LEEving: Brian Conn

Brian Conn has made a career of telling the Lee story. On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Lee University came together to host a farewell party for Conn, director of communications. The memorable occasion was more than a party. It was a celebration honoring more than 20 years of service to Lee University.

The son of Dr. Paul and Darlia Conn, he began visitng campus when his grandfather, Charles W. Conn, was the university president.

Photo by Josie Greer

“I literally ran around this place when I was a little kid,” said Brian Conn.

Conn did not necessarily want to attend Lee College, but his sister Vanessa Hammond, now vice president of university relations, advised him to finish his core classes, then transfer if he felt it was not the right fit.

“Once I got here, I was kind of caught up in the place. It seemed like where I was supposed to be,” said Conn. As a student, Conn played for the school’s soccer team and was a member of Alpha Gamma Chi.

One of his most special moments at Lee was meet- ing his wife, then Kelly Atkins, in the dining hall.

“I remember her sitting next to a friend of mine at the cafeteria, and I was like, ‘You got to introduce me,’ so [the] painfully shy guy gets to meet the one right then, right there in the cafeteria,” Conn said.

Conn graduated from Lee in 1996 with a bache- lor’s degree in psychology, and minors in religion and English. He became Lee’s assistant director of admissions in 1999.

Though he had no classical training in commu- nications, his passion and talent for writing led him to the field. His work in admissions involved writing, and when a position in public information opened up, Conn filled it. He wrote press releases on a part-time basis. A year later his role expanded.

“Dr. Jerome Ham- mond, who was leading the Of- fice of University Relations ... asked me if I wanted to do it full time and not just write stuff, but participate in the whole public relations part of things,” Conn said.

As the Director of Communications, Brian’s role involved overseeing the university’s internal and external communications.

“Core responsibilities [have] always been keeping a steady stream of outgoing, official news announce- ments, promotion of events and congratulations for people achieving things,” said Conn.

Though the title of his office has changed over time, his responsibilities have always been similar. Deciding to continue his education, Conn received a Master of Arts in English from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga in 2010, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2014.

Conn has many family members who have worked and attended Lee.

“There’s just been a lot invested by people that I love into Lee, and so that makes it easier to invest my own resources. Time being our most valuable resource,” said Conn.

For Conn, it was special watching his children, Lorne and Oliver Conn, attend Lee as well.

“Everybody at Lee has a different experience ... it’s all unique to them, but there’s certain things that are common to us. Even though I graduated from Lee College right before it changed to University, and I did things differently than my kids did, seeing them walk across the stage and hold up a Lee diploma [was] just a really cool moment,” said Conn.

Another aspect of university life Conn enjoyed was participating in Global Perspectives trips.

“I took students to Ireland 13 times. I got to be the faculty leader for the UK semester trip ... I also was the first faculty leader of that trip who was also a student on the Cambridge trip when I was a student in 1994,” Conn said.

As he transitions out of his roll at Lee, Conn looks forward to spending more time at home

“Mainly what I’m looking forward to is just some good time to consolidate, be at home. It’s going to be something new to me ... my dog probably won’t have any idea what’s happening,” Conn said. “I’m also looking forward to my grandbaby who was just born on December 26, June Iris Conn.”

With over 20 years dedicated to Lee University, Bri- an Conn’s job has been more than sending out news announcements and congratulations for achieve- ments. Conn has been an important part of telling the story of Lee.