Samantha Talavera brings 11 years of global marketing and communications experience spanning higher education, big tech, and professional sports to her role at Arizona State University. As Head of Global Marketing and Communications in the Office of Global Academic Initiatives, Samantha oversees MarComm strategy, media relations, ASU Global development support, and branding and marketing activities for the ASU Cintana Partnership and other ASU Global initiatives. Samantha's passion for communications, design, process improvements, and translating complex strategies into compelling content drives her to approach any project with vision and creativity.
Prior to her current position, Samantha served as Assistant Director of Global Marketing and Executive Communications for Arizona State University Global Launch, where she scaled a team of one into a functioning marketing and communications operation of 13+ members. During her tenure at Global Launch, Samantha successfully introduced ASU's Brand into Global Launch’s internal and external presence, built expertise in CRM data architecture, refined customer journeys and systems operations to strategize and create integrations for lead generation efforts, expanded Global Launch's email presence and gained a deep understanding of cultural nuance and international communications methods to serve and inspire international audiences when English is often a second or unknown language.
Throughout her career, Samantha has also served as a Senior Social Media and Digital Content Strategist at Haymon Boxing, LLC, where she was responsible for managing brand awareness, perception, and marketing strategies for top-ranked fighters, and as a Senior Producer for the multi-million dollar sports media company Bleacher Report.
Leadership, Volunteering and Presentations
- Global Launch Department Leadership team 2018–2023
- Global Academic Initiatives Senior Leadership team 2023-present
- “Optimizing Your Digital Marketing to Boost IEP Enrollment”, English USA Conference Jan. 2020
- Hurricane Disaster Response Volunteer, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico
All Hands and Hearts Response Feb. 2020