Patricia Heerekop

Patricia Heerekop works for Universities of the Netherlands as a senior Public & Academic communications adviser. Patricia’s goal is to help bolster the academic support base, and to support major projects by means of joint communication among all Dutch universities.

 

Patricia was cut out for Lifelong Learning: she studied Design & Communication at Ichthus University of Applied Sciences in Rotterdam, completed various other professional diplomas, continued her studies in Corporate Communications at Erasmus University, and successfully completed the ‘Strategy’ learning studio at the Netherlands School of Public Administration (NSOB), where she also obtained her Executive Master's in Corporate Social Responsibility. In 2022, she took the plunge and also decided to become a primary school teacher, commencing the teacher training programme via the lateral entry route.

 

Patricia began her career at an advertising agency, as well as various ministries as a communications adviser for public and sector-based campaigns. She joined Universities of the Netherlands in 2010. To combine her work with her primary teacher training and school teaching rounds, she stepped down from her position as head of Communications and PA, and now concentrates entirely on her role as senior communications adviser two days a week, with projects such as Science Communication (including the Universities of the Netherlands video/podcast platform), Lifelong Learning, the Teacher Shortage and Sustainability.

 

In addition to her work in communications and education, in 2016 she and her husband purchased a holiday park on the beach: HaagseStrandhuisjes (The Hague Beach Houses). With their very own ‘Blogger's House’ campaign, in conjunction with Den Haag Marketing, they won first prize in the Marketing Innovation Award and the silver Grand Prix Content Marketing Award 2016.