Small College America Dr. Teresa Parrot - Principal of TVP Communications

Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Kent Barnds, and I’m joined by my co-host, Dean Hoke.  

 
Dean: Our guest today is Dr. Teresa Valerio Parrot, APR, the Principal of TVP Communications. She is co-host of the Trusted Voices Podcast and co-editor of Call to Action for Inside Higher Ed, has numerous media bylines, and is a frequent keynote speaker.

She is writing a book on higher-education governance for the Harvard Academic Press and co-editing a book on public scholarship for the Cambridge Press. CASE awarded her the Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence, and she serves as a CASE Laureate. In 2024, PR News honored her as an industry leader and for her strategy work, and in 2025, Diverse listed her among women making a difference in academe.

She is secretary of the board for the Public Relations Society of America, co-chairs the American Marketing Association’s Higher Education Symposium, and also serves on the board of the PRSA Foundation. Teresa enjoys spending time outdoors in Colorado with her husband and dogs and volunteering with arts and community organizations in the Denver, Colorado area. 

Question 1: Tell me about your journey into higher-education communications, what led you into this field, and what experiences have most shaped your perspective on how colleges tell their stories? And then, tell us about your firm, TVP Communications, and the work you and your team do with colleges and universities. 

Question 2: Many small private colleges are mission-driven but resource-limited. What are the most common messaging or positioning missteps you see when they try to stand out? Is there a recent example where a smaller institution got its narrative right?

Question 3: You’ve said higher education doesn’t have a storytelling problem — it has a truth-telling problem. For small colleges that struggle to articulate their value in a crowded marketplace, how does that idea translate into practical communications or marketing strategy? 

Follow-up: For small colleges that struggle to articulate their value in a crowded marketplace, how does ‘truth-telling’ translate into practical communications or marketing strategy?

Question 4: You and Erin Hennessy launched the Trusted Voices podcast, which has become one of the most insightful conversations about leadership and communication in higher education. How has podcasting shaped your own view of authentic communication — and do you see opportunities for smaller colleges to use podcasting as a platform for storytelling or leadership visibility?

Question 5: Your upcoming book with Harvard Academic Press focuses on governance. What governance or communication patterns do you see break down most often at smaller, tuition-dependent institutions?

Question 6: Looking to the future of higher education — and especially the smaller private colleges that form its backbone — what gives you optimism, and what keeps you up at night?

Kent: Teresa, thank you for joining us today. It’s been a pleasure hearing your insights on communication, leadership, and the future of higher education. We’ll be watching for your forthcoming book on higher-education governance and look forward to continuing the conversation when it’s released.

For those listening or viewing, if you'd like to learn more about Small College America, go to our web page at www.smallcollegeamerica.net, where you can find details on upcoming episodes, contact us, and suggest topics you’d like us to cover.

This episode of Small College America is made possible with underwriting support from Perspective Data Science, a firm specializing in AI-powered tools and data solutions, including the Financial Compass platform.

On behalf of our guest, Teresa Valerio Parrott, my co-host Dean Hoke, and I, thank you for listening.”