Jim Hampton Named Public Relations Director at Embry-Riddle

Hampton joins the university after 10 years at Universal Studios Orlando, where he was director of publicity and public relations. In his new position, Hampton will be responsible for media relations, crisis communications, and planning and developing public relations strategies. He will report to Lisa Ledewitz, vice president of communications and marketing.

During his years at Universal, Hampton served as a primary company spokesman, created and managed the theme park's broadcast public relations program, and led the company's expansion publicity team as Universal transitioned from a single theme park to a major destination.

Before joining Universal, Hampton spent seven years with the Walt Disney World press and publicity office, specializing in broadcast public relations and in domestic and international media relations.

Hampton's professional career began in broadcast news, where he worked as a reporter, producer, anchor, and news director for several TV stations, primarily in Tennessee. He has also been a contributing writer for the Orlando Business Journal, specializing in tourism. He holds a B.S. in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Hampton may be reached by phone at 386-226-6157, by pager at 1-800-901-5369, or by e-mail at james.hampton@erau.edu.

Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 24,000 students annually through the master's level at residential compuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 150 teaching centers in the United States and Europe, and through distance learning.