About Me
Oh,
hey.
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I’m Liam Oakes, and I work in PR.
New Jersey is my home. I grew up in Andover, right in the middle of rural Sussex County (where we always say there are more cows than people). I started my PR career here—at 15 years old.
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I was on my high school’s FIRST robotics team, but I wasn’t there to build robots—I built stories and relationships instead. We launched fundraising campaigns, wrote press releases, built relationships with reporters and stakeholders, crafted social media content, and brainstormed communication strategies. But I never thought this would be something I'd do for a career at the time.
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Then I attended Seton Hall University and earned my Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations with a minor in graphic design. I initially studied business management, but it turned out that I enjoyed reporting for the school newspaper more than studying for my major—you know, the reason why I’m spending thousands of dollars to be there. I just wasn’t having it.
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After a year, I switched to public relations and graphic design. There was no way I could leave my loves: writing and designing.
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Fast forward to today: I'm basically doing what I did in high school for nonprofits and higher education institutions. I’m also going for my Master of Communication and Media, specializing in Digital Media, at Rutgers University. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.
What I Do
I’m a Public Relations Specialist at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Prior to joining Rutgers, I was the communications manager for the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education, a nonprofit that partners with schools to end the segregation of disabled students. I also serve on the Public Relations Society of America - New Jersey Chapter Board of Directors.
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My professional practice centers on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion for all. I specialize in making my public relations, social media, and graphic design work accessible for all folks. Some of my other specialties include the following:
Social media management and strategy
Virtual and in-person event management (conferences and professional development)
Graphic design
Branding
Strategic marketing communications planning
Media relations
Copyediting (I had an English teacher who told me I made bloodbaths on papers.)
Writing news and feature stories
You can peruse some of my work throughout my website.
