VCU news

By Brian McNeill

The American Marketing Association and the AMA Foundation have named Grant Heston, vice president for Enterprise Marketing and Communications for Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health, as the 2024 recipient of the AMA Foundation Higher Education Marketer of the Year Award as part of the annual Higher Education Marketing Awards.

The awards recognize exceptional creativity and ingenuity within the higher education marketing landscape and celebrate individuals, teams and organizations across the country that have demonstrated outstanding innovation in traditional and digital marketing. 

The awards were announced at the 2024 Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education last week in Las Vegas.

“This is a national scale honor and it reflects Grant’s excellent leadership, teamwork and collaboration in helping VCU tell our uncommon story as one of the nation's major research universities in a better and very effective, relatable way. It also reflects the strength and talent of the EMC team,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “Warm congratulations, Grant – well done.”

Heston joined VCU in 2021 and led the launch of the first integrated branding, communications and marketing division and unified brand platform that serve both the university and health system.

Prior to joining VCU, Heston spent more than 12 years in several roles — including vice president for Communications and Marketing and chief of staff to the president — at the University of Central Florida. 

VCU News sat down with Heston and asked him about the AMA’s honor.

What do you feel this recognition says about Enterprise Marketing and Communications?

When I accepted the award on behalf of EMC, I was reminded of the proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 

We’ve gone far together, and this award recognizes the work of every member of EMC. I'm proud to be part of a team that is so creative, so talented and so much fun.

The EMC team powers all of the marketing and communications success we’ve had. I'm delighted to work with people who have bold visions and the guts to pursue them. And it takes guts to be different – to be uncommon – and our team really lives the brand we promote.

What does this national recognition of VCU and VCU Health’s marketing creativity and innovation mean to you? 

It is an affirmation of our decision to be bold and not look and sound like every other university and health system in the country. 

In marketing, there's a strong gravitational pull toward the middle. Although it feels safe to sound like everyone else, that safety is an illusion; to help drive outcomes, your brand has to be authentic, aspirational and, most critically, distinctive.

That commitment to distinction starts at the top with President Rao and the VCU and VCU Health boards. Our team is fortunate to work at a place where marketing and communications are valued at the top. I know that is not always the case at other places.  

Why are marketing communications important to institutions?

I'm clearly biased because of my role, but I believe an institution's brand is the most important asset it has. A strong brand opens doors, gives you the benefit of the doubt and attracts interest in what you do. A struggling brand does the opposite and makes life more difficult across the board.

What's next?

We have an expression here that “we like our story best when we tell it ourselves.” It's a privilege to tell stories about the success of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, doctors, nurses and health care providers.

I love helping their success be recognized. That's what motivates me, and I know it motivates our team every day to tell those stories and to make that impact.

So, we’ll enjoy this award for a few minutes – then it's on to the next big thing.