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Henrico County Public Schools has announced a new chief of communications and promoted its director of family and community engagement to a divisionwide role.
Eileen Cox, the current strategic communications officer for Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, will become HCPS’s new chief of communications, replacing Andy Jenks, who left the role earlier this month to take a similar position in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school district in North Carolina.
Adrienne Cole Johnson, who oversees the HCPS Department of Family and Community Engagement, will join the school system’s division leadership team.
Superintendent Amy Cashwell announced both moves at Thursday’s school board work session.
Cox will direct the school division’s communication to families and staff, as well as media relations efforts and crisis communications. She also will oversee HCPS’s publications, video production and social media platforms, and the division’s website, www.henricoschools.us.
She comes to HCPS with three decades of experience, both as a public relations professional in pre-K through 12 education and as a broadcast journalist. Before serving as strategic communications officer for Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, she was a public relations coordinator, community engagement director and chief media and communications officer at Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
“Not only has Eileen led a nationally recognized department of media and communications; she is committed to transparency and creating genuine two-way communication opportunities for students, families and schools,” Cashwell said. “She is the ideal person to build on our tradition of excellence in communications, and lead development of a pathway to strengthen meaningful and timely communication with all our stakeholders.”
Before moving to public education, Cox worked for 14 years as a news producer and newsroom manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Old Dominion University and a master’s in strategic public relations from Virginia Commonwealth University. Cox will begin her transition to the new position next week, before joining HCPS on Oct.18.
During Cole Johnson’s tenure as director, HCPS’s family and community engagement efforts have grown, partly as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In her expanded role, she will continue to oversee the division’s rapidly growing full-service Community Schools program, as well as enhanced community outreach efforts.
“Adrienne’s passion, commitment and expertise in the family and community engagement arena are unmatched in local K-12 education,” Cashwell said. “Under her leadership, HCPS is positioned to provide wraparound services and resources to support the success of every student in our schools.”
Cole Johnson has more than 15 years of experience in educational and community settings. Prior to serving as HCPS’s director of family and community engagement, she served as community outreach coordinator and director of family and community engagement at the Peter Paul Development Center in Richmond. She holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Old Dominion University and a master’s degree in social and economic development from Washington University in St. Louis.
