OTC spokesman takes job in Union

Seven-year Ozarks Technical Community College spokesman Joel Doepker has accepted a job in the northeast Missouri city of Union.

Doepker, director of communications and marketing for the Springfield community college, starts Nov. 4 as vice president of external relations for East Central College, according to a news release.

"Joel understands community colleges, who we serve and why we exist,” ECC President Jon Bauer said in the release. “That understanding is fundamental to working effectively with our external constituents. Whether it’s marketing the institution, managing the website, working with partners on workforce development and other noncredit offerings, or dealing with grant entities, he has our core mission at heart.”

Doepker joined OTC in 2006 from Tulsa, Okla., where he worked as a reporter for KTUL-TV. He also is a five-time Michigan Emmy winner for his photojournalism work for WJRT-TV in Flint, Mich., according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Doepker's announcement is one of two by Springfield college spokesmen this month. Mark Miller of Drury University is slated to start Nov. 4 as spokesman and issues coordinator for the University of Colorado-Boulder.