January 2008

Spotlight on Staff: Deborah Snelgrove

By Jill Lindstrom

When it’s time to develop a new University-wide marketing campaign targeted toward students, Deborah Snelgrove, senior executive director for Student and Academic Support Services (SASS) Communication and Creative Services and SASS chief creative officer, is the one to contact.

A GW alumna, Snelgrove was hired in 1989 to revamp the University’s student recruiting. Some of her best known branding efforts include the Office of Admissions’ marketing campaigns “Something Happens Here” and “City, Campus, Classroom,” the student orientation program Colonial Inauguration, the dining and card program campaign “Dining in a GWorld,” the student services strategic Web presence GWired, and the recently created student services hub Colonial Central.

Q: What do you like the most about your job?
A: In addition to the marketing and branding element of my job, I also serve as adviser to the Cherry Tree Yearbook and the Organization of Latino American Students. The students can bounce ideas off of me, and I help them navigate the University in terms of finding the go-to people who can help them achieve their objectives. I also support the spirit programs. These are wonderful opportunities for me to interact with the students, and that’s what I love the most. Also, anyone who has the whole rainbow selection of Sharpie markers must have a great job!

Q: Tell me something people don’t know about you.
A: I love NASCAR. I discovered it on a boring Saturday about three years ago, while half-napping, half-watching TV. Anyone who has watched NASCAR knows it is brand advertising going real fast. I also like country western music, jeans, and boots—I’m a Texan! Something else people may not know is that I was a freshman here when Russ Ramsey, chairman of the Board of Trustees, was a senior. I watched him play baseball for GW.

Q: Do you have a sweet tooth?
A: Yes. Actually, my husband’s family business was ice cream; “Snelgrove’s” was a popular brand in Utah. So I married into an ice cream family, and, on top of that, my husband is a pastry chef. As a result, I live at the gym!

Q: If you were to star in a reality TV show, which one would it be?
A: Project Runway! But I don’t know if I’d want to be Heidi Klum, one of the fashion designers, or Nina Garcia, the judge and creative director of Elle magazine.

Q: What is something that makes you cringe?
A: Drinking any coffee that is not Starbucks! And I don’t like “close talkers” who invade my personal space.

Q: Where is your favorite place to go on the weekend?
A: All my weekends are spent at the soccer field. My daughter is starting goalie for her Division 2 travel team and her school team—the School Without Walls Penguins. I also love going to knitting stores, the National Museum of the American Indian, and, a bit more extravagant, New York City.

Q: If you were to treat yourself to something really nice, what would it be?
A: An Isabella Fiore bag, a spa day, a beach escape, and expensive wool!

Q: Did you make a New Year’s resolution?
A: Yes. My resolution for the next year is to be more balanced in my life through activities that require reflection and personal zen, such as knitting and walking. I really enjoyed the Red Scarf Project these past two years. I want to find more time to do community service knitting and inspire others to knit too. World peace through wool!

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu