Office of Strategic Communications & Marketing

Alex Boekelheide is Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications & Marketing. 

He has two decades of experience delivering strategic communications programs for world-class higher education institutions. He most recently was executive director of public affairs, public information officer, and special assistant to the president at Pasadena City College. Boekelheide has also held leadership positions at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. Previous experience includes work in public broadcasting and regional theaters in the Washington, D.C., area. He earned a Master’s degree in Communication Management and a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Southern California. Originally from Tigard, Oregon, he lives in Pasadena with his wife and two daughters.

Anne Bergman is Director of Content & Senior Writer.

She writes news stories and features for the College. Before joining CMC, Bergman was associate director of communications and social media at the USC Gould School of Law. At USC, she also served in communications roles for USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, as well as USC Marshall School of Business. Bergman has a background in entertainment journalism, and was an editor at Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. As a journalist, her articles have been published in the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bergman earned her B.A. in Film Studies from UC Santa Barbara and a Master’s degree in Journalism from USC.

Brenda Bolinger is Director of Content & Senior Writer.

She writes news and feature stories for CMC’s website, magazine, social media, and other publication outlets. Before joining Strategic Communications, Bolinger served as director of stewardship in CMC’s Advancement Office for four years and worked in foundation relations, donor relations, and advancement communications at Pitzer College for a decade. She has a writing and editing background through positions at the Claremont Courier and the International Translation Center at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights and has freelanced across the 7Cs. Bolinger earned a B.A. in Literature from Whitworth University, with minors in Communications and Theater Arts.

Michelle Lee is the Web Manager for CMC.edu.

She posts news stories, monitors stylistic and structural inconsistencies, tracks accessibility issues, and partners with campus departments to optimize the user experience for students, faculty, staff, and families. Lee is motivated to help CMC build a more intuitive website so that visitors can easily access the information they need. She has previously worked as a media developer at a data-first print and online marketing firm and as a junior accountant. Lee earned a B.A. in Communications from UC Davis and has a certificate from General Assembly for their Web Development Immersive course.

Anibal Ortiz is Senior Director of Creative and Brand.

He oversees and collaborates on projects that require a heavy visual identity, working closely with content, marketing, and campaign teams to align creative assets with strategic priorities, establishing and enforcing brand guidelines, visual standards, and creative workflows across the institution. As CMC’s head photographer and videographer, he is also involved in high-visibility shoots and direct support for CMC Magazine, the President’s Office, Board of Trustees, and institutional leaders. Before joining the College, Ortiz worked as a visual journalist in Albany, Ore., where he covered news, sports, and feature stories for the Albany Democrat-Herald and the Corvallis Gazette-Times. A California native, he began his career in Southern California as a photographer at the Orange County Register. Ortiz earned a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism from California State University, Fullerton.

Helena Paulin is Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing.

She is an integrated marketing leader with 25+ years driving measurable growth for Fortune 100 and education brands through data‑driven, omni‑channel campaigns. Paulin unifies paid, owned, and earned channels to build personalized customer journeys, leveraging analytics, creative strategy, and process management to increase acquisition, retention, and lifetime value. She has led high‑performance teams and managed multi‑million dollar budgets at organizations including Southern California Edison, FedEx, Capital Group, Apple, and other enterprise brands. At CMC, Paulin is responsible for setting marketing strategies that promote the campus community - faculty, students and staff, evolving brand identity, and bringing to life programs to support advancement goals.

Karina Ramirez del Real is Director of Marketing.

She oversees marketing needs for CMC’s Office of Admission to facilitate communication with prospective students, parents, and counselors, including a focus on cohesive messaging and the College's mission-based strengths. Prior to joining CMC, she worked within talent acquisition at an information services firm in New York City. Ramirez is a CMC alumna and earned a B.A. in Economics and Psychology. During her time at CMC, Ramirez worked at the Office of Admission all four years, first as Student Director of Outreach and Diversity Initiatives and then as Senior Interviewer. She is passionate about increasing awareness of the College’s resources and opportunities to the entire community.

Valerie Ramos is Director of Integrated Content.

She leads the development and execution of integrated content strategies to enhance CMC’s brand, attract prospective students, and advance key College initiatives. Across CMC’s official channels, Ramos develops and deploys compelling content that aligns with the College’s mission and values, promotes educational offerings, and empowers creative approaches to engagement for all audiences, particularly in areas of marketing and multimedia. Prior to joining CMC, she worked at UC Riverside’s Extension Center and specialized in social media content, photography, video production, and branded graphics. Ramos earned a B.A. in French from UC Riverside.

Thomas Rozwadowski is Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing.

He provides oversight of storytelling and editorial needs across a variety of platforms, audiences, and objectives at the College. Rozwadowski has served as editor of CMC Magazine while working closely on strategic and creative development with the President’s Office, Office of Admission, and Office of Advancement, most notably on student opportunity, integrated sciences, diversity, and the College’s 75th Anniversary initiatives. Rozwadowski has spent more than a decade in higher education communications, serving in various leadership and editorial roles at Carleton College and Stanford University. For the first decade of his career, he was a news/features reporter and online editor in his hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin. He has a B.A. in Communications and English from St. Norbert College.

Isa Terrell is Director of Graphic Design.

She develops brand-aligned and accessible materials for print and digital platforms while acting as a steward for brand integrity across campus. Terrell translates marketing and editorial objectives into thoughtful visual solutions and provides creative support for campus partners on major institutional projects, including the President’s Office, Office of Admission, and the Office of Advancement. Before joining CMC, she worked at nonprofits and other universities in communications and marketing. Terrell is an alumna of Pomona College, earning a B.A. in Art.

Isaiah Tulanda is the Multimedia Manager.

He photographs, curates, and manages photo and video assets for the College’s web and print channels to enhance partnerships and trusted relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and valued members of the College community. Tulanda is a strategic thinker, and is passionate about bolstering an easily searchable multimedia archive that CMC can refer to for generations to come. Prior to working at CMC, Tulanda worked within LAUSD as both an instructional aide and college access advisor. A West Los Angeles native and an alumnus of CMC himself, Tulanda received his B.A. in Media Studies, with a focus in film/video.

Malia Whitenack is Project Manager & Content Editor.

She assists with editing a high volume of print and digital communications for the Office of Strategic Communications & Marketing and the College, as well as publishing content on the CMC website, and managing the administrative needs of the department. She previously worked for the Office of Stewardship at the College and prior to joining CMC, Whitenack worked in marketing at Pacific Advisors, a financial services firm in Claremont. She also held roles in print production for the Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and Chambers catalogs at Williams-Sonoma, Inc. in San Francisco. Whitenack earned a B.A. in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara.