Joanne D. Fahey

Biography

Joanne D. Fahey joined Notre Dame Research in 2014 as its first-ever head of communications. As the Executive Director of Research Communications, Marketing, and Events, she serves on Notre Dame Research’s leadership team and manages the Research Communications Team. Here, she sets the vision for all internal and external research communications strategies and tactics, including branding, web, social media, storytelling, video, print, and more. In addition, she is a member of the University’s Naughton Fellowship Committee, which aims to connect Notre Dame researchers with their counterparts at five leading Irish universities.

In 2021, Joanne was honored by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board by being selected as a member of the Fulbright Specialist Roster in the Communications/Journalism category. She was then chosen to go to Kathmandu University in Nepal during the fall of 2023 as a Fulbright Specialist Awardee, where she supported Kathmandu University’s Global Engagement Division with strategic communications advising and research communications capacity building training for faculty and students.

Prior to working at Notre Dame, Joanne spent 11 years in Ireland. During this time, she served as a Senior Environmental Communications Consultant with RPS Group, where she worked on major infrastructure development projects, including stakeholder engagement and consultation in the energy and transportation sectors, as well as a number of communications and public awareness campaigns related to biodiversity,  waste, and more. Following her time at RPS Group, Joanne served as the Communications and EducationUSA Manager at the Fulbright Commission of Ireland. She worked closely with the U.S. Embassy in Dublin to partner on major events, such as TEDxFulbrightDublin and the annual awards ceremonies. In addition, she represented Fulbright and EducationUSA at meetings and events in the US, UK, Europe, and further afield. During this time, Joanne was also a Board Member of the Ireland-U.S. Council.

Joanne is a 2003 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Peace Studies. While at Notre Dame she held a number of leadership positions within the student radio station, WVFI, including Assistant Station Manager. In addition, she studied abroad at University College Dublin and spent a summer at Tufts University as part of their River Institute Environmental Leadership Program. After her undergraduate degree, she immediately went on to complete a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Trinity College Dublin.