Becky McKendry

Becky McKendry

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Pronouns:
She/Her/Hers

Director of Communications and Digital Strategy
Justin S. Morrill Hall of Agriculture

Phone:
517-884-7390

Email:

As director of communications and digital strategy for Michigan State University Extension, Becky leads enterprise communications for one of the nation's largest Cooperative Extension organizations. She oversees executive communications, organizational messaging, media relations, digital strategy, and content development to support a statewide network of more than 700 employees serving all 83 Michigan counties.

From 2019 to 2025, Becky served as communications manager for MSU Extension's Health and Nutrition Institute, supporting a staff of more than 150 while leading statewide campaigns, managing publications and digital assets, and developing communications training. She also served as the organization's media relations manager and produced former Extension director Jeff Dwyer's Partnerships and Peninsulas podcast.

Before joining higher ed, Becky spent five years in public policy as senior editor at Public Sector Consultants, directing the firm's editorial department and contributing to major initiatives, including a firmwide brand refresh and the Governor's Energy Excellence Awards. She previously worked as a journalist and has operated an editorial business since 2006.

A proud Spartan, Becky earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University, where she received the Outstanding Senior Award, the Capital News Service Connection Award, and the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism Service Award. She holds professional certificates in public relations and editing from the Poynter Institute and the American Copy Editors Society.

Her writing and communications work has been recognized by organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists, the Association for Communication Excellence, the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, and others, and her published feature writing is preserved in the permanent collections of the U.S. Library of Congress.

Becky completed the National Extension Leadership Development (NELD) program in 2025 and remains active in professional and university service, including serving on the Michigan Ag Council board and as a judge for MSU's 2026 Mid-Michigan Symposium for Undergraduate Research Experiences (MidSURE) and University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF).

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