Blanton returns to UM

With more than 24 years of experience in military, corporate, political and nonprofit sector public relations, Danny N. Blanton has returned to the University of Mississippi as his alma mater’s director of media and public relations. His career path literally spans the globe and encompasses a wide spectrum of both military and civilian work experiences. Most recently, he was NATO’s public affairs adviser to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Embedded in Afghanistan, he trained, advised and worked to develop and publish long-term strategic communications plans, event-specific public affairs goals and written Standard Operating Procedures and policies regarding communications efforts, media relations, community relations and humanitarian aid.

His other military experiences include serving as information operations officer for the 155th Brigade Combat Team in Iraq and with the 102nd Public Affairs Detachment in Bosnia. He was also an officer in the 155th Infantry Battalion during Operation Desert Storm and spent eight years as public affairs officer for the Mississippi Military Department.

Blanton’s corporate experience includes serving as nuclear communications manager for Entergy Corp. A former communications director for U.S. Sen. Trent Lott (R.-Miss.), Blanton has had extensive journalism/advertising experience with several Mississippi newspapers, including the Kosciusko Star-Herald, Brookhaven Daily Leader and Aberdeen Examiner.

Blanton’s wife, Caron, is communications director for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.