Evanston City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz today announced the appointment of Patrick Deignan as communications manager for the city.
Deignan takes over the position of Martha Logan who retired as community engagement manager at the end of last year.
Deignan has worked for the city since November 2013, holding the positions of community engagement specialist and community engagement coordinator. He’s been Interim community engagement manager since Logan’s retirement.
He previously was the communications and media planner for the Citizens Utility Board of Illinois, a nonprofit consumer watchdog organization, where he worked from August 2008 to November 2013.
Deignan has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
As communications manager, he will be responsible for all city corporate communications including social media channels, city enewsletters and text messaging, print publications, the operations of the city’s public and government access video operations. He will support the mayor, city council and city manager in a variety of community engagement initiatives. He will also serve as the city’s spokesperson and primary media contact.
Deignan launched the “Friday Forecast” weekly video series and won the City-County Communications and Marketing Association’s 2017 Silver Circle Award for “Best Use of Facebook.” He also grew the weekly citywide eNewsletter audience by more than 60 percent in five years to more than 51,000 recipients.
“Patrick Deignan has worked to build the city’s communications operations into one of the finest municipal community engagement operations in America, Bobkiewicz said. “I look forward to working with Patrick as he continues to build on these successes.”
Deignan lives in Evanston with his wife, Lisa.