Genaro Armas ’94, G’95 named Newhouse School communications director

Genaro Armas ’94, G’95, a seasoned strategic communications professional with extensive higher education and journalism experience, has been named Director of Communications for the Newhouse School.

Armas will join the school next month. He comes to Syracuse from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), where he is public relations manager. He will serve as a member of the dean’s executive leadership team.

“Genaro’s unique perspectives and varied professional experience will benefit the Newhouse School in many ways,” says Dean Mark J. Lodato. “I know he will be a champion for our students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

At UWM, Armas works with university leaders, faculty, staff and students on a variety of projects that support institutional priorities including enrollment marketing, retention and inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility initiatives. He develops strategies to promote the university’s story, collaborating with marketing and communications team members in producing content for web, email and social media. His responsibilities include media relations and crisis communications. Additionally, he led the team that launched the Curious Campus podcast, designed to promote research at UWM. 

Before joining UWM, Armas spent more than two decades as a journalist with The Associated Press, working in Albany, New York; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; State College, Pennsylvania; and Milwaukee. He covered everything from political conventions to the Olympics and won awards for breaking news when he covered the Sandusky crisis at Penn State University.

Armas earned a bachelor’s degree in magazine, news and digital journalism from the Newhouse School and a master’s degree in political science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

“As a proud graduate, I am excited by the opportunity to put the skills I learned here to work for my alma mater,” Armas says. “I look forward to sharing the compelling stories of the talented students, alumni, faculty and staff of the Newhouse School.”

Armas replaces Wendy Loughlin, who joined the Newhouse School as the founding Director of Communications in January 2007. Loughlin is now the Executive Director of Academic Communications in Syracuse University’s Division of Communications.