Maureen Harmon
Maureen is a cofounder and managing partner at Dog Ear Creative. She is also the Editor-in-Chief, Publications, and Director of Communications at Rice Business, the business school at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Previously she was the Director of Creative & Editorial Content at Denison University, and the editor of Denison Magazine, the flagship print publication of the college. At Denison, she created and audited content for offices across campus, thinking through the best ways to tell Denison's story in print and online. Maureen began her career in 2001 as an associate editor and later senior editor at The Penn Stater magazine in State College, Pa. Both Denison Magazine and The Penn Stater have garnered numerous national awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, as well as many professional organizations in the writing and design worlds.
Brand Strategy
Maureen worked with Ologie, a Columbus-based creative firm, to lead the re-branding work for Denison University in 2019. The work started with the university brand, including logos and color palette, and was then brought to the rest of campus through education and ongoing maintenance of the school’s brand standards. In the years that followed, Maureen worked to bring the brand into the magazine and website, as well as admissions materials and fundraising initiatives. Though Maureen left Denison in 2021, these pieces are just an example of how that brand work is still being used today.
Storytelling / Magazine Publishing
During COVID, the original Sewanee magazine ceased publication. By 2022, the Sewanee staff was ready to bring it back. The team at the University of the South hired Maureen Harmon and Dog Ear to relaunch a fully redesigned Sewanee magazine. Dog Ear audited content, created new editorial sections, and partnered with 2Communiqué, a design firm in Albany, New York, to rethink the publication. The new magazine launched in the fall of 2024, and Maureen continues to guide editorial strategy for the magazine today.
Sewanee Magazine
Maureen joined Rice Business in 2022 as the editor of Rice Business magazine and was quickly promoted to Director of Communications. At Rice, she introduced new editorial sections and a more conversational tone to the magazine, where she oversees two writers and a designer. The staff is looking forward to redesigning the magazine in the coming years.
Rice Business Magazine
Maureen worked as Director of Editorial and Creative Content at Denison, where she was the editor of Denison Magazine, the school’s flagship print publication. During her time at Denison, she worked to redesign the publication in 2017. The fall 2021 issue was her last at the university before she stepped down to run Dog Ear Creative full time.
Denison Magazine
Rice Business Campaign: Institutional Announcement
Press Release
Community Message from Leadership
Social Posts
As the communications lead for Rice Business, Maureen develops integrated communications strategies that advance the school's highest priorities and strengthen its reputation among key audiences. She leads executive communications, media relations, editorial strategy, and storytelling while building campaigns that support major institutional initiatives—from national rankings and fundraising efforts to new academic programs, building announcements, and strategic milestones. Working closely with marketing, admissions, advancement and school leadership, Maureen helps translate complex ideas into compelling narratives that elevate the Rice Business brand, drive measurable institutional impact, and engage students, alumni, and donors. At Rice Business, Maureen also contributes directly to marketing campaigns in key markets.
Rice Business Faculty Research
As Editor-in-Chief, Publications, and Director of Communications, Maureen oversees Rice Business Wisdom, an online ideas magazine that translates academic and faculty research into actionable insights for business professionals.
Grinnell College Social Campaign
Grinnell College hired Dog Ear Creative to help create messaging strategies and build several campaigns focused on fundraising. Maureen and the Dog Ear team also built an actionable strategy behind posts from the newly formed “Grinfluencers,” Grinnell’s social media student ambassadors.
