Nick Pfost (he/they) is a communications strategist at the University of Michigan, serving The Program on Intergroup Relations, Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, and Spectrum Center. An MPP-trained communicator with over a decade of experience in higher education and nonprofits, he leads in each unit on communications, marketing, and design to advance their missions and impact.
At U-M, Nick's portfolio includes direction of and support for area strategy, branding and creative, websites, social media, newsletters, recruitment marketing, event and program communications, and special projects. They are also an experienced graphic designer serving education, nonprofit, research, government, political, and small business clients.
Previously, Nick was a marketing and communications specialist at U-M’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where he functioned as the school’s in-house designer, creative projects lead, and brand manager, advising on and helping implement major marketing initiatives. He was also the inaugural director of marketing and communications for the Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, a regional LGBTQ nonprofit.
An Eagle Scout, Nick is an alum of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. They earned their Master of Public Policy from the Ford School (2015) and a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in social relations & policy and international relations from MSU's James Madison College (2011).
Recent creative work
As creative or art lead
- State & Hill, spring 2018-2022
- Recruitment materials suite, 2018-2022
- Ford School website, 2020
As designer
- 30th annual Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Asexual College Conference (full design suite), 2022
- Ford School Facts & Figures (booklet), 2022-23
- What’s in the chatterbox? Large language models, why they matter, and what we should do about them, University of Michigan Science, Technology, and Public Policy program (report PDF), 2022.
- In communities we trust: Institutional failures and sustained solutions for vaccine hesitancy, University of Michigan Science, Technology, and Public Policy program (report PDF), 2021.
- Faculty announcement suites (recently: Morela Hernandez's arrival, Robert Hampshire tapped for Biden administration)
- The Briefing and News from the Ford School (newsletters), 2020 redesign
- Cameras in the classroom: Facial recognition technology in schools, University of Michigan Science, Technology, and Public Policy program (report PDF), 2020.
- Lecture with Secretary Penny Pritzker (program), 2016
Educational background
- Master of Public Policy, University of Michigan (2015)
- Bachelor of Arts in social relations & policy and international relations, Michigan State University (2011)
Professional affiliations
- Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity