Joan Todd came to Ball State in spring 2011 to lead the university’s talented team of media relations managers, writers, video producers, and photographers. She came to Ball State from Eli Lilly and Company, where she had spent 12 years helping to shape the Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company’s media relations and communications efforts for both the human and animal health businesses. She also served as an advisor to company executives, especially in crisis management.
Before that, Todd was the award-winning editor-in-chief of Indianapolis Woman magazine, a top editor at Emmis Publishing house, and author of a book about Indianapolis-area restaurants. She also served several years as bureau manager for United Press International in Indianapolis, leading the efforts of some of the nation’s best wire journalists. A Muncie native, she began her journalism career in radio in Richmond, Ind., after graduating from Earlham College there. She continued her early journalism career at two Muncie radio stations and at The Muncie Star, now the Muncie Star-Press.