EdR, one of the nation’s largest developers, owners and managers of high-quality collegiate housing communities, today announced the hiring of Dawn Ray as the company’s new vice president of corporate communications and marketing.

Ray joins the company from Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis where she was director of strategic and executive communications, leading a team responsible for internal communications, media relations, brand journalism, creative services and executive communications.

“Dawn’s depth of experience and positive energy will serve our company well,” said EdR president Tom Trubiana. “She’s the perfect fit to ensure the EdR brand’s growth keeps pace with EdR’s growing portfolio.”

Prior to her time at Methodist Healthcare, Ray held a variety of corporate communications and public relations positions at Hilton Worldwide, including leading global PR efforts for brands such as Hilton Garden Inn and Embassy Suites by Hilton. Her most recent position at the hospitality company was director of development public relations, where she led business-to-business communications initiatives, including the launch of two new hotel brands, Curio and Canopy by Hilton.

Ray holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Journalism/Public Relations from the University of Memphis. She is a native of West Tennessee and still lives in the area with her husband and two sons.

“EdR’s reputation not only in the collegiate housing space, but also in the real estate development community is unparalleled,” said Ray. “The passion of the company’s employees, coupled with the leadership team’s deep relationships with the nation’s greatest universities is what drew me to EdR. I plan to build upon our communication and marketing strategies to deepen those relationships and add to our growing portfolio of on-campus and off-campus communities.”

As vice president of corporate communications and marketing, Ray will lead EdR’s corporate communications team in the development and implementation of corporate communications, public relations and corporate marketing plans.

About EdR
EdR is one of America’s largest owners, developers and managers of collegiate housing. EdR is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust that owns or manages 86 communities with more than 44,400 beds serving 53 universities in 24 states. EdR is a member of the Russell 2000 Index, the S&P MidCap 400 and the Morgan Stanley REIT indices. For details, please visit the company’s web site at www.EdRtrust.com.