agency. Earlier, Amy was director of public and media relations for Royal Philips in North America, overseeing media relations, brand activation, issues management, thought leadership and stakeholder relations on a global communication team. Earlier, Amy directed PR strategies and community relations for the office products giant Staples; managed PR for Cognos, now a division of IBM; and served as senior account manager for a high-technology public relations subsidiary of FleishmanHillard.

Amy is frequently quoted in the media as an expert on crisis communication. In 2025, she received the Becker Family Teacher of the Year Award from COM, as well as the John J. Molloy Crystal Bell for Lifetime Achievement from the PR Club. In 2023 and 2020, she received the COM Dean’s Award for Alumni Initiatives and Innovation, recognizing exceptional and innovative contributions to COM’s mission. Amy also won the Lyndon Baines Johnson Faculty Advising Award in 2018. Her professional work has won several Bell Ringer Awards from the PR Club of New England, one PRSA Silver Anvil, and nominations from SABRE and the Creativity in Public Relations Awards (CIPRA). Amy has presented on writing, media relations, student-run agencies, and integrated communication for PRSA, PR Club, and AEJMC, and contributed an agency spotlight in Doug Swanson’s 2017 book about student-run PR agencies, Real World Career Preparation. She has also reviewed several public relations textbooks and contributed supplemental instructional tools.

My satisfaction comes from helping students find their joy as they discover and prepare for a career in communications.

Amy Shanler