Meet the Staff

Ann Marie Varga, APR
Assistant Vice President

Ann Marie Varga has more than 25 years of experience in the field of public relations. As assistant vice president of public relations and communications, she oversees the development and implementation of strategic communications, provides communications counseling to a variety of internal clients, monitors and manages issues and crisis communications, creates and implements multi-faceted programs and events, implements proactive publicity and media relations, and much more.  She is a sought-after presenter on the value of public relations and the evolution of the field, its tools, strategies and tactics. She joined Rollins College in June 2000 as director of public relations and was promoted to assistant vice president the following year. Under her direction, the Office has created numerous award-winning programs, including the R-Journals, a program that provides an authentic look at day-to-day campus life through a student’s eyes and is read by 28 percent of incoming students. She has secured national media attention for Rollins, including a feature story in the industry’s top publication, the Chronicle of Higher Education. Read more … 

Email Ann Marie. Ann Marie's office telephone number is 407-646-2159.

Lauren Hames
Director of Public Relations & Communications

Lauren Hames has more than nine years of experience in public relations, public information, media relations, internal communications, crisis communications and new media.  She brings a breadth of experience in both traditional public relations strategies and new media necessary in this ever-evolving communication environment. Laure n assists with all public relations matters as well as issues management and crisis communications. She specializes in emerging trends in social media and will manage the College's online news room (the Rollins News Center) and its first-ever News Bureau.  She is helping Rollins maximize and organize its online presence and oversees College’s social media activity and implement additional online and new media initiatives. Read more...

Email Lauren. Lauren's office telephone number is 407-646-2203.

Robyn Allers
Manager for the Arts

Robyn Allers currently serves as Acting Director of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum and collaborates with the OPRC on service to the campus arts organizations. As Manager for the Arts at Rollins, Robyn will oversee public relations and communications for the visual and performing arts, including events, programs and performances of the Annie Russell Theatre, the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, the Department of Music, the Winter Park Institute and the Winter with the Writers Festival of the Literary Arts. She fosters collaboration and coordination among these programs to increase and enhance visibility and optimize public relations and marketing opportunities and utilization of resources.  Prior to her appointment with the museum in 2008, she served  for four years as coordinator of the arts at Rollins.  In that capacity, she created opportunities for collaboration and integration of the arts with other campus activities and the academic curriculum, efforts which continue today. Robyn will begin her tenure as Manager for the Arts at Rollins in June 2010.Read more...

Email Robyn. Robyn's office telephone number is 407-646-2256.

Jennifer Sperber-Sales
Communications Specialist

Jennifer Sperber-Sales has more than five years of experience in marketing and public relations.  She first joined Rollins as a Marketing and Communications Assistant at the Hamilton Holt School, where she developed and edited marketing materials and managed the evening program’s Web site and maintained online databases.

Jennifer joined the Office of Public Relations & Communications in 2006 as Communications Assistant and was recently promoted to Communications Specialist.  Jennifer assists with a variety of professional and administrative activities including the ongoing maintenance of the PR Planning Calendar, which captures Rollins events, local and national events and planned editorial features.  As the key contact person for the offices of Special Events and Events Scheduling, she assists with the promotion of campus events on the College’s online calendar. Read more...

Email Jennifer. Jennifer's office telephone number is 407-646-2202.

Patrick McKelvey
Communications Assistant

Patrick McKelvey (Class of 2009) joined the Office of Public Relations & Communications as a Graduate Assistant in the summer of 2009. Patrick received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and has a keen interest in public relations and community relations. During his undergraduate career at Rollins, he held many leadership positions and was part of the leadership team that launched the Dance Marathon at Rollins in 2007, the largest and most successful student-run philanthropy at Rollins College. He also served as the Public Relations and Marketing Chair of the Student Government Association (SGA) and created TARnival, an annual event that brings the campus and local community together. Read more...

Email Patrick. Patrick's office telephone number is 407-646-2256.

Brittany Fornof
Intern/Rollins' News Bureau Coordinator

Brittany Fornof (Class of 2011) joined the Office of Public Relations & Communication (OPRC) as an intern in 2008. In 2009-10, she will serve as the inaugural coordinator of Rollins’ first-ever News Bureau (NB), a student-run initiative under the direction of the Office of Public Relations & Communication. She is assisting with the planning, launch and implementation of the Bureau, which is designed to establish R-Net (Rollins’ new intranet) as the place to go for news and information of interest for current students. A member of the OPRC team since fall 2008, Brittany researches and writes Web stories, news releases, and media pitches; assists with the production of content for R-Net; and assists as needed with various public relations responsibilities. Read more...

Email Brittany. Brittany's office telephone number is 407-646-2288.