Joel Curran

About Joel Curran

Joel Curran spent more than 12 years as the chief communications officer at three of the most prominent, headline-driving universities in the country. As a top senior strategist and advisor to the presidents at the University of Southern California and the University of Notre Dame, and two chancellors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was involved in game-changing initiatives and contemporary challenges that defined our times. In doing so, he was directly involved in creating brand communications architecture that drove engagement and reputation at three of America’s top private and public research universities.Before moving into higher education communications, he spent 21 years with global and regional public relations and advertising firms in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte and Raleigh, and spent more than a decade with The Walt Disney Co, rising to director of synergy for the company’s network television and professional sports franchises. He was named the Chicago Public Relations Society of America chapter’s “Public Relations Professional of the Year” and one of the Charlotte Business Journal\'s \"40 under 40.\"Curran earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an executive education certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Experience

1. Senior Director

   APCO

   Feb 2026 — Present · Raleigh, NC, US

   Joel Curran works across the firm’s higher education, crisis management and corporate reputation practice groups. He brings nearly four decades of communications advisory experience from a broad portfolio of clients and diverse industries. That list includes four divisions of The Walt Disney Co, three of America’s top research universities and 21 years advising clients in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Charlotte and Raleigh. From tourism to network television, from automotive to airlines, from professional sports to higher education, Joel has spent a career on the inside of America’s biggest organizations and institutions, helping c-suite leadership navigate rapidly changing landscapes and transformational challenges.Prior to joining APCO, Joel spent more than 12 years as the chief communications officer at three of the most prominent, headline-driving universities in the United States. As a top senior strategist and advisor to the presidents at the University of Southern California and the University of Notre Dame, and two chancellors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was involved in game-changing initiatives and contemporary challenges that defined our times. Joel was in the room as presidents and senior leaders debated and defined strategies, helped write the first drafts of sweeping university policies and issue positions and sat with university leadership as they prepared to take those changes to campus and the nation.Before moving into higher education communications, he was managing director for MSL offices in Chicago, Detroit and New York. He spent a decade with The Walt Disney Co, starting as a skipper on the Jungle Cruise attraction and rising to director of synergy for the company’s network television properties, as well as its MLB and NHL franchises.

Education

• UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media

  Bachelor’s Degree

Skills

• Crisis Communications
• Brand Management
• Strategy
• Integrated Marketing
• Creative Direction
• Leadership
• Corporate Communications
• Product Launch
• Brand Development
• Strategic Communications
• Grassroots Marketing
• Brand Awareness
• Marketing Communications
• Advertising
• Social Media
• Sports Marketing
• Public Relations
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations
• Customer Engagement
• Marketing