Presidential Award of Excellence, 2015
Advancement - Communications and Public Affairs
Director of Media Relations
In an age when news stories go viral instantly, Erika Mantz ensures that UNH maintains a strong, clear, positive voice so that we can stay on top of the latest headlines, tweets and shares.
As the university’s spokesperson, Erika oversees our efforts to promote news about breakthroughs in UNH research, campus developments and the many achievements of our students, faculty and staff. And regardless of the hour, she is at the ready whenever the media call.
It’s an all-encompassing, exciting and, often, unpredictable job --- one that she handles with remarkable collegiality. Throughout her 15 years with UNH, Erika has also proven herself to be a great listener, a quick study of complex topics and a superb communicator.
On any given day, Erika may be found working closely with university leadership, student organizations, researchers, local community officials, colleagues in Manchester and Concord, safety officials, local journalists and the world’s media giants.
As you may know, UNH faces tremendous media scrutiny at times. But we can take comfort in knowing how well Erika works with reporters to get them the information they need, and framing it in ways that best represent the university.
One colleague said this about Erika’s contributions: “Her devotion to UNH is inspiring, as is her work ethic. And Erika does all of this in a quiet, humble, selfless way. For Erika, it is always about the university and promoting or protecting our brand.”
One recent examples came when University System of New Hampshire (USNH) officials released the findings of an independent investigation into misconduct by staff in several athletics programs at Keene State College and UNH. This difficult issue involved intense coordination with attorneys, human resources, USNH colleagues and trustees and the UNH president.
Yet, Erika handled all aspects of communication this story with professionalism, grace and sensitivity, meeting deadlines on short notice, working closely the press and making sure we were heeding the president's charge to be transparent. In times like these, having Erika on the scene makes everyone breathe a lot easier.
About this Award
All members of the university community, including leadership, supervisors & managers, peers, colleagues and students may nominate any qualified staff member by completing the Presidential Award of Excellence nomination form online or by requesting a paper application from Human Resources and forwarding it to the Presidential Award of Excellence Peer Review Committee, c/o Human Resources, Nesmith Hall each year by the deadline.
