Dave Einsel is the new director of communications at Harris County Department of Education.

The veteran journalist was named director after serving as multimedia manager at HCDE since 2017. He acted as the Department’s chief photographer, created a variety of printed marketing materials and created graphics and videos for web and social media.

Before joining HCDE, Einsel was senior manager for communications and publications at Houston Independent School District. Previously he led the photography department at the Houston Chronicle, where he worked for 18 years.

The Friendswood resident is an alumnus of Texas A&M University and has won numerous photography awards throughout his career. Most recently he earned the 2018 Crystal Commendation for photography portfolio from the Texas School Public Relations Association. He was also awarded the Hearst Newspapers Eagle Award, a one-time award given for outstanding contributions, as well as the inaugural Amnesty International Media Spotlight Award.