• Director of Communications

    Hathhorn

     
    Contact Information
     

    Rachel Hathhorn
    Phone: (724)-625-7773, ext. 6202
    Email: rhathhorn@pinerichland.org

     

     
    Biography

    Rachel Hathhorn is the Director of Communications at Pine-Richland School District in Gibsonia, PA. Her career spans more than 20 years in education communication She began work as a public relations director at West Mifflin Area School District in West Mifflin, PA in 1999. In 2005, she made the move to Pine-Richland School District where she serves as the district’s Director of Communications and served seven years as the Co-Executive Director of the Pine-Richland Opportunities Fund.

    Before her career in public relations, Hathhorn spent nearly 10 years in broadcast journalism mainly as a news producer for television stations in Pittsburgh, PA (WPXI-TV), Columbus OH (WBNS-TV) and Dayton, OH (WKEF-TV). She also served as a reporter and assignment editor for WKEF, a freelance writer for the “Dayton Daily News” and an NBC broadcast technician for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. 

    Prior to her professional career, Hathhorn was the editor of a bi-weekly newspaper “Flyer News” at the University of Dayton, which earned All-American Status in the Collegiate Hall of Fame. Editors including Hathhorn were honored in 2000.
     
    Education
    M.S., Education*, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
    B.A., Journalism (Communications), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH
    *Duquesne University Fellows Award Recipient   
     
    Certifications & Training
    McGrath Response System Awareness & Response Course
    Leadership in Public Relations Course, University of San Diego
    Elementary Education Certification
    Dreamweaver Software Level I Certification 
     
    Recent Honors & Awards 
    2020 NSPRA Honorable Mention for E-Newsletters
    2020 NSPRA Honorable Mention for Building a School within a School Video
    2019 PenSPRA Award of Excellence for Spotlight on 60 Years Video
    2019 PenSPRA Award of Honor for Curriculum Website
    2018 NSPRA Honorable Mentions for Website & PRIDE Video
    2017 PenSPRA Award of Honor for Website
    2017 NSPRA Award of Excellence for E-Newsletters
    2017 & 2016 NSPRA Award of Merit for Annual Report
    2017 NSPRA National Golden Achievement Award
    2015-2016  PenSPRA Award of Excellence for Annual Report

    Recent Association & Memberships
    PenSPRA Executive Board Program Chair - 2009 to Present
    PenSPRA Member - 1999 to Present
    National School Public Relations Association Member - 1999 to Present
    Pine-Richland Opportunities Fund Co-Executive Director - 2005 to 2012

    Professional Presentations
    January 2021 - MAAPE Compass & Map Communication 
    September 2016 - PenSPRA West "E-Newsletters & Engagement"
    April 2015 & October 2016 - PenSPRA "Electronic Newsletters"
    March 2013, January 2012 & October 2011  - "Training Educators on Web Content Management"
    June 2009 - NSPRA Conference “Celebrating Your District’s Birthday – Marking An Important Milestone”
    July 2008 - NSPRA Conference “How to Survive the 6 O’clock News for Public Relations Professionals”
    October 2006 - Teacher Excellence Workshop Presentation 

    Publications 
    2017-2018 Gold Standard "Create a Road Map for Success: Involve All Stakeholder Groups in Strategic Planning," NSPRA Network

    One of Hathhorn’s publications “WMASD School Scene” was cited in the textbook: The School and Community Relations, Eighth Edition by Donald R. Gallagher, Don Bagin, and Edward H. Moore as an example of positive and best practices in school public relations and communications in the United States.