About
Angela Paik, Founder
I believe in the power of communications to bridge divides, advance knowledge, and inspire action and advocacy.
Through two decades in higher education leadership, I’ve built and guided communications and marketing teams at the Johns Hopkins University, Williams College, and Trinity College (CT), advised and supported leaders at all levels, and helped to develop and implement comprehensive strategic plans and complex institutional initiatives. My experience spans all aspects of integrated communications, including media relations and public affairs, crisis management, institutional branding and identity, digital communications (web, multimedia, social media, and more), and executive communications, as well as communications in the form of issues advocacy and inquiry and in support of fundraising and engagement; student recruitment; and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A previous career as a newspaper reporter—for the Washington Post, (Raleigh) News & Observer, and Philadelphia Inquirer—honed my skills as a communicator, stoked my curiosity in the world, and instilled in me a sense of responsibility for advancing understanding.
Client and Collaborator Voices
“Every institution has to answer two questions. First, what’s our unique reason for being? Second, how can we make that sense of purpose manifest in ways that people will find compelling? Angela has that rare ability to navigate between these two poles, from big fundamental ideas to detail-obsessed execution. The result is work that is always authentic, memorable, and enduring.”
— Michael Bierut, Partner, Pentagram Design
“Angela is a tremendous asset to communication and planning in any situation. Whether working on a strategic plan, a capital campaign, a marketing initiative, or a complex issue or crisis, she is the most effective and strategic thinker I know.
“She is bold, thoughtful, and excellent at anticipating how an issue may be perceived by multiple stakeholders and constituents. I have worked with Angela at both Williams and The College of Wooster, and I am delighted that leaders at many institutions now have the opportunity to work with her through Cause and Effect Strategies.”
— Sarah Bolton, President, Whitman College
“I count my professional partnership with Angela among the most productive, transformative, and downright fun of my career. What I valued most about our work together was the way Angela listened—really listened. She had an uncanny ability to ask questions that helped us crystallize our needs and hopes for each project, and then married what she heard with her incredibly sharp and sophisticated mind to develop a strategic approach that was greater than anything I could have ever envisioned. Angela helped us entirely reimagine our marketing and communications strategy in ways that were fresh and creative and supportive of our ambitious recruitment and enrollment goals, while still feeling authentic to who we are. But really, the partnership we developed extended well beyond that communications work and she quickly became one of my most important and trusted thought partners.”
— Liz Creighton, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, Williams College
“Over the past 18 months that have included a global health pandemic and a racial and social justice reckoning, I observed in Angela what a gifted communications strategist does to help lead an organization through its most challenging days. Angela’s ability to craft communications that responded to the needs of our community was impressive. She is a gifted writer. But Angela’s true superpower is her ability to deeply listen to those around her and ask questions that require them to consider the implications of a response not only in the immediate moment, but in the long term. Angela understands that trust is strengthened in a community and progress made when people feel heard. We are better because Angela was in our midst, demanded that we do this very difficult work, modeled how to do it, and provided the leadership to help get it done.”
— Anita Davis, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Trinity College
“Angela excels at informing and inspiring stakeholders by crafting compelling stories that illuminate complex issues. At Williams, where I was the provost, she led successful efforts to explain the financial model to our community, to reimagine our admissions and financial aid materials, and to rebuild the college’s website. Angela advanced our institutional mission with truly strategic communications, and I recommend her strongly to anyone wanting to do the same.”
— William C. Dudley, President, Washington and Lee University
“Beyond being a truly decent human, Angela is one of the finest professionals I've ever worked with. I was fortunate to witness a particular genius of hers: She has the ability to parachute into an organization, assess the culture, landscape, and needs, build relationships and gain trust, so as to have a positive impact within weeks of arrival. We urgently needed an interim VP of MarCom during a leadership transition at the end of a new president’s first year. The MarCom team had been through significant transition and change in recent years and was not in a good place. Beyond keeping the trains running while very short staffed, handling the multiple external and internal crises, and drafting and launching a strategic plan (!), she put in extra effort to nurture and help that MarCom team recover and begin to rebuild. In any organization, it really comes down to the people, and Angela gets that. She is there for her team, there for her colleagues, and there for the leader. To a person, we were all blessed to have her as a colleague. Her wisdom, good judgment, and uncanny ability to get to the heart of the matter, combined with her good nature and good humor, are a rare combination. And she’s a rare professional.”
—Heather Hayes, SVP for Strategic Initiatives, Chief of Staff, and Secretary, College of the Holy Cross
“Angela’s work was transformational for our organization. In the weeks following her engagement, Angela spent an extraordinary amount of time dedicated to learning about and understanding our organization and community, through research of similar organizations around the country and conversations with our board members and stakeholders. Angela’s expertise and guidance allowed us to better understand our mission and our priorities and has helped us to establish a plan and process to raise our profile, educate the community and market our services.”
— Scott Hurwitz, Chair, Board of Trustees, Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven
“As a new CEO, I was eager to understand the challenges, opportunities, and history of our communications operation. Angela conducted a strategic review with all stakeholder groups and delivered important recommendations for a path forward. Her work has been an invaluable asset to our leadership and board, and we continue to operationalize her recommendations.”
— Angel B. Pérez, CEO, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
“Angela is an exceptional communicator and strategic thinker who writes beautifully and thinks creatively. She sees the big picture and the details, and she delivers ideas and solutions, as she did in planning large-scale events and communications for a historic fundraising campaign at Johns Hopkins. Her perspective is invaluable, and her counsel is superb and always deeply appreciated.”
— Sylvia Eggleston Wehr, Associate Dean for External Affairs, Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries