The University of Maryland Eastern Shore welcomes a former Hawk back home as Earl Holland Jr. was named the new Director of Public Relations. He assumed the role this summer.

Holland, an Eastern Shore native and 2005 graduate of UMES, replaces longtime PR director Bill Robinson, who retired at the end of the recent school year following nearly 12 years in the role.

Before returning to UMES, Holland was the online content editor for podcasts for Healio.com, a medical publishing company covering a variety of medical subspecialties focusing on a physician-centric audience.

Holland has a decade-plus distinguished career in journalism, including previous roles at the News Journal in Wilmington as a sports producer and copy editor, and at The Daily Times in Salisbury as a reporter, web editor and producer.

Holland was also the recipient of four Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association Awards and three “Best of Gannett” Awards.

“I am thrilled to return to UMES and be a part of the ‘Hawk Family’ once again,” Holland said. “The four years I spent on campus helped shape me into the person and professional I now am. The opportunity to return the favor for what UMES helped me gain was something I couldn’t turn down.”

As a UMES student, Holland, an English major, was a member of the UMES Drama Society and was a co-student general manager at what is now Hawk Radio. He was also a four-year member of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge team, which finished as national runner-up in 2004.

Holland’s responsibilities include serving as the institution’s chief spokesman for internal and external communications while overseeing a variety of methods of information dissemination through various social media channels.

He will also help coordinate the annual Maryland Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee, held at UMES in association with the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Holland said while at UMES, he looks forward to helping the university reach increased public notice in both the region and on the national stage.

“This campus has many traditions and hidden nuggets the general public may not know about,” he said. “I think everyone should get exposure to it.”