Q&A with Erin Verplank
Many Westfield residents will know Erin Murphy from her work as the weekend morning anchor on WISH TV. But Murphy (now Erin Murphy Verplank) currently serves as the communications director for the City of Westfield. This month marks her six-month anniversary on the job.
Question: How did you wind up in Westfield?
Answer: I actually grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and came to Indiana by way of college when I attended Indiana University in Bloomington. At IU, I majored in journalism and gender studies. It was at IU that I also met my husband, Gerrit. After school, I worked at several TV stations throughout the Midwest before landing an on-air job for WISH-TV. When we moved back to Indiana for my job with WISH TV, we just knew that Westfield was home. It’s a great community to live in and raise a family. We love it here.
Q: How did your background prepare you for your current role as communications director for the city?
A: I started working for the city because working in government excited me. While I enjoyed the work I did with WISH, it feels good going into work every day knowing that what we do makes an impact on people’s lives. I work with so many great people that each day I learn something new about how the city operates. Westfield residents are truly blessed to have so many dedicated and capable city employees who work hard to make this city move. I’m honored to be a part of that team.
Q: What exactly does the communications department do?
A: Our department handles virtually every type of communication that the public sees. We handle media relations, operate the city website, cultivate our online relationships through our Facebook and Twitter pages, organize events and assist other departments with their communication efforts as well. We hope to expand our role into more video-based communication, adding more and more to our Vimeo page. We also play a huge part in Super Services, our hospitality initiative that will help with Westfield’s burgeoning tourism industry. It’s really an exciting time.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Westfield?
A: That’s a really tough question to answer. There are so many great things: trails, restaurants, the schools. At the end of the day, I’d say the best thing about Westfield is the people who live and work here. Westfield is such a great community where people really look after each other. It is a wonderful place to call home.
Erin Murphy Verplank is the communications director for the city of Westfield. She can be reached at 804-3004 or [email protected].
