SPS Stories
Faculty Spotlight
Shonna Keogan
Adjunct Instructor
Integrated Marketing and Communications
Shonna Keogan's Path to Teaching at NYU SPS
Fast Facts
- Teaches Theory, History & Practice of Public Relations within the NYU SPS Division of Programs in Business
- Serves as chief communications officer at the NYU School of Law
- Before NYU, was founder and principal of her consultancy practice, SK Communications, focusing on emerging businesses
<p><span class="p-body">Our MS in Public Relations and Corporate Communication faculty and students are keenly aware of how quickly the industry can change. Instructors like Shonna Keogan are there to help prepare the next generation of PR professionals to be dynamic and adaptable both inside and outside of the classroom. </span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Shonna Keogan is a professional communicator with more than two decades of experience in marketing, public relations, corporate communications, and journalism. She teaches Theory, History & Practice of Public Relations at the NYU SPS Division of Programs in Business and serves as chief communications officer at the NYU School of Law. Previously, she was senior director of executive communications at New York University, focusing on institutional priorities and crisis response.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">We couldn't wait to speak with her about her journey to teaching at NYU SPS and her thoughts on what new PR professionals can bring to the industry.</span></p>
Seizing New Opportunities in Public Relations
<p><span class="p-body">Before NYU, she was the founder and principal of her consultancy practice, SK Communications, focusing on emerging businesses. Her clients included the University of Albany, GridApp Systems, CoKinetic Technologies, GetMyBoat, NYU Stern in Westchester, the Dwight Schools (International), and Informa Investment Solutions. She has also served as director of corporate communications at Register.com and press secretary for the City of New York.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">On her trajectory so far, Keogan says, "My career path has been guided by keeping my ear to the ground and not hesitating when an exciting opportunity has come my way." She first got her start in journalism working for free weekly newspapers, where she learned how to ask the right questions and write quickly. Then, she was asked to work for the mayor of New York City and became an expert on the ins and outs of leveraging communications to achieve an institution's goals.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">A lot has changed since then, and she says that organizations rely on strategic communications more than ever. After all, when she started as a journalist, press releases were still sent out by mail. </span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">"We used to fax press announcements to a defined set of media players. Major television networks, large circulation newspapers, and magazines had so much power back then. So many of the things we stressed about are no longer relevant now. Media has become more democratized, and communicators have a much wider field—social media, blogs and vlogs, podcasts, YouTube, which has created many more opportunities but made life much more complex for professional communicators."</span></p>
We used to fax press announcements to a defined set of media players. Major television networks, large circulation newspapers, and magazines had so much power back then. So many of the things we stressed about are no longer relevant now. Media has become more democratized, and communicators have a much wider field—social media, blogs and vlogs, podcasts, YouTube, which has created many more opportunities but made life much more complex for professional communicators."
Finding a Love for Teaching
<p><span class="p-body">Keogan has been part of the NYU ecosystem on and off for over two decades. At first, she did media relations for Tisch, Steinhardt, Arts & Science, and most recently worked on institutional, executive, and crisis communications prior to joining NYU Law. In the Office of Public Affairs, Keogan had a 360-degree view of university operations. She found her work there tremendously gratifying and has since shifted her energy to NYU SPS.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Teaching Theory, History, and Practice of Public Relations, which is one of the first courses taken by students in the NYU SPS MS in Public Relations and Corporate Communications program, Keogan is excited to impart her wisdom to the next generation of PR professionals. Taking on this new role was outside of her comfort zone at first, but she eventually found her footing and was thrilled by the results. She says, "I was so filled with pride at what my students had obviously learned through the execution of their final projects, I figured maybe I did have something to teach the next generation after all!"</span></p>
A Classroom Without Walls
<p><span class="p-body">For Keogan, there are always new ways to bring her industry knowledge to the classroom.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">"The NYU SPS educational experience is rooted around connecting students with successful practitioners in their fields and providing them with exposure to how these jobs are done. In my class, my students not only hear my own experiences but from the guests who have made their mark in their professions and can talk about that experience in a meaningful way. Last semester, my guest lecturers included a journalist with The New York Times, a publicist for Paramount, and NYU's chief marketing officer." </span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">She is also encouraged by her bright students, who she has found to be supportive of one another in the classroom. According to her, "They are far more prepared to communicate with a global mindset," which is a tremendous advantage in the PR industry.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">You can be part of a dynamic academic environment when you pursue an <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-public-relations-and-corporate-communication.html" title="MS in Public Relations and Corporate Communication">MS in Public Relations and Corporate Communication</a>. Join Instructor Keogan and students from around the world at the center of all things PR today.</span></p>
The NYU SPS educational experience is rooted around connecting students with successful practitioners in their fields and providing them with exposure to how these jobs are done. In my class, my students not only hear my own experiences but from the guests who have made their mark in their professions and can talk about that experience in a meaningful way. Last semester, my guest lecturers included a journalist with The New York Times, a publicist for Paramount, and NYU's chief marketing officer."
