2011 Outstanding Alumni

Jennifer Schuder earned a master's degree in mass communications, with an emphasis on public relations, in 1996 from Texas Tech University's College of Media & Communication. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1992 in management information systems from Texas Tech's College of Business Administration. Currently, she is chief marketing officer and director of community outreach at the Dallas Opera.

Her past positions include senior director of marketing and product marketing at True.com. She was director of marketing communications at ZixCorp. She worked as project manager and account manager at DigiKnow. She began her career as account executive at Vantage One.

Schuder is a marketing professional who specializes in an integrated approach to promoting products and services, looking at all aspects of marketing communication – public relations, online and traditional— to find the best marketing mix.

In her current role, she leads a multi-functional communications staff of 15 responsible for approximately 50 percent of the company's revenue. Departmental functions include direct marketing, community outreach, competitive intelligence, interactive development, public relations, customer retention and ticket sales. Since taking the position, she has developed and executed an acquisition and messaging strategy to expand ticket sales and deepen the patrons' bond to the company. She also has formulated an interactive strategy to take ticket sales online and create a robust CRM/e-mail program.

She is a member of the Junior League of Dallas, a classroom aid at Notre Dame School, a member of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Amici di Opera - Dallas Opera's Young Professionals Group. Within the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech, Schuder is a committee member of the college's Scholarship Luncheon Committee and a member of the Texas Tech Media & Communication's National Professional Advisory Committee.