For News Media

Matt LoJacono is the Senior Public Relations Manager for the Sanford School. In this role, he works to promote the amazing faculty, staff, and students of Sanford.

Matt has worked in higher education for over 10 years, beginning at the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and most recently as an advisor to graduate students at North Carolina State University. His career has covered several different specialties including public relations, marketing, event planning, and student services.  He is an enthusiastic supporter of the collaborative spirit of higher education.

Matt received his B.S. in Public Relations from George Mason University and his M.S. in Organizational Communication from North Carolina State University. In his free time, he is a fan of the Boston Red Sox and enjoys reading, playing games, and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Kirsten Khire brings almost 20 years of communications management and leadership experience to the Sanford School of Public Policy. She has significant experience in management, internal communications, external communications, media relations, marketing, and event planning, with many accomplishments in brand building, fundraising communications, student recruitment and donor relations. Most recently, Khire served as executive director of external relations of the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte. Prior to her leadership role in the UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business, Khire was Head of Communications for the research organization Bioversity International, based in Rome, Italy. She also served for 10 years at Michigan State University as Director of Communications for the College of Communication Arts & Sciences and Director of Communications for the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center. Earlier in her career, she was a journalist at several newspapers in Florida and an editor for a New Zealand-based international magazine.

Khire holds bachelor's degrees in Journalism and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master's degree in Technology and Communication (Digital Communication) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and has served on the boards of PRSA Charlotte and the PRSA Southeast District.