2021 District 3 Communicator

2021 District 3 Communicator

Elly Bainbridge
Program Manager for Communications and Community Outreach
Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids, MI

Elly Bainbridge, who has been with Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) for more than 25 years, demonstrates leadership on a daily basis. She shapes and aligns the vision for workforce training with the college, motivating learners to continue in their program or sign up for the program that can change their lives. 

In addition to students, she motivates faculty and staff, too. When in-person graduations could not happen, she created a “bring the graduation to you” program. This involved delivering personal certificates to graduates’ homes, pictures of graduates with college props and publicizing graduate achievements on social media. She’s so knowledgeable about GRCC’s customers that she leads a customer service/student success program for staff. 

She also cares about giving back to the marketing industry. Bainbridge engages with GRCC students who are interested in public relations, hiring student employees to provide experience designing campaigns and reaching out to employers, the community and students. When she speaks to classes and summer camps at the college, she uses interactive projects so more individuals can learn what it’s like to work in marketing at a community college.

Bainbridge calls meeting people from diverse communities and listening to their narratives the best part of her work. 

“They inspire me every day, and I am grateful that I am allowed to tell their stories to others,” she says.

Because she is so involved with the community, Bainbridge is responsible for reaching various audiences at creative locations and events, including the Grand Rapids Comic Con, West Michigan Hispanic Festival and Boys and Girls Club events.

“There are so many instances of how Elly Bainbridge has made a significant difference,” writes Julie Parks, GRCC’s executive director of workforce training and the Tassell M-TEC, in Bainbridge’s nomination letter. “Her work has directly impacted our student’s sense of belonging at our institution and increased our enrollment numbers in our programs.”

« Return to District Winners

Connecting Community College Communicators

Membership means
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH, RESOURCES and RECOGNITION

JOIN TODAY

STAY CONNECTED

  • Find NCMPR on Facebook
  • Follow NCMPR on Twitter
  • Follow NCMPR on Instagram
  • Join NCMPR on LinkedIn
  • Read the NCMPR Blog