People

Palm Beach State College has appointed Angela Harrington to serve as chief communications and public affairs
officer.

Harrington is a respected higher education leader whose experience spans internal and external communications and community outreach at multicampus institutions in New Jersey and New York.

“Angela is a communications leader who raises awareness of the importance of higher education and community partnerships in advancing students’ lives,” said PBSC President Ava L. Parker, J.D. “She is dynamic in her approach to storytelling and team building, with a proven track record of elevating institutions of higher learning in the nation’s largest metropolitan area.”

Harrington, who was selected after a nationwide search, reports to Parker and serves as a member of her executive leadership team. She oversees the areas of marketing, communications, media relations, reputation management and external partnerships in the newly renamed Office of Communications and Public Affairs, formerly College Relations and Marketing. Prior to joining PBSC, Harrington served as vice president of communications and external relations at Berkeley College for nine years, where she initiated a popular global women’s entrepreneurship forum. She worked for three years as chief community relations officer at Bergen Community College, where she managed the launch of a $21 million campus. At each institution, Harrington expanded partnerships with businesses, educational, governmental and nonprofit organizations, and helped increase resources for new academic programs, economic development and community-based educational initiatives.

In addition to 12 years in higher education, Harrington’s career includes previous roles as a journalist and founder of a public relations agency.

A 2017 fellow of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Institute for Educational Management, Harrington holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Rutgers University and a Master of Science degree in Business Management and Organizational Development from Capella University. She is also a fellow of Lead New Jersey.

Harrington served as a member of the Association for a Better New York Women’s Committee, the Advisory Council for the Bronx Women’s Business Center, the Newark City of Learning Collaborative and the New Jersey Business & Industry Association Postsecondary Education Task Force. An Emmy Award-winning journalist early in her career, Harrington was one of 50 women named as an Above and Beyond Award honoree by City & State New York (2022); a Top 25 Brand Builder by Leading Women Entrepreneurs & Business Owners (2018), and a Best 50 Women in Business by NJBIZ (2007).