Systems and techniques for managing a user persona presented in a communication session. In response to a request from an originating user for a communication session, a persona manager for the originating user is invoked, examining request details and the nature and context of the requested communication session and selecting a persona for the user, selection of the persona being employed to indicate services associated with the communication. Similarly, in response to a request from an originating user for a communication session, a persona manager for the receiving user to whom the request is directed examines details of the request and the nature and context of the communication session and makes decisions relating to persona selection for the receiving user. The decision may involve accepting a persona indicated in the originating user's request, or selecting a different persona and creating routing a request to be routed to the receiving user.