Dana Coester, an award-winning designer with more than 15 years of experience in magazine publishing and communication art, has been named assistant vice president for branding and creative direction with the University Advancement and Marketing (UAM) office, effective immediately.

Coester, the former art director and contributor for Southern Living magazine and Southern Living Decorating Step-by-Step, also has more than a decade of experience in magazine publishing, development and marketing. Her professional background includes book design, editorial development, consulting in magazine publishing and serving as curator to documentary photojournalism exhibitions.

UAM Vice President Christine Martin made the appointment following a nationwide search.

Were very pleased to have Dana directing the branding and design of our integrated marketing efforts,Martin said.She brings a wealth of experience from the corporate communication and higher education recruitment marketing areas. She will be a valuable asset to our team.

Coester, also a former assistant professor in visual communications at the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism (SOJ), has been at WVU since 2002. She commented,WVU is in the exciting process of carving out a position of national prominence �?�?� its a privilege to work with the University at an unprecedented time of growth and increasing relevance in the world of higher education.

Im also impressed with the innovation that WVU has shown in its use of multimedia and the Internet as tools of marketing and recruitment. Its a thrill to enter a process that is already on the cutting edge. Theres a lot of talent hereopportunities abound.

In her new position, Coester will oversee branding, marketing, advertising, development campaigns, recruitment publications, photography, video support, Web design, print media and new media.

At the SOJ , Coester taught courses in magazine editing and production, advertising design and copywriting, and creative strategies for integrated marketing communications. Her research addresses the intersection of design, multimedia and nonlinear storytelling.

In September 2005, journalism students documented stories of Hurricane Katrina evacuees, who were temporarily relocated to Camp Dawson in Preston County, W.Va. Coester designed and co-edited the Web site,Starting Over,documenting the evacueesexperiences.

Starting overhas received national recognition since its inception. The Society of Professional Journalists named the site one of the top three finalists in the online in-depth reporting category in the nationalMark of Excellence Awards2006 competition. The site can be accessed athttp://katrinaproject.journalism.wvu.edu.

Coesters related presentationCovering Katrina: Dialogues on Race and Povertywas recently accepted at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) midwinter conference to be presented in Reno, Nev., Feb. 20.

She also designed the SOJ bookCancer Stories: Lessons in Love, Loss and Hopefor West Virginia University Press, as well as the companion DVD .Cancer Storieswas nominated to the American Association of University Presses book awards for design recognition.

Coester earned her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.