The University of Arkansas Division of Student Affairs is pleased to announce that Robyn Starling-Ledbetter joined the division as senior director of communications and marketing on January 2.
In this new role, Starling-Ledbetter will be responsible for leading the development and execution of a comprehensive communication and marketing strategy to enhance the division’s visibility and engagement with a variety of stakeholders. She will oversee a shared services team and work to implement processes and guidelines that will address the division’s communications and marketing needs.
“I am honored to be leading the launch of the first shared services communications and marketing team within the Division of Student Affairs,” she said. “I am deeply grateful to the Division’s leadership for entrusting me with the opportunity to support some of the university’s most important initiatives. It’s an exciting time to share the story of Student Affairs and the vital work it does.”
Starling-Ledbetter brings over 20 years of experience in communications, marketing, and media. For the past eight years, she has served as the Director of Student Media at the University of Arkansas, where she achieved significant milestones.
She launched the university’s first student-run advertising agency, developed the first open, converged newsroom concept in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) for student media, and helped lead the digitization efforts of the Arkansas Razorback yearbook and the Arkansas Traveler newspaper. Additionally, Starling-Ledbetter has served as a faculty member in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media at Fulbright College for 18 years. She has been named one of the best journalism educators in the country by Crain News Pro and enjoys mentoring students.
“Robyn’s deep expertise in communications, combined with her innovative approaches to marketing, makes her the ideal leader to guide our division’s efforts,” said Jeremy Battjes, vice chancellor for student affairs. “We are confident that Robyn will play a pivotal role in furthering our goal to engage and connect with our campus community and beyond.”
“The Division of Student Affairs contributes to student success in numerous ways and we are excited to have Robyn leading us in telling that story,” said Erin Butler, senior advisor to the vice chancellor for student affairs. “And implementing a shared services model helps ensure that our message is consistent and that all of our units have professional resources to further their reach with students.”
The Division is searching to fill two other leadership roles within the shared services team: strategic projects director and creative director.
Starling-Ledbetter is married to Ryan and they have two daughters – Starling, who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Apparel Merchandising and Product Development (AMPD) from a Bumpers College in 2024, and Ginny Grace who is a freshman at the U of A and is also an AMPD major in Bumpers Honors College.
A version of this story appeared in Arkansas News.