Office of Advancement
Queen's UniversityNews
- Shelley Aylesworth-Spink appointed as Executive Assistant
- New VP for Advancement
- Dr. D.R. Woolf Appointed as New Principal
- Principal's Financial Update
- Associate Vice-Principal (Alumni Relations) announced
- Executive Director (Development) announced
- Director, University Communications announced
- A Revitalized University Avenue
- Exuberant Crowd at Tindall Field Opening
- Alumni Directory Project update
- Senior Campaign Officer announced
- Chief Administrative Officer announced
- Executive Director, Marketing & Communications announced
- Executive Director of Development announced
- VP Advancement Search Committee
- Annalisa Boccia Named 2010 Heney Award Winner
- Peter Taylor Honoured with Flynn Award
- Tom Hewitt appointed as Chief Development Officer
- Linda Pearson appointed as Director, Gift Planning
- Advancement First Quarter 2011-12 Results
- Department Acknowledgement Program Takes Gold
- Relationship Mapping project awarded medal
- Advancement Second Quarter 2011-12 Results
- Advancement Third Quarter 2011-12 Results
- Advancement Fourth Quarter 2011-12 Results
- Fundraising Results 2011-12
- Queen's receives $41 million in support from benefactors
- Queen's community rallies around colleague
- K.Lo's Krew Tops Post Secondary Institutions
- Queen's Launches $500 Million Campaign
- Advancement First Quarter 2012-13 Results
- Advancement Second Quarter 2012-13 results
- December 2012 Fundraising Results
- Dr. Robert Reid 2012 Advancement Champion
- January 2013 Advancement Report
- February 2013 Advancement Report
Michael Onesi - Communications Officer
When he made the move from journalism to communications, Michael Onesi admits he was worried. “A lot of journalists hate PR people,” he laughs, “and I was worried about being a PR person who had to call and bother journalists all the time, begging them to do stories.” But as a Communications Officer at Queen’s, that’s the furthest thing from his mind.
“When I call journalists on behalf of this university, I actually feel like I’m helping,” he explains. “There is such interesting research going on at Queen’s, and I like being able to put it in the spotlight.”
Onesi starts each morning like a journalist does: reading newspapers and getting a grip on the day’s big stories, then trolling social media to see what reporters are talking about. He then reaches out to experts at Queen’s who might have something to say about what’s in the news, ultimately pitching them as interview subjects for reporters working in different media right across the country.
He also takes inquiries from journalists looking to quote experts in their stories. “Sometimes a reporter will call and say something like ‘do you have someone who can talk about the Olympics?’,” he says, explaining that in such cases he has to kick into gear quickly to track down the right person. “Pretty much everyone needs to speak to someone within two or three hours, so you have to work fast,” Onesi says, acknowledging his “secret file” of cell and home phone numbers.
And it’s clear his dedication is paying off. Since taking on the job just over two years ago, Queen’s has moved into first place when it comes to media representation among similarly sized Canadian universities. Onesi says part of what’s driving his success is the fact that some recent hirings have freed him to focus on working with external media. “Before I used to try and do ten things at once, but now I only have to do two or three...it’s made a huge difference,” he says. “Now when a reporter calls I can jump on it right away and I can completely focus.”
Onesi, who has degrees in both marketing and journalism, says he feels fortunate to be able to spend his days the way he does.
“I really like being able to talk to some of the most brilliant people in Canada every day,” he says. “I get to call people and say ‘hey, there is this breaking story in the news, what do you know about it?”
He says he feels privileged to be in a position where he can talk to anyone he wants, while fueling the curiosity that lead him to pursue journalism in the first place. “It’s a lot of fun being able to pick these peoples’ brains,” he laughs. “This job is making me smarter!”