Scott Melton '05, senior vice president and chief philanthropy officer for the National
Aquarium in Baltimore, will headline the special event. Events are open to the public and campus community. 
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — Chief philanthropy officers, political columnists, ESPN
marketing directors and more will descend upon Winthrop University Oct. 2-4 for the
27th Annual Mass Communication Week.
Scott Melton '05, senior vice president and chief philanthropy officer for the National Aquarium in
Baltimore, will headline the special event. He will speak on several occasions on
Monday, Oct. 2:
*9:30 a.m., Whitton Auditorium (Carroll Hall)
*11 a.m., Johnson Studio Theatre
*4 p.m. reception, Johnson Hall Lobby
In his role, Melton is responsible for all philanthropic functions for the aquarium,
including capital and annual operating fundraising, and helps set long-term strategies
for the aquarium's operations and future. He previously worked as senior director
of individual giving for the NAACP, where he helped the organization more than triple
the size of its donor base. He graduated from Winthrop with a Bachelor of Science
in integrated marketing communication (IMC).
"Mass Communication Week acts as a bridge between the professions and academia with
a focus on student development," said Padmini Patwardhan, professor of marketing and
the coordinator for the IMC program.
Other speakers and events include:
*Tuesday, Oct. 3, 9:30 a.m., Johnson Studio Theatre:
Attendees will hear about media relations from Winthrop faculty and staff: Professor of History Eddie Lee' 83; Jeff Perez, vice president for university relations; Professor of Music Ron Parks; Gretchen Baldwin, clinical coordinator for Center for Student Wellness; ZaDonna
Slay, Master of Social Work admissions coordinator; and Joan Winters, director of
the Children's Attention Home and assistant professor of management and marketing.
*Tuesday, Oct. 3, 12:30 p.m., Johnson Studio Theatre:
A panel of returning accomplished alumni will talk about their careers: Eddie Scarry '10, media and politics columnist for "The Washington Examiner," who broke the story
that President Donald Trump was launching his campaign in 2015; Jasmine Rutledge ˜11, marketing director for "730 AM The Game ESPN Charlotte"; and Taylor McKenzie '10, learning and development partner for sales at Red Ventures.
*Wednesday, Oct. 4, 9:30 a.m., Whitton Auditorium
Ashley Smalls '11 works as a senior executive at CreateSpace, an Amazon Company, in Charleston.
*Wednesday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m., Whitton Auditorium
The Rev. Dr. Arlecia Simmons ˜96 is a visiting professor at Claflin University. She has also released devotional books
and served as the senior pastor of Faith United Church in Washington, D.C.
For more information on Mass Communication Week, contact Department of Mass Communication Chair Guy Reel at 803/323-4531 or reelg@winthrop.edu.
