Biography
She/Her
Catherine Royis a strategic communications leader with more than a decade of experience in marketing, leadership development, and nonprofit governance. She specializes in utilizing digital tools–including AI–to enhance engagement, streamline workflows, and amplify content across various platforms.
Currently serving as the Communications and Marketing Manager at Virginia Military Institute's (VMI) Center for Leadership and Ethics, Catherine plays a pivotal role in collaborating and developing strategic initiatives that drive engagement with cadets, faculty, and external stakeholders. Her messaging, content strategy, and digital media expertise have strengthened VMI's annual leadership conferences, speaker series, and outreach programs. She has successfully implemented multi-channel marketing campaigns, optimizing social media engagement and digital presence to attract broader audiences. Additionally, Catherine has played a key role in launching and managing theLeader Journeypodcast, an initiative designed to extend leadership education beyond traditional classroom settings.
Beyond her role at VMI, Catherine is deeply involved in nonprofit leadership. As the Board President of Yellow Brick Road Early Learning Center, she oversees governance, strategic planning, and fundraising efforts. She has led initiatives to enhance the center's digital presence, streamline donor outreach through segmentation strategies, and optimize internal communications. Her ability to align marketing and operational strategy has helped professionalize the organization.
Catherine's leadership journey demonstrates her commitment to lifelong learning and professional development. She has completed several leadership development programs that have equipped her with coaching, decision-making, conflict management, and organizational leadership skills. Additionally, she has pursued specialized and sometimes self-guided training in digital marketing, content creation, and AI-driven media strategies, recognizing the transformative impact of emerging technologies on modern communications.
Catherine's work focuses on exploring best practices for repurposing existing video content using AI-driven tools. She believes AI presents a unique opportunity to scale content distribution, enhance accessibility, and drive deeper audience engagement. Through her work in higher education and nonprofit sectors, she has successfully integrated AI tools to generate derivative content–such as short-form videos, social media clips, and transcribed insights–maximizing the reach and effectiveness of long-form media assets. Her expertise in this area positions her as a thought leader in the evolving landscape of digital content strategy.
Catherine's work embodies a forward-thinking approach to leadership, communications, and AI integration. She is eager to contribute her insights to the Digital Collegium, sharing best practices on how AI can be leveraged to maximize the value of video content while maintaining authenticity and strategic alignment.