Alexandra M. Merceron

Alexandra M. Merceron is a strategic communication professional, educator, and scholar with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations use the power of digital, social, and traditional media to influence publics and manage reputations.

Since joining Columbia’s faculty in 2017, Merceron has taught and developed courses in Strategic Communication Management, Public Relations & Corporate Communications, Communication Research & Insights and Digital Communication Strategy. She is the 2020 recipient of the Dean’s Excellence Award for outstanding teaching and embodiment of Columbia SPS values. Merceron has more than 10 years of teaching experience at the graduate, undergraduate and executive levels, and has won multiple awards for her work at Georgetown University, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Connecticut.

Merceron is the Executive Vice President, Communication Science & Insights at Rubenstein Strategic Communication, one of the most influential public relations and reputation management firms in the world. Prior to that, she was the first Digital Communication Research Scientist at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products in Washington, DC, where she worked on digital communication strategy and campaign measurement for national anti-smoking campaigns. She was also a recipient of the National Academy of Medicine’s prestigious FDA Tobacco Regulatory Science Fellowship in Communication. Prior to that, Merceron held management posts and consultancies at a diverse array of organizations, including The Intersector Project, IBM, Ipsos, Harvard Business Review, The Boston Globe, The New York Times Co., Boston Public Library System, Harvard Education Publishing Group, Billboard Magazine and AOL/Time Warner, among others. 

Merceron is also a Ph.D. candidate in Communication at the University of Connecticut where her research focuses on the adoption and effects of media and digital communication technologies in strategic communication. She is an active member of several academic and professional organizations, including the International Communication Association, Association for Educators in Journalism & Mass Communication, National Communication Association, Public Relations Society of America, and American Marketing Association.