Turnitin Welcomes Melissa Havel as its first Chief Communications Officer

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Turnitin, a global leader in academic integrity, assessment, and AI-driven learning solutions, announced the appointment of Melissa Havel as its first ever Chief Communications Officer (CCO).

Havel joins Turnitin at a pivotal moment as the company deepens its role in advancing academic integrity and guiding educators and institutions through the responsible use of AI. In her role, she will unify communications and brand strategy to strengthen Turnitin's voice globally.

"Melissa's career has been defined by her ability to translate innovation into trust, helping organizations shape their narrative with integrity and purpose," said Chris Caren, CEO of Turnitin. "As Turnitin evolves and takes a leading role in the responsible use of AI in education, her expertise and passion for education will amplify our story and strengthen our global impact."

With 30 years of communications experience across agency and corporate settings in technology and regulated industries, Havel has advised executives in high-stakes environments. For the past few years she has been consulting with clients in the AI, energy, education and technology industries.

"As AI reshapes education, Turnitin is uniquely positioned to lead the conversation with integrity and responsibility. I am excited to join the team at this moment and to help tell our story and deepen our impact across the global education community," said Melissa Havel, Turnitin's new Chief Communications Officer.

Prior to being an independent consultant, Havel was the senior communications leader at Portland General Electric and before that, she served as an executive vice president in the technology sector at We. Communications. Beyond her corporate work, Havel has taught courses in Brand Reputation Management and The Art and Science of Influence at the University of Oregon's Strategic Communications Master's Program.

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About Turnitin

In 2025, the company launched Turnitin Clarity, enhanced Turnitin Feedback Studio, pioneered AI bypasser detection, and published its first global research study on AI in education, all while earning a spot on TIME's list of the World's Top EdTech Companies and Turnitin Clarity being named to TIME's list of the Best Inventions of 2025.

Turnitin  is a global company dedicated to ensuring the integrity of education and meaningfully improving learning outcomes. For more than 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educational institutions to promote honesty, consistency, and fairness across all subject areas and assessment types. Turnitin products are used by educational institutions and certification and licensing programs to uphold integrity and increase learning performance, and by students and professionals to do their best, original work.

Over 16,000 academic institutions, publishers, and corporations use Turnitin services: Turnitin Clarity, Gradescope by Turnitin, iThenticate, Turnitin Feedback Studio, Turnitin Originality, Turnitin Similarity, ExamSoft, ProctorExam, and Ouriginal.

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SOURCE Turnitin