Dr. Autumn Blanchard
SENIOR AFFILIATE
Dr. Autumn Blanchard is the founder and owner of Heartwork Initiative, a client-centered practice specializing in social impact communications for mission-driven organizations. Her work aids these organizations by advising executive leadership on designing compelling strategic communication efforts, survey and focus group design and administration, and translating complex issues into digestible and persuasive impact reporting, visual communications, and messaging materials that resonate with key stakeholders.
Drawing from a rich background spanning the fields of communication, education, and policy, Autumn brings a critical lens to her work. She served as the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Southern Education Foundation, where she led rebranding efforts, launched a new website, and partnered on a host of non-partisan issue campaigns. This experience was complemented by the sharpening of her political acumen as a community organizer during the 2008 presidential campaign, her successful management of a Detroit city council campaign, and her experience providing constituency services for Congressman John Conyers.
Autumn's passion for education is deeply rooted, stemming from her experience teaching at the university level and her leadership in student support services. Her focus centered on addressing learning disparities, program development, student retention, and advocacy for those who are first-generation, low-income, and students of color. Her commitment to equity extended to her service as a diversity liaison to the Board of Trustees at Central Michigan University and her tenure as the sponsorship chairperson for ColorComm, where she was responsible for building strategic partnerships that fostered growth in access and mentorship for women of color in the communication industry. Additionally, she has served on boards for efforts supporting community development, students with disabilities, and college students experiencing food and housing insecurity.
Dr. Blanchard earned her Ph.D. at Wayne State University in communication studies with a concentration in education policy. The heart of her research centered on the media's role in shaping the public’s perception of education policy, the significance of aligning values and actions among constituencies within the social policy context, and the implications for achieving equity through this alignment. Her studies have explored the media's influence on educational inequalities in marginalized communities, policy diffusion, voter perception and mobilization efforts, and political disenfranchisement.
As a Detroit native, Ronald E. McNair alum, first-generation college student, and mother, Autumn is driven by her commitment to communicating in ways that inspire action on issues that most impact individuals in the classroom. Currently, she resides in the Atlanta metropolitan area with her family.