MeetYourClass Names Higher Education Communications Leader Nikki Sunstrum Inaugural Strategic Advisor to Reach

MeetYourClass has appointed award-winning communications executive, consultant, and educator Nikki Sunstrum to its advisory team and named her the inaugural strategic advisor to Reach, the company’s social media management and analytics platform built exclusively for higher education.

For more than two decades, Sunstrum has anticipated shifts in communication, technology, and audience behavior and translated them into precedent-setting strategies and practices. A pioneer in positioning social media as a strategically aligned organizational function, she established the State of Michigan’s original digital footprint before building one of higher education’s most influential social media and public engagement teams at the University of Michigan. Today, she extends that impact through executive leadership, consulting, and teaching, helping institutions, leaders, practitioners, and future professionals navigate change and capitalize on emerging possibilities.

"We built Reach for social media teams in higher ed, so the fastest way to build it well is to bring in people who have done the job," said Blake Mischley, co-founder and CEO of MeetYourClass. "Nikki has has helped define and pioneer the industry’s best practices at nearly every level. Her read on where the field is heading is going to shape what we build next, and her expertise will be an incredible resource for the colleges and universities we partner with."

“Higher education’s ability to shape the future will depend in part on how effectively we communicate its contributions, engage its communities, and demonstrate its continued importance,” Sunstrum said. “Social media professionals advance that work every day while navigating fragmented systems, competing priorities, and increasing expectations. Reach is being built to give them the insight, coordination, and tools to work more strategically and demonstrate their impact. I’m excited to help advance that vision.”

Sunstrum is the founder and principal of Sunstrum Strategies, LLC, and a faculty member at the University of Michigan. She previously served as Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications at Indiana University and held communications leadership roles at the University of Michigan and the State of Michigan.