About Lorraine U. Martinelle

Lorraine Urbanski Martinelle has over 20 years of experience in journalism, community and government relations, internal communications, and higher education public relations and social media. She has been responsible for raising the visibility of five public and private colleges and universities, using traditional and digital public relations tactics as well as social media. Working with faculty, staff, students, trustees; and college presidents, vice presidents, and vice chancellors, she identifies and strategizes stories and pitches them to media outlets across the United States and in Europe. She has successfully placed interviews of her clients in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal, WCVB Channel 5 Boston, WBZ CBS Boston, New England Cable News, Springfield Republican, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Worcester Business Journal, among other media outlets.

Martinelle works for UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Mass., serving in an internal communications role as HR Communications specialist. Previously, she worked for Westfield State University as acting director of campus communication/communication officer. Martinelle has also held the following prior positions: director of public relations and social media at Nichols College in Dudley, Mass.; director of media relations at Assumption College (now Assumption University) in Worcester, Mass.; and public relations specialist at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Martinelle, who also has experience in crisis communications, also taught public relations at UMass Amherst.

She began her career as a newspaper reporter, later becoming the first woman editor of the Southbridge Evening News in Southbridge, Mass., and was an elected member of the Sturbridge Board of Selectmen.

Martinelle earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from UMass Amherst and her master’s degree in business administration with a marketing concentration from Assumption University.