Jean Ann Brakefield has been named to the position of Director of Alumni Relations at Coastal Carolina University, effective May 7.

Brakefield, who has served as vice president of the Myrtle Beach Area Convention Bureau since 1992, will be responsible for all alumni activities of the university. Her duties will include developing programs and events that engage Coastal's more than 14,000 alumni, as well as strategic planning that integrates alumni objectives in many areas of the university. She will serve as a liaison and executive director of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and work to improve contacts with Coastal graduates by establishing and developing alumni chapters in various geographical areas.

A native of Cheraw, Brakefield earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Coastal in 1984. She received an Executive Excellence Award from the Association for Convention Operations Management in 1998, and a Tourism Marketing Professional award from the Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College. She has also served on the board of the Coastal Carolina Alumni Association.

"I look forward to getting back to my alma mater and building a strong alumni program," said Brakefield, who lives in Murrells Inlet with her husband Steve and their children Carter and Sarah.