Patrick Evans: Penn State Graduate (1990) and Special Assistant for Public Affairs for the Secretary of the Navy
Date: October 23, 2023
Title of Talk: “Communicating a Culture of Belonging”
Location: Penn Stater Conference Center, Dean’s Hall
Visit the registration page to purchase tickets/tables
Patrick Evans is currently a Captain in the United States Navy and serves as the Special Assistant for Public Affairs for the Secretary of the Navy. Previously, he served as the Navy’s Deputy Chief of Information (CHINFO) – the office that develops and leads communication campaigns and guides the voice of the Navy.
Before returning to the Pentagon, he served as a Director for Strategic Communications and Assistant Press Secretary at the National Security Council in the White House. At the NSC, he served as the principal strategic communication advisor assistant to the National Security Advisor, as well as Coordinators and Senior Directors for the following areas of responsibility and directorates: Defense Policy, Hostages and Detainees, Middle East and North Africa, Afghanistan, the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and Nuclear Posture Review. His advice, counsel, and leadership on a vast range of complex and time-sensitive matters were indispensable to the Press Office’s ability to advise the National Security Advisor, National Security Council Directorates, and respective staffs within the offices of the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Energy, and Homeland Security, as well as the offices of the Attorney General, the United Nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Director of National Intelligence.
Before becoming a full-time, active duty Naval officer, Evans enjoyed a civilian career in broadcast journalism and public relations, holding positions in radio and television, as well as a position as Director of Communications for the City of New Orleans. In the community, Evans has served as a board member of the Washington DC and Hampton Roads Chapters of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), as well as a board member of the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA).
Evans received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in Mass Communication and Media Studies from San Diego State University, where he successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).
