Malloy spokeswoman to take communications post with Board of Regents

A member of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s communications staff will become the new spokeswoman for the state’s merged public university and college system.

Juliet Manalan of Wethersfield, who is Malloy’s press secretary and has worked in the governor’s communications office since January 2011, will assume her new post with the Board of Regents for Higher Education next month, the governor’s office confirmed Friday.

Manalan replaces Colleen Flanagan Johnson, who left the regents’ office in late June to become director of corporate communications for Magellan Health Services of Avon.

Samaia Hernandez of Manchester, a reporter/producer with WNPR and formerly a reporter with the Hartford Courant and the Meriden Record-Journal will become press secretary in the governor’s office.

David Bednarz, who has been Malloy’s deputy press secretary for the past 2 ½ years, will remain with the office, but his duties will be expanded to include new work in digital media.