Leadership

Tom Eppes – Chief Communications Officer

Thomas E. Eppes, a seasoned media professional who has led communications programs for international corporations in Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., joined University Communications in 2012.

A Mississippi native, Eppes is a former newspaper reporter, state government public information officer and U.S. Senate campaign press secretary who served as director of communications and public relations at two international corporations headquartered in Atlanta before moving to Charlotte, where he headed a leading regional advertising and public relations agency.

During his career, Tom has led teams that won numerous awards, including the Public Relations Society of America's Silver Anvil, an Adweek Creative Team of the Year award, a Cannes Silver, three Silver Clios and a prestigious One Show award.

Accredited by PRSA, Eppes has twice served as an assembly delegate for the association and was elected to a two-year term on the national PRSA board in 2007. He also was elected as the organization's national treasurer and an executive committee member for 2009.

Hilarie Bain – Director of Printing and Graphic Services

A graduate of the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Technology, Hilarie has 15 years' experience in the graphic communication industry. She joined the university in 2000 and assumed her duties as associate director in 2005. Hilarie’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, overseeing production from concept to finished product.

Danny Blanton – Director of Public Relations

With more than 24 years of experience in military, corporate, political and nonprofit sector public relations, Danny N. Blanton returned to his alma mater in 2012 to direct Ole Miss Media and Public Relations.

Blanton's objectives include providing strategic direction in crisis communications, internal communications, target audience analysis and message management. His career path literally spans the globe and encompasses a wide spectrum of both military and civilian work experiences. Most recently, he was NATO's public affairs adviser to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Embedded in Afghanistan, he trained, advised and worked to develop and publish long-term strategic communications plans, event-specific public affairs goals and written Standard Operating Procedures and policies regarding communications efforts, media relations, community relations and humanitarian aid.

Jennifer Farish – Associate Director of Public Relations

Jennifer joined The University of Mississippi's communications department in 2006 and worked for three years as the editor of the law school alumni magazine and a communications specialist before becoming the associate director of External Media Relations in 2010. Prior to coming to the university, she spent just over five years as a beat reporter—first for the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and more recently for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo, Miss.

A native of Clarksdale, Miss., she graduated cum laude with a B.A. in English and journalism from Ole Miss. She resides in Oxford with her husband, Hank.

Robert Jordan – Director of Ole Miss Photography

Robert has two degrees from Ole Miss and more than 30 years of experience in photography. He joined the university in 1984 as university photographer, and, under his leadership, the official photography staff of UM has grown to three full-time photographers who regularly earn national recognition for their work.