On the Move: Howard U Hires Sermons as Comms Chief

Lydia Sermons

Howard University names Lydia Sermons as VP and chief communications officer. Sermons was most recently VP for public relations and communications at Spelman College in Atlanta. She previously served as vice president of strategic positioning and alignment at PAI, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for the rights of women and girls abroad. She has also served as chief communications strategist for former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. At Howard, Sermons will oversee the Office of University Communications, which includes marketing, strategic communications, web design strategy, and editorial storytelling, including Howard Magazine and The Dig. “She brings a vast amount of experience and knowledge to our institution, and I am certain that, under her leadership, our Office of University Communications will absolutely deliver on innovatively telling the Howard University story,” said Howard University president Ben Vinson III.

Lori Almeida

Allison hires Lori Almeida as chief human resources officer. Almeida joins Allison from Omnicom agency Siegel + Gale, where she served as global chief talent officer, overseeing the creation and implementation of global HR strategies. She was previously director of human resources as Merkley + Partners. At Allison, Almeida will work to redefine the agency’s global HR function by establishing its focus on hiring and retaining top-performing talent; diversity, equity and inclusion; and delivering HR solutions to positively impact employee engagement. “Lori’s collection of global HR experience within the marketing communications industry matched with her ability to align people strategies with the business’ priorities is a true value-add,” said Allison global CEO Jonathan Heit.

Sarah Kalhorn

Hotwire brings on Sarah Kalhorn as EVP, growth. Kalhorn, who was previously a VP at Hotwire from 2018 to 2021, re-joins the firm from the CMO post at Guardhat, a Detroit-based startup focused on industrial worker safety. At Guardhat, she led global marketing initiatives, partnerships and customer success. Kalhorn has also worked at Padilla and Ogilvy PR. In her new position, she is responsible for leading and mobilizing Hotwire’s new business and growth strategy for North America.