Liana Zavo, Once a College Dropout, Returns to LIU to Deliver a Masterclass on PR and the Power of Branding

The case for PR in pharmacy: communicate clearly, earn trust, and lead with purpose.

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, November 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Public relations expert, author, founder, and early-stage venture capitalist Liana Zavo returned to Long Island University (LIU) to address the Jewish Pharmaceutical Society at the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, sharing how storytelling, personal brand, and strategic communications accelerate careers in healthcare and beyond. Liana Zavo delivered a high‑energy lecture to the pharmacy students, spotlighting how storytelling, personal brand, and strategic communications can accelerate careers in healthcare and beyond.

Zavo, the founder of ZavoMedia PR Group and the author of B.E.P.I.C.: Be Seen & Be Heard and the creator of ZavoVentures, a hybrid VC‑PR investment arm, stepped onto campus 17 years after leaving LIU, not as a student, but as a speaker, mentor, industry leader, and builder. She was joined by her 19‑year‑old son, Joshua, an entrepreneur and tech founder, and her mother, Valentina, a former gynecologist in Russia who earned a bachelor’s in business management from LIU, underscoring a full‑circle story of legacy, choice, and courage.

The invitation came via Miriam Boyango and Esty Shaia of the Jewish Pharmaceutical Society, who sought a speaker able to translate communications and brand strategy into the clinical and commercial realities pharmacy graduates face. Zavo delivered a candid, actionable session on crafting an authority image, building trust with clear messaging, and using content to simplify complex ideas for patients, peers, and stakeholders.

Zavo’s return to Long Island University (LIU) was a deeply personal milestone. As a teenager inspired by her grandmother, a journalist, she envisioned a future in media but was initially guided away from that path. Ultimately, she charted an entrepreneurial course—departing an LIU BS–MS track in speech pathology, training in cosmetology, and at 23 launching a styling concierge that evolved into brand‑architecture engagements across New York’s flagship venues.

Her trajectory into public relations and venture capital was decidedly nonlinear. After four years in college without alignment to her major, Zavo pivoted to cosmetology and entrepreneurship, transforming her concierge business into a live laboratory for authority image, message discipline, and executive presence. When five PR firms declined to hire her for lack of a communications degree, she built her own platform—hosting founders, convening conversations, and letting results speak. That operator mindset led to the founding of ZavoMedia PR Group, now active in 12 countries, and later ZavoVentures, a hybrid VC‑PR platform that pairs capital with category narrative, launch execution, and media firepower for founders who refuse the 2% funding status quo.

Zavo's talk fused practical frameworks with lived experience, giving pharmacy students a rare look at the mechanics of credibility, visibility, and narrative control in regulated, trust‑centric fields like healthcare. “Some moments stitch the past to the present with poetic precision,” said Zavo. “I didn’t come back to finish a credit—I came back to pour into students the lessons it took me years to learn the hard way. Your detours can become your destiny when you keep moving with purpose.”

“I’m a builder and a bridge—brand to market, founder to opportunity, story to scale,” Zavo said. “Founders don’t just need checks; they need a narrative that moves markets. The same is true for healthcare professionals: your clarity and credibility shape outcomes.”

During the lecture, Zavo shared a practical playbook relevant to pharmacy and healthcare careers:

- Own your message: define a simple, values‑aligned positioning statement
- Show up with authority: image, language, and consistency compound trust
- Make complexity simple: translate clinical concepts for non‑experts
- Build in public: publish insights, host micro‑events, and become findable
- Treat rejection as data: iterate quickly with humility and high standards

“In healthcare, trust is everything,” Zavo emphasized. “Authority comes from clarity and consistency. Before you tell a story publicly, you must own it privately. If your values, message, and presence aren’t aligned, your audience will feel the gap.”

Students left with a concrete roadmap for internships, residencies, and entry‑level roles, as well as a framework for thought leadership in healthcare policy, patient education, and industry innovation. Attendees highlighted the session’s practicality and Zavo’s directness in Q&A, where she addressed how to navigate personal branding on professional networks, set ethical boundaries in communications, and collaborate across disciplines.

Zavo expressed hope that LIU will recognize her contributions with an honorary degree and shared enthusiasm for returning soon, citing strong interest from both faculty and students. “It’s not just about returning to where you started—it’s about returning as someone who can open doors for others,” she said.


About Liana Zavo

Liana Zavo is a PR strategist, author, and early‑stage venture capitalist. She leads ZavoMedia PR Group, a communications firm serving leaders and brands globally, and ZavoVentures, a hybrid VC‑PR platform combining capital with category design, launch strategy, and media execution for women‑led tech startups. Connect with Liana on LinkedIn.

Heather Peterson
ZavoMedia PR Group
+1 212-814-7176
email us here

Liana Zavo Gives A Lecture In LIU University

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.