In this Student Spotlight, we speak with Rochelle Naus, the deputy chief of public affairs at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL), as well as a current M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications Defense Information School (DINFOS) student with a focus on digital and social media. She shares her experiences working with the military, her interests in media and communications, and the importance of mentorship for students.
Photo: Rochelle Naus, Deputy Chief of Public Affairs at JB MDL and current WVU student.
What’s your current job title and where do you work?
I work at JB MDL in New Jersey. It is the U.S. military’s only tri-service installation, meaning it is led by Air Force, Army and Navy. It spans 42,000 continuous acres, so it’s one of the largest installations in the country.
Currently, I am the deputy chief of public affairs for JB MDL. My section is responsible for communication products for more than 88 mission partners and five branches of service, which is very unique. Typically, the branches and units have their own public affairs shops, but joint basing gives us the opportunity to communicate for and advise the other branches and not just the Air Force.
I’ve been a Department of Defense (DoD) civilian for eight years and I’ve worked for the Navy, Coast Guard, Army and Air Force.
What inspired you to join the program through the DINFOS partnership with WVU?
During my time at the DINFOS, they had a briefing on continuing education, and I learned about the partnership with West Virginia University. I had been looking into master’s programs but was having trouble finding one that aligned with my career goals in the DoD. I knew I needed a program that would help me elevate my skill set and was also applicable to military communications, and the WVU program checked all the boxes.
I knew I needed a program that would help me elevate my skill set and was also applicable to military communications, and the WVU program checked all the boxes.
Rochelle Naus, M.S. IMC '25
The program offers six areas of focus. Which one did you choose to specialize in, and what motivated that decision?
I originally enrolled in the M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications and later added an emphasis in digital and social media. I love being a public affairs officer, and it’s important for me to stay up to date with current communication methods and trends so I can be as effective as possible for both my team and my command team. We use social media every day to communicate with both internal and external audiences, so it felt like a natural addition.
What skills or lessons from the program have been most valuable in your current role?
I would say social media management and crisis communication. Crisis communication has been valuable because we often encounter situations where that skill set applies, whether it be a training exercise or an aircraft incident. Being able to keep a level head while advising a commander of next steps and then developing the communication to effectively control the narrative outside the wire are essential skills to have.
I also really enjoy it! Social media management was immediately applied to our program. I learned a lot about how to read and report metrics and which channels worked best to reach the intended audience. It’s really helped us grow our program.
Share a favorite memory or meaningful experience from your time in the program—perhaps with a professor, classmate, or project.
I would say my most meaningful experience was definitely when Wendy Ridenour became my advisor. She stuck with me, and she truly had my back. She never gave up on me. My success in this program has a lot to do with Wendy and Cindy’s (Assistant Dean for Online Programs) consistency and support. They are both absolute rock stars!
How did the online format work for you? How were you able to balance work, life, and school—and what tips would you give others trying to do the same?
Online learning can be really hard. My schedule is sometimes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The news never stops, and neither does public affairs, especially at a beast of a base like JB MDL. Honestly, I struggled and nearly failed. I went through some personal challenges and between that and my work, I just didn’t always have the time or bandwidth to deal with school. Balancing work, family, and school is one of the most challenging things I've done.
I had a lot of tough conversations with my mentors. I had a lot of heart-to-hearts with Cindy and Wendy. I leaned heavily on my support system, and I reminded myself that getting this degree and completing this program was for me. It is my achievement and something I wanted, so why not lean into it and give it my all? After a hard mentoring session, I changed my mind-set and reprioritized. I turned things around and with Wendy’s help, I brought my GPA back up.
The best advice I can give is to get a mentor and listen to your advisor, even when it’s something you don’t want to hear. In all stages of life, it’s important to have people who will be brutally honest with you and who you can confide in. We often talk about sanity checks in the DoD and it really does help!
Your LinkedIn profile highlights a strong background in graphic design. How did those skills support your success in the program and in your current role?
I started as a graphic designer in the civilian sector and transitioned to visual information with the DoD. That led to public affairs, which was something I had been chasing for nearly eight years. I wanted a career in public affairs, and after I graduated with my bachelor’s, I started applying for government civilian positions. After thousands of rejections, I finally secured a visual information specialist position with Navy Marketing. I worked there for almost three years before I was able to move into a General Schedule (GS) visual information specialist position with the Coast Guard. From there I moved into a printing specialist lead position with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
All those positions are a direct result of my education in vocational technical high school and the degrees I completed prior to WVU. While I was at DLA, I applied for a GS position at Army South in their public affairs department. I had a very candid conversation with their deputy public affairs officer who said he would send me to DINFOS and teach me how to be a public affairs officer if I would move to Texas and manage the social media and website.
I eagerly accepted, and within a month, my parents were helping me pack a U-Haul and driving me from Norfolk, Virginia to San Antonio, Texas. After nearly six years of government service, I finally caught my big break. After graduating DINFOS and my time with Army South, I took a position with San Antonio Army Recruiting Battalion as the chief of public affairs and advertising. A little over a year later, I had a great interview with my captain, who was preparing to take the chief of public affairs position at JB MDL. We clicked instantly, and he offered me the position not too long after that.
I drove my little Jeep with a dog and two cats from San Antonio, Texas across the country to JB MDL in New Jersey. I’ve been in this position for almost two years now. I’m still using my graphic design skill set for video and social media products, and I have in all my positions to date.
How has your career evolved since starting the program?
I believe that we are always evolving and learning. My career has evolved in ways I never expected and certainly wasn’t prepared for. Not too long after I got to JB MDL, my captain deployed, and I had to step up and become the chief of public affairs. This was for a mission I didn’t fully understand yet, and for a branch I had never worked for before. I was still learning about the Air Force and suddenly found myself responsible for five civilians, seven enlisted members, and two junior officers. I was also responsible for advising various colonels and their branch equivalents across a base so massive that I still needed GPS to find things.
I was terrified I would fail my commanders, captains, and team and jeopardize my career. Instead, I matured in my position and leaned on my lieutenant and enlisted team members, and we took care of each other. My coursework helped me find more confidence in my position. We encountered a lot of unexpected situations I had never dealt with in previous positions, and there were times when crisis communication training came in handy. I became a trusted advisor for some of our leadership on base. Most importantly, I made my captain proud and felt like I did something right. I absolutely put my education to work every single day as a public affairs officer.
What advice would you offer to prospective students who are considering a similar path?
I have this talk a lot with new Airmen and DoD civilians. DoD public affairs is not for the weak. You will be pushed and challenged in ways you don’t expect with more work and longer hours than you probably ever have. It will make you feel defeated, burned out and overwhelmed.
But—when you see your name on a byline for the first time, cover your first major event, or see your team succeed, all that pain and strife goes away. The sense of accomplishment and sense of purpose I get from serving my country and from my career field is immeasurable. Every time I witness one of our teammates overcome an obstacle, get promoted, win an award, or get recognized for their work, I feel so proud because I had the opportunity to have been part of their journey.
Content creation was tough, but leadership is on a level all its own. I went from being responsible only for my work and myself to running an entire section of 15 to 17 individuals who all have lives outside the gate with their own struggles and goals. I support them while balancing the other responsibilities of the section. I was not at all prepared for that challenge, but I am so grateful that I had a great foundation and an amazing support system always cheering me on.
When my captain returned from deployment, we fell right back into rhythm. We lead the section in lock step, which is a great feeling. As exhausting as this career field can sometimes be, it is worth it and there’s nothing else I would rather do. If a career in civil service public affairs is what you’re looking at and you’re up for the challenge, go at it full throttle. You won’t be sorry. I have been given so many amazing opportunities, and worked with people from all over the world. There’s nothing like it.