PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Darlene Trew Crist, freelance writer and former communications director of the international Census of Marine Life program, has been named director of news and communications at Brown University.
“Darlene Trew Crist is an accomplished writer and communicator with solid experience in the areas of higher education and research,” said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, to whom Crist will report. “Her international communications experience will serve the University well, and I am delighted to welcome her to the public affairs team.”
Crist began her career as a communications and public relations consultant in Rhode Island after graduating from American University (B.A., 1975, political science and environmental studies). Among other positions, she was corporate spokeswoman for Ciba-Geigy in Cranston, and co-director of public relations at Duffy & Shanley Inc. In 1987 she became co-owner and operator of Collins and Crist Public Affairs in Providence, specializing in health care, environmental, and crisis communications. She launched Crist Communications in 1992, providing writing, editorial, and communications services to a variety of clients. She has also authored three nonfiction books.
Crist began her work with the Census of Marine Life in 2003 as director of communications. The Census, a project of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, was an international collaboration of marine scientists — 2,700 of them in more than 80 nations — organized to assess the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life on in the global ocean. It increased the number of known marine species to 250,000 and projected that more than 2 million may yet be discovered. Its database contained more than 30 million species records in January 2011, which can be used to forecast, measure, and understand changes in the global marine environment, as well as to inform the management and conservation of marine resources.
Crist was responsible for planning and implementing the Census’s international communications effort, working with scientists from 17 projects around the world. That coordinated effort established the Census of Marine Life as a well recognized source of reliable scientific data and information.
“I am really looking forward to working with an exceptional staff already in place to increase the global visibility of the research and academic programs at Brown University and help Brown attain the international recognition it deserves,” Crist said.
Contact information
Darlene Trew Crist
[email protected]
401-863-2752