Episode #25: Interview of Carin Morrell, PIO from the University of Maryland - Baltimore

In June 2019, Carin Morrell joined the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) as the first Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Police Department and Office of Emergency Management. As PIO, she’s a social media manager, photographer, videographer, graphic designer, speechwriter, website developer, and crisis communicator. She manages media inquiries, community complaints, and all public-facing messaging for a police department of 200+ men and women (plus one dog), as well as UMB’s newest department, the Office of Emergency Management. 

Prior to joining UMB, Morrell spent three years as PIO for the Maryland Department of Health Office of Preparedness and Response, where she managed all public-facing communications related to public health emergencies for the State of Maryland. In 2019, she was selected to present a social media accessibility poster at the National Preparedness Summit. She was recognized by Governor Hogan’s Office of Communications for social media management and routinely ran the Maryland Emergency Management Agency Joint Information Center during graded statewide and national exercises.

Morrell has also served as communications coordinator for the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University and spent years producing newscasts at WBAL-TV and WISC-TV. Morrell taught news reporting at Loyola University Maryland, led nationwide social media campaigns, spearheaded departmental website redesigns, and developed branding and marketing strategies for state political campaigns. She earned a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2012 and is currently earning a second master’s degree in strategic communications from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Carin's Linked in link