by Trenay Perry Bynum
In case you haven’t already had the chance to meet her, we want to introduce you to PR @ Belmont’s newest faculty member, Trenay Perry Bynum. Professor Bynum is teaching two sections of First Year Seminar and two sections of Public Relations Principles during the Fall 2021 semester.
Education
Liberty University, Ph.D., Strategic Media – expected completion, 2023
Cumberland University, MSP, Public Service Management
Tennessee State University, BS, Mass Communications
Why PR?
During my junior year at Tennessee State University, I took a public relations course and enjoyed the variety of ways it could be applied to strategic communications. I purchased a textbook and spent the summer before my senior year studying. For my senior project, I pitched a public relations campaign to the honor society’s professor to increase awareness of the honor society and its end-of-the-year event. Surprisingly, the 13-year-old who sang Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All grew up to become Monica, a well-known R&B performer. When interviewing for jobs after college, I used the campaign as a writing sample, which helped me land my first writing job at Meharry Medical College. I landed a PR manager position with the Nashville Symphony 10 years later. Though my 30-year career in strategic communications has included various tactics, including event planning, marketing, collateral development, and social media, public relations has remained a favorite due to its connection to media relations.
What brought you to Belmont?
Belmont University is incredible! However, I was unaware of this until I became more exposed to its mission during my orientation. I enrolled in a doctoral program in strategic media in 2020 with the goal of teaching at a university as my encore career. Naturally, I thought my desire to teach would lead me back to my alma mater. Dr. Kevin Trowbridge, on the other hand, saw my pure enthusiasm for entering this field and opened the door. During my interview with him, I witnessed his passion for Belmont and his profession, which convinced me that this would be the right fit for me.
Something you want students to know:
Public relations techniques can be applied to personal/student branding (what I call Real Life Branding), as it is never too early to position oneself for their dream job. Stop scrolling and start creating on your favorite social media channel!
Personal Life:
I’m from Los Angeles and married to Quinton, who is from Memphis. Our daughter attends Hume Fogg, Nashville’s first public school founded in 1912. We live with two fur babies – Wyatt the Bulldog and Oliver the cat.
Follow Professor Bynum on social media!
Twitter: @tlpbynum
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trenaybynum/
Occasional Blog: https://trenaybynum.medium.com/