After 14 years with the University, Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations and chief communications officer, will leave Duke at the end of July.
He will join the global strategic advisory firm Brunswick Group as a partner in Washington, D.C. in August.
Schoenfeld wrote in a Thursday email obtained by The Chronicle sent to friends that he will “be forever grateful for the opportunity to serve and speak for one of the great universities of the world.”
“Where else but Duke could a day in the office include a Final Four, a national championship, a Nobel Prize and thousands of ‘you can’t make this up’ adventures (and misadventures) large and small, in every part of the globe,” he wrote.
“Many people know Mike Schoenfeld as the public face and voice of Duke in both good times and challenging circumstances,” President Vincent Price wrote in a release. “But his impact and influence have made a difference in many parts of Duke’s mission, from academics and student life to health care and athletics, to alumni and community relations, and beyond. Mike’s wise counsel to students, faculty, staff, and leadership has contributed to Duke’s success and has set us up well for the future.”
Schoenfeld graduated from Duke in 1984 before earning his Masters in Public Policy from Stony Brook University. He started his career at international public radio station Voice of America, where he received a special commendation from the President’s Advisory Board for Broadcasting to Cuba for his work on the launch of TV Marti.
He then took on the position of senior vice president for policy and public affairs at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C. before joining Vanderbilt University in Nashville as their vice chancellor for public affairs. Schoenfeld remained in this position from 1997 to 2008 before he joined Duke’s administration.
A national search will be conducted for Schoenfeld’s successor, according to the release. Christopher Simmons, associate vice president for government relations, will serve as interim vice president for public affairs and government relations.
Correction: This article previously incorrectly stated that Schoenfeld worked at the University of Tennessee at Nashville. It has been updated to state that he worked at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The Chronicle regrets the error.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Milla Surjadi is a Trinity junior and a diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator of The Chronicle's 119th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 118.
Anisha Reddy is a Trinity junior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.