VCU names senior adviser to president and university relations VP

Pam Lepley promoted, Grant Heston becomes VCU's chief communications officer

Published January 7, 2021 by Sydney Lake

Virginia Commonwealth University announced Thursday that Pamela D. Lepley, who has served as vice president for university relations since 2014, has been promoted to senior adviser to VCU President Michael Rao. Grant J. Heston will succeed Lepley as the university’s chief communications officer starting Jan. 10.

Lepley has been with the university since 2002 and previously served as executive director of VCU’s Division of University Relations and as director of the VCU Office of Communications and Public Relations, now known as University Relations.

“I am very grateful for the hard work, dedication and difference Pam made during her time leading university relations,” Rao said in a statement. “And I look forward to continuing to work together with her.”

Heston, who will serve as chief communications officer for VCU, from 2007 to 2019 served as vice president for communications and marketing and chief of staff at the University of Central Florida. In 2020, he worked as vice president of communications and marketing for Florida Southern College.

“Grant is an excellent addition to the leadership team at VCU,” Rao said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of higher education communications leadership experience and strategy, which is essential to strengthen and advance the unmatchable story of the VCU enterprise brand.”

Heston received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Central Florida.