Paul BrownePaul Browne, who heads PR for the New York City Police Department, is heading west to the University of Notre Dame next month in the newly created role of VP for public affairs and communications, following a search.

Matthew Storin, chief communications executive at ND, and Louis Nanni, VP for university relations, have covered the post through a consolidation of PR operations started in 2011.

Browne's position in South Bend, Ind., oversees creation of a comprehensive communications strategy, starting Aug. 19.

He was the top spokesman and communications strategist for the 50,000-member NYPD after a stint as press secretary and chief of staff to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y). Browne, who started out as a reporter in New York, also held PR posts with the U.S. Treasury Dept. and New York State Court of Appeals, among others.

The NYPD has recruited John McCarthy, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg formerly with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, to take over for Brown.