Barbara Burfeind

Barbara Burfeind

Adjunct Faculty

PR campaigns, Visual Communication

Professor Burfeind is a public relations practitioner with extensive communications experience in military and government public affairs where her work focused on Navy internal and external communications, media relations, strategic communications and visual communication policy.

She provides strategic communication and planning guidance and instruction to nonprofit organizations; mentors young professionals and transitioning professionals from the military to civilian PR and communication positions.

As a Navy Public Affairs Officer, her assignments ranged from the PAO for a Naval Air Station overseas, an editor of a monthly magazine and other internal publications, to a Navy plans and policy officer and a DoD press officer. Burfeind taught DoD military and civilian communication professionals on visual communication, planning and preservation of DoD imagery. 

Prof. Burfeind’s strategic communication experience included working as a Department of Defense senior advisor, external affairs specialist and as a Visual Information specialist focused on DoD VI policy. 

She has taught military members and civilians in public affairs, communication planning, tactics, strategies, media relations, evaluation, and ethics. Burfeind conducted course development and managed a departmental budget and equipment purchases of more than $1 million. She has taught feature writing and visual storytelling integrating still photography into the content. 

Prof. Burfeind has also coordinated and taught Accredited in Public Relations study sessions and Jump Start classes, webinars and been a panel member for APR and APR+M (+ Military communication) candidates.

 

Selected Publications

-- 2016 Archiving Conference – Washington, DC

-- 2015 PRSA International Conference – Washington, DC

Courses Taught

Communication 331. Public Relations Campaigns

Communication 308. Writing for Public Relations

Education

-- Master of Arts in Communication, University of Oklahoma - Norman, Oklahoma (2000)

-- Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications, Syracuse University - Syracuse, New York (1989)

-- Joint Officers Public Affairs Course, Defense Information School, Fort Meade, Md. (1999)

-- Accredited in Public Relations (APR) 2000

-- Accredited in Public Relations + Military Communication (APR+M) 2010

Recent Presentations

PRSSA International Conference, Anaheim, CA - Oct. 13, 2024 titled:

"Unlocking the Power of Mentorship and Networking: A Practical Guide for Communications Pros"