Emily Popek, APR

Communications Strategist

As a former news editor and experienced communications professional, Emily blends her love of research and data with a gift for storytelling to get at the heart of any problem.

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Problem Solver

Emily’s passion and curiosity drive her work as a communications professional specializing in K-12 education. During her seven years working with dozens of school district leaders in New York state, Emily produced award-winning communications work, including directing communications for a statewide initiative to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in K-12 education. 

A veteran journalist, Emily has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and U.S. News & World Report, to name a few. Her writing has earned awards from the New York State Associated Press Association and the New York School Public Relations Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bennington College and earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2022. 

Emily loves to ask “why?” questions, and will challenge anyone who responds by saying, “Because we’ve always done it that way.” An Oregon native, Emily lives with her family in Oneonta, N.Y., where she serves on the board of the Oneonta World of Learning, a local children’s museum. 

 

Emily Popek, APR on

Why Public Education

 In the rural communities where I have lived and worked for most of my life, public schools are the beating heart of every town – incredible oases of opportunity. And as inequalities have increased, public schools have quietly risen to meet the challenge. They don’t just educate our kids – they feed them, clothe them, and care for their physical and mental health and hygiene. The resources public schools provide are literally life-changing for so many families, and I can’t imagine what we would do without them. 

Emily Popek, APR

Public School Flashback

My sister, cousin and I were the fourth generation of our family to attend a two-room country school in rural Oregon. Somehow, our teacher managed a classroom of 30 first- through fifth-graders, with no other adults in the building to provide support. (You haven’t really seen differentiation in action until you’ve seen someone teach science to five grade levels at once!) My years at Oak Grove Elementary were precious ones, because the intimate environment of that two-room school allowed us to be deeply known and seen by our teachers and our classmates.