Sharon Jones Schweitzer ’75, known throughout San Antonio as the spokeswoman for Trinity University, has retired after 30 years as the school’s chief external communications officer.
Arriving on campus in 1988 after more than a decade as a reporter and anchor with the nickname of “San Antonio Jones” at KMOL-TV (now known as WOAI), Schweitzer began as the director of public relations and later was promoted to assistant vice president for University Communications, which in 2013 evolved into the position of assistant vice president for External Relations. She has served as Trinity’s media spokeswoman while overseeing a public relations strategy for the campus and its administrators and handling crisis communication and media and community relations.
Earlier in her Trinity career, she was responsible for the redesign of the University’s website and its first content management system, provided leadership for the communication of the University’s $200 million capital campaign launched in 2005, and coordinated an integrated marketing plan. In addition, Schweitzer developed a comprehensive set of enrollment communications to recruit the best and brightest students and provided leadership for the creation and adoption of a University brand system that included the iconic Trinity Tower logo mark and key messages to reinforce Trinity’s quality, distinctiveness, and innovation.
Schweitzer also coordinated the inaugural ceremonies for Trinity’s 18th president, Dennis A. Ahlburg, and led in the planning for the inauguration of the 19th president, Danny J. Anderson, and in developing internal and external communications for Anderson. In all, she worked with four Trinity presidents, including Ronald K. Calgaard and John R. Brazil.
Sharon Jones Schweitzer, center, is congratulated on her retirement by Trinity President Danny Anderson and Vice President Tess Coody-Anders.
At Schweitzer’s campus retirement ceremony in April, Anderson thanked her for playing a key role at Trinity in ways that many people may not imagine. “You have been a flexible and adaptive leader, serving under four different presidents, each with his own style and vision,” he said. Anderson also spoke of Schweitzer’s “tireless dedication” and professionalism as well as her love for Trinity, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication in 1975.
A member of the Masters Leadership San Antonio Class XIII, Schweitzer is also a member of the Rotary Club of San Antonio, a former board member and past president of the Girl Scouts of the San Antonio Area, and a former board member and past president of the San Antonio Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications. She was honored with a Yellow Rose of Texas award in 2007 and received the Rhea Fern Malsbury Award in 2005 from Trinity University for distinguished service.
Schweitzer, who describes her exit from Trinity as a “reframing” rather than a “retirement,” said she plans to take some time to relax and unwind before starting a communications consulting business for nonprofits.
Michelle Bartonico, director of Strategic Communications and Marketing, described Schweitzer as “a tremendous colleague and sounding board. While we will continue to be indebted to Sharon for her commitment and service to Trinity, we know this is also an inflection point for us to reimagine this role. As Trinity gears up for its 150th anniversary celebration and seeks to increase national visibility, we will be creating two positions - focused on external relations and internal communications - to add resources to this effort to tell the Trinity story.”
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