40 under 40 profile: Juanita Traughber

Congratulations to Juanita I.C. Traughber (ABJ ’08), on being named a 40 under 40 honoree by the UGA Alumni Association.

Juanita Traughber serves as the Director of Marketing & Communications at the University School of Nashville. In this role, she oversees all aspects of the school’s communications strategy, including media relations, marketing campaigns, and internal communications. Traughber’s career began as a journalist, covering national and international news for The Associated Press. She later transitioned into public relations, working for various organizations including government agencies, universities, and K-12 schools.

Prior to her current position, Traughber held leadership roles at the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency and Belmont University. She also served as a communications specialist and business reporter for The Tennessean.

She graduated from UGA with a degree in journalism in 2008. While pursuing her degree, Traughber was involved in a variety of activities including the editor and chief of the Red & Black, Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and The Public Relations Society of America.

See the below Q&A with Juanita Traughber:

Looking back at your time at Grady, is there anything you wish you had done that would help you with what you are doing today?

Now in a world where journalists and public relations professionals are expected to do it all, I wish I took a few broadcast courses to learn how to operate the camera and how to speak best on air.

What experience during your time at Grady College had the biggest influence on where you are today?

Spending almost every afternoon and evening at The Red & Black, then seeing thousands of college students and professors read the paper the next morning.

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

There’s so much I want younger Juanita to know: Find your voice and use it. Choose the HBCU. Study abroad. Keep writing and read even more. Make time for who and what are important to you. And I’d probably share list of Judases and boyfriends to avoid.

Is there a piece of advice from one of your Grady College professors that still guides you today? 

 I was a Fink stan since I showed up at his office my freshman year and asked him how to become a foreign correspondent. He marked up all of my papers and every issue of The Red & Black with red ink, but I looked forward to him returning my bleeding papers and hung on his every word. He helped me land my first job with The Associated Press. After my last class with Fink my senior year, he took me to the faculty dining hall for lunch. We didn’t talk much about careers. He told me to prioritize my health and to keep running. I’ve performed my best and managed the stresses of work well when I lace up.

What accomplishment or moment in your career are you most proud of?  

There is a tie: 1 — I was the only reporter in the newsroom on the first day of the most devastating flood in Middle Tennessee in 2010 and authored early articles that led The Tennessean to become a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Breaking News Reporting. 2 — In less than four months, I earned Accreditation in Public Relations — a process which candidates are given up to a year to complete and a competency-based certification held by fewer than 2% of public relations practitioners. This year as PRSA Nashville’s Accreditation Chair, I am guiding 11 PR professionals through the process of earning their APR.

Rapid Fire Round

One job-related tool you can’t live without : Time Timer (I have them on my desks at home and work as well as the desktop app on my laptop. I use the Pomodoro Technique for time management.)

Favorite restaurant in Athens : Harry Bissett’s New Orleans Cafe (Now closed, it is the restaurant I miss the most.)

Favorite place you’ve traveled: Every beach (Saltwater cures everything.)

Item on your bucket list: Culinary school (While in graduate school, I moonlighted baking and decorating wedding cakes, 3D cakes, and cookies — the kind of edible art you see on television show competitions. Learned mostly through trial and error. I would love to have formal training.)

Editor: Shannon Lorusso, sel67411@uga.edu

September 6 • 10 a.m. • Peyton Anderson Forum

40 under 40 panel: Message to my younger self

Join us for a panel conversation with our Grady College 40 under 40 honorees as we discuss what they wish they had known as students about life after college. See our Events listing for more details.