Patty Hobbs
Public Relations Director

Patty Hobbs was born in Anniston, Alabama and educated in the public schools in Anniston and Weaver, graduating from Weaver High School in 1972.  Ms. Hobbs received a B. S. in education in 1976 and a M. S. in Education in 1978, both from Jacksonville State University, where she was Alumna of the Year in 2002.

Ms. Hobbs taught fifth grade at Weaver Elementary School before moving to Washington, D.C. in 1980.  Her first job there was as staff assistant to then Congressman Dick Cheney.  She moved on to Congressional campaign work during the election cycle of 1982 before joining the White House staff during the first term of President Ronald Reagan. 

Ms. Hobbs joined Education Secretary Bill Bennett’s staff at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in 1985, where she worked for the next 21 years in a variety of positions.  In addition to Bennett, she worked on the personal staff of Education Secretaries Lauro Cavazos, Lamar Alexander and Rod Paige, whom she served as ED’s Director of Internal Communications.

She returned home to JSU in August 2006 as the Director of the Child Development Center at McClellan until May, 2008 when she was named JSU’s Director of Public Relations. 




Angie Ayers Finley
Public Relations Specialist

Angie Finley, a Jacksonville native, is an award-winning photographer, writer and graphic designer who has also judged state press association contests throughout the Southeastern United States. She came to Jacksonville State University from the Jacksonville News in 2000 and worked in three other departments-- the Office of Continuing Education, the Houston Cole Library and the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment-- before joining the Office of Public Relations in August 2008. Other previous positions include Public Affairs Coordinator for the Alabama Aerospace Teachers Association and Production Manager for McClellan News.

Ms. Finley has won 22 statewide awards from the Alabama Press Association in writing, photography, layout and design, including: three first place wins in feature photo, first place awards in sports photo, spot news story, in-depth news story, editorial, layout and design and graphic illustration; second place in spot news photo, picture page, sports photo, feature story, editorial, use of color in design and headline; and third place in special section and headline. Her articles and photos have been published in a number of regional and national publications.

In addition to her work at JSU, she is a freelance photographer, writer and graphic designer, as well as mom to two college-age daughters, both of whom are students at Jacksonville State. She is a member of the Jacksonville Arts Council and serves as photographer for the area's community theatre company, Community Actors’ Studio Theatre (CAST). 




Giselle Tucker
Graduate Assistant


Bill Boykins
Undergraduate Assistant


Lauren Cunningham
Undergraduate Assistant


Julie Skinner
Undergraduate Assistant