Jenny LaCoste-Caputo has been named Round Rock Independent School District’s Executive Director of Communications and Community Relations.
LaCoste-Caputo spent the past five years leading The University of Texas System’s Office of Media Relations and Communications, coordinating media efforts and providing strategic communication guidance, as well as working closely with UT System’s creative team on digital and marketing efforts to build the UT brand and keep constituents informed.
A career journalist who spent more than a decade writing about education policy and practices, garnering state, national and international awards, LaCoste-Caputo also served as the Texas Association of School Administrators’ (TASA) founding director of communications and media relations, amplifying the voice of Texas school superintendents to the Texas Legislature and across the state and promoting TASA as a major contributor to the national discourse on public education.
She designed and launched the “Make Education a Priority” campaign in 2011, in partnership with the Texas Association of School Boards, earning the Texas School Public Relations Association’s highest honor, the Platinum Award, in 2012.
“Jenny has gained a reputation across the state of Texas as an outstanding communicator with a deep understanding of the issues facing public education,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steve Flores said. “Her extensive experience in media relations coupled with her passion for advocating for public education make her an excellent fit for Round Rock ISD.”
LaCoste-Caputo spent six years at the San Antonio Express-News as a senior education writer and editor. She won several state and national awards for her education coverage in Texas and, in 2010 as the publication’s only writing editor, she earned the Inter American Press Association’s Human Rights and Community Service Award for a year-long series on refugee children adapting to the American public school setting.
More recently, she spearheaded communications efforts for the creation of the UT System’s newest institution – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
“The last five years have been a phenomenal experience working for what I believe is the nation’s greatest public institution of higher education, but, as anyone who knows me will tell you, my heart is in PreK-12 education,” LaCoste-Caputo said. “I could not be more thrilled to join such a stellar, dynamic school district and do my part to serve the students, teachers, principals and parents of Round Rock ISD. Nothing is more important to the future of our country than the quality of our public schools, and I am proud and humbled to serve the people that serve our students.”
LaCoste-Caputo holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in history with an emphasis in journalism from the University of Maryland.