Office of Communications welcomes Jen Gragg, welcomes back Tom Applegarth
The Office of Communications is thrilled to announce two additions to our web team. Jen Gragg joined our team as Web Content Specialist on June 26. Tom Applegarth rejoined our team as Integrated Content Specialist on June 28.
Jen Gragg comes to Carthage from the Lake Geneva Regional News, where she worked for two years as a reporter. In April, she was named the state “Rookie Reporter of the Year” by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. This award is given annually to a new reporter for outstanding work in their first 18 months of employment.
As Web Content Specialist, Jen will oversee all website copy, collaborating with offices and departments across campus to ensure the Carthage.edu website is accurate and engaging. She will write articles for the web about Carthage students, faculty, alumni, and programs; proactively monitor our website for problems; ensure our website content is optimized for search engines; and work closely with our technical teams to improve site functionality.
Jen has a bachelor’s degree in English from Lawrence University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Kenosha, enjoys running and cooking, and has already signed up for Carthage’s first-ever Tough Mudder.
Tom Applegarth returns to Carthage after a six-month hiatus to assist with website updates and social media management during a period of transition for our office.
Tom left Carthage in January 2018 for a new position as a marketing director, but he soon realized his real passion was teaching. He spent three months being a stay-at-home dad to his daughter, Alice, now 9 months old. He will begin a full-time teacher education program in January 2019.
Until then, we are delighted to have him back in our office! As our Integrated Content Specialist, Tom will curate content for our website and social media platforms, manage the necessary back-to-school website updates, and assist in training new users in our content management system. Tom originally joined our team in August 2012. He was key to building our social media presence, taking the College’s Facebook page from 4,500 likes to 11,800 likes, and growing our Twitter following from 2,700 to 6,200. He started the College’s Instagram and Snapchat accounts; oversaw multiple revisions to academic and office websites; and spearheaded many of the College’s most popular web features including #carthageviews and the MyCarthage student Instagram account. He’ll continue that work now, while taking on several special projects.
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Jen, and an hearty welcome back to Tom!