Riverhead Resident to Head Media Relations Efforts
STONY BROOK, N.Y., July 16, 2007—Stony Brook University today named Darren Johnson Media Relations Manager for Stony Brook Southampton, the 82-acre campus with a curriculum focused on environmental sustainability, marine sciences, and the arts. Stony Brook Southampton will start its first full year of operation this Fall after a transitional year following the purchase of the former Southampton College property from Long Island University.
Johnson will be responsible for developing media relations strategies for the campus and promoting the academic achievements of its faculty, researchers, and students, as well as news on the creation of academic programs and construction projects. He also will publicize artistic performances, such as this summer’s “Sustainable Pleasures,” the nationally-acclaimed Writing Program which is hosting the annual Writers Conference beginning next week, and events and programs sponsored by the Center for Wine, Food and Culture.
“As the vision for Stony Brook Southampton continues to take shape, Darren will play an important role in ensuring that the dynamic, exciting and unique place that the campus is destined to become is well understood by prospective students, their parents, and the community,” said Martin Schoonen, Interim Dean of Stony Brook Southampton.
The appointment of Johnson represents another investment by the University to establish the campus as a model of interdisciplinary studies related to the environment, along with faculty hires and an expansion of course offerings previously announced by Schoonen. The University also is renovating residence halls and making other infrastructure improvements.
Johnson worked at Southampton College as Director of Public Relations and was most previously the Director of Communications at Touro Law Center, where he led the effort to reposition the law school and a new campus. A former journalist and winner of a New York Press Association Writer of the Year Award, Johnson has a M.F.A in Writing from Southampton College and lives in Riverhead with his wife and daughter.
