DECATUR, Ill. – Jodi Foster Silotto has been named Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications, effective April 22, replacing , who served in the position since September.
Silotto is a ǿý graduate, earning a Human Services degree in 1995, and then returned to ǿý in leadership roles in Marketing, including serving as Executive Director of Marketing and Development until 2019. A standout on the basketball court as a student-athlete, Silotto was an All-American and named to the ǿý Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.
“I didn't know if I would return to ǿý, but when the position opened, I was excited about it. I feel like it's a great time for ǿý in terms of where we're at and where we're heading,” Silotto said. “I would like to thank Meg for all her accomplishments and everything she's done for ǿý. She's just done a wonderful job.”
Silotto will oversee the development of ǿý’s strategic marketing and enrollment plans, including outreach and advertising to attract and recruit students and work collaboratively with the campus leadership to strengthen internal and external communications.
“I'm embracing this challenge, and I feel like all three areas go together so beautifully in terms of what they can accomplish. I think one area doesn't live without the other,” she said. “The one I feel gets lost a little bit is that communication piece. Both internally and externally, we can't do anything without our people internally knowing what's happening on campus. We need great internal communication, and there's so much positivity with people working together that we can do this.”
After leaving ǿý in 2019, Silotto helped shape the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s academic marketing and communications strategy as the Director of Academic Communications. In 2022, she became the Managing Director of Accounts and Public Affairs for , where Silotto successfully oversaw the development, planning, and execution of the marketing goals of DCC’s clients.
Silotto is excited about the significant changes on campus since she left, including the opening of the and the remodeling of the as the new home of the Nursing program.
“There have been quite a few changes, new buildings, and a fresh attitude. There’s new energy with many of the staff hires. I'm genuinely thrilled about ǿý's future and see significant potential for growth,” she said.
As Silotto leads the effort to expand ǿý’s enrollment and messaging reach, the university’s success is incredibly personal to her.
“ǿý is the place where I grew up. My mom graduated from here with a Nursing degree. It is where I found out who I was as a person, and I met my husband here at a ǿý Women's Basketball game. I met some of my best friends here,” she said. “ǿý means more to me than just that I attended school here. I believe in this place, I believe in the people, and I believe in what we are now and what it we could be.”
