Key Takeaways
- Communication management skills can support career growth by strengthening clarity, confidence, and leadership presence.
- Programs like this often help professionals translate experience into strategy, so they can take on bigger roles and higher visibility work.
- Alumni stories show how education can support both practical skills and the self-belief needed to pursue advancement.
Ashley Forest has energy to spare – a good thing, because her position as spokeswomen for Denver International Airport keeps her busy at all hours.
Forest attained this high-level position with the help of her master’s degree education in Communication Management from University College.
“I wanted to enhance my leadership skills and make sure I acquired the full skill set needed for not just my current job, but also my future communications career,” she says.
Skills for a New Communications Career
Forest was working in television news when she decided to pivot into public relations. Soon after starting the master’s degree program at University College, she landed a job as the Deputy Communications Director for the Nevada Attorney General’s office. She quickly began using the coursework on rhetorical techniques, persuasion, and strategic planning to perform better on the job. She learned techniques that helped her write talking points and speeches for the public during the health crisis of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Before I even finished my degree, my University College education enhanced my leadership skills, as well as my strategic thinking,” she says. “Those teachings helped me to connect with our residents, to break things down in a way that they could understand.”
Forest found that the career-focused education, taught by instructors who were experts in the field, helped her grow as a communications professional.
“Every single instructor equipped me to apply the coursework to real-world situations,” she says. “Instructors would give examples from their own working life and how it integrated into the course content.”
Leadership in Public Relations and DEI
At the airport, Forest now helps shape outreach campaigns to publicize new developments and raise public awareness of the effects of weather and other major events. She writes and sends press releases, updates social media, and does media interviews for print, radio, and television about airport-related news.
She has also taken on leadership roles in advancing diversity and inclusion at the airport and at DU. She is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ambassador for the airport, and serves on University College’s DEI Steering Committee, as well as becoming adjunct faculty herself.
“I realized I wanted to help support graduate students of color and help increase the diversity of the graduate student body.” Forest says. “I love how DU as a school has confronted its past and embraced change, and now I want to be part of that change going forward.”
The committee makes recommendations on things like faculty hiring practices, the inclusivity of course content, and processes for student feedback to ensure diverse voices are heard. Forest is committed to being a force for positive change on this front.
“My experience at University College was powerful,” she says. “It taught me to think proactively and get to where I am today.”
See details on Communications Management master’s degrees and graduate certificates.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a communication management master’s help someone advance?
It can strengthen how you lead through messaging, strategy, and stakeholder communication. When you communicate with clarity under pressure, you become more trusted and more promotable.
What’s different about communication at a leadership level?
It’s less about sharing information and more about building trust, alignment, and confidence in decisions. Leaders also need to adapt communication for different audiences without losing the core message.
How do alumni stories help prospective students decide?
They make outcomes feel real by showing what success can look like in different careers. Stories also help people see how education fits into a working professional’s life, not just a traditional student timeline.
What’s a good way to apply new communication skills immediately at work?
Start with one area like meetings, written updates, or stakeholder messaging, then measure the change in clarity and response. Small improvements add up quickly when you practice consistently.
