Most TLU graduates carry with them four years’ worth of memories from their time on campus—eventful years of learning, making lifelong connections, and growing their wings. But alum Julie Hiner ’92 arrived for her first day of school with a full bank of TLU memories already in place. “I basically grew up on campus, running around with other professors’ kids,” she says. (Her dad is Dr. Bob Hiner, who taught psychology at TLU for 33 years, arriving in the 60s and staying right through his retirement.)
So when it came time to choose which college to attend, TLU was a seamless fit for Hiner. She chose communications and media studies as her major and enjoyed the small class sizes, the dedication of her professors, and the chance to explore her faith—all the while soaking in the liberal arts curriculum, which would provide the foundation for her career. “The coursework made me a more well-rounded person and professional, someone who can see the big picture,” she says. And those small classes? They boosted her faith in herself. “Beyond academics, TLU gave me exceptional access to campus leaders, which gave me the confidence to hold my own in a room with senior business leaders.”
The Liberal Arts Mindset
Hiner’s undergrad years equipped her well for a very rewarding career journey—and she says the liberal arts mindset remains a valuable asset in today’s job market. “At a time when everyone is becoming so specialized, this education gives you a broad, inclusive perspective. In a corporate environment, that translates into what I call ‘enterprise thinking’—which means taking all functions and teams into consideration as you create solutions for the total business.”
Hiner had watched for years as her father cultivated long-term relationships with his students, so she sought that same attention and enduring collaboration with her own professors. “Fast forward to today, the same is true with the leaders and co-workers that I interact with every day,” she says. “TLU is special because of the students, faculty, and staff. In the same way, people are what drives a company’s culture and makes it unique.”
Hiner knows a thing or two about company culture. Since graduating, she’s held positions that have allowed her to transform corporate communications over a wide range of companies—the most recent of which is Illumina, an American biotechnology company.
But to understand what led her there, let’s rewind a bit, back to Hiner’s professional goals in her college days. “My favorite class at TLU was mass communications,” she recalls. “For a brief period, I thought I wanted to work in broadcast news. After an internship at a local news desk and a brief stint in radio, I found my professional home in corporate communications. In the early days of my career, it became clear that those first few jobs were not going to be my long-term path. I’m thankful that they helped me understand more about what I liked and what I was best at.”
Finding Her Voice
She wrapped up her degree in 1992 and headed out into the field, working her way through her first jobs, moving across the country to be where the opportunities were. Then came her first big break: a position with Lucent Technologies. “At the time, the telecommunications company was a giant, with over 200,000 employees across the globe, and a Wall Street darling,” she says. “It was my first formal corporate communications role and the first time I directly supported an executive. It was so daunting! Mentors within the company helped me find my voice and, over time, I gained the courage to use that voice.”
Unfortunately, Lucent fell on hard times, eventually merging with another company and finally being acquired by yet another. “Times were good, until they weren’t,” says Hiner. “The company faced a downturn and quite literally couldn’t keep the lights on. I was still diligently working when a senior leader shared one of life’s most important lessons: knowing when to stick it out and knowing when to move on to the next opportunity. That experience also taught me the importance of transparency. It also taught me that character towers above corporate politics.”
Just like she did in college, Hiner packed up every lesson she’d learned and took them with her as she moved forward in her career—and she used the experience at Lucent to her advantage. “Throughout my career I have been drawn to companies that are in the midst of deep transformation or change,” she says. “For example, I joined Capital One as they were transitioning from a credit card company into a bank. My team built, from scratch, the communications structure for the new banking business. The same holds true for my current role at Illumina. I joined when the company had an entirely new C-suite and a communications strategy that needed a full and global refresh. That blank slate gave me a massive voice to shape the next era of Illumina’s communications.”
The Path to Illumina
On the journey toward Illumina, Hiner worked at companies like Citigroup, AMD, and Lumen Technologies. She crisscrossed the country, basing in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, and now, California. But looking over the whole of her experience thus far, Hiner can see the common threads that run through all these positions, and the important lessons that she’s learned: “One, change is constant—embrace it! Two, everyone has a story, and it’s the honor of a communicator to share that story. Three, transparency is key. Transparency drives trust with your employees and confidence with your audience.”
“One, change is constant—embrace it! Two, everyone has a story, and it’s the honor of a communicator to share that story. Three, transparency is key. Transparency drives trust with your employees and confidence with your audience.”
Today, as head of communications at Illumina in San Diego, Hiner finds that she still loves the work. “I believe that communications is the best job in corporate,” she says. “Why? Because we get to make connections and tell stories. When done well, we move market perception, help sales teams drive revenue, position our senior leaders in fantastic media moments, ensure employees are engaged, protect the company brand, and so much more.”
Illumina is on the cutting edge of the development of DNA sequencing systems. It works with companies worldwide to provide next-generation genetic analysis tools so that scientists can read and study genetic material to understand disease and lead the way toward advances in medicine. And it’s Hiner’s job to get the word out, all the while keeping the lines of communication ever open within the company as well.
“My role at Illumina puts me at the center of an industry-leading biotech company,” she says. “Illumina is working to improve human health with DNA sequencing. Illumina’s life science solutions advance cancer research, diagnose genetic disease, track infectious disease, and so much more. My role encompasses internal, external, and social media communications as well as the company’s employee experience, community relations, and philanthropic efforts. There’s honestly not one thing I love most . . . because I love it all.”
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges. “Of course, there are parts of this job that are not so easy,” Hiner admits. “When the company faces challenges, the communications team makes sure that we are sharing a transparent story that keeps confidence in the company. If the press gets a story wrong, we need to correct it. If there is a lawsuit halfway around the world, we have to address it. We also work as a global team, which is fantastic, but those 4 a.m. calls with our colleagues in China mean I will need a lot of extra caffeine that morning! That said, every difficult day is in service of a mission to improve lives . . . well . . . that is bigger than any tough moment.”
TLU Memories
And even though there are a lot of miles between Seguin and San Diego, Hiner still carries those TLU memories with her wherever she goes. Picking out a favorite from among the years she spent on campus—whether from her childhood or her college days—isn’t easy. “As a professor’s kid, I have 23 years of TLU/campus memories to choose from,” she says. “I think about my summer job lifeguarding at Mabee pool. And getting a C in the intro to psychology class taught by my own dad! We still argue about that grade. Probably my favorite memory would be July 4th potlucks with all of the professors and their families at Dr. Giesber’s property. The backyard was banked against the Guadalupe River, and it was a time where the amazing faculty and staff really came together as a family.”
Really, all of those memories boil down to one thing. “Bottom line, my favorite memories have been and will continue to be about the people. Across TLU’s social media and communication platforms—you can see the quality and caliber of the talent this university is sending out into the world. It’s impressive and I feel very fortunate to count myself as a fellow grad. TLU is such an incredible place and I’m grateful to have spent so many years involved with the school.”
