After a months-long national search to fill Tech’s vacant vice president of communications and marketing position, Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson announced that Michael Warden will assume those duties starting Dec. 1.
Warden spent the past four years serving as the associate vice chancellor for strategic communications at the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder. In his new role as VP of Communications and Marketing, Warden will be in charge of developing the overarching strategic communications plans and programs for the Institute. As a member of the Institute President’s cabinet, he will report directly to Peterson. When he arrives to campus, Warden’s first priority will be to set up meetings with other campus communicators and start immersing himself in Tech’s daily life.
“The first part of the job is really learning the institution.” Ward said. “I need to learn the organization, learn the school [and] learn the issues.”
One of his chief responsibilities will be to help transition the Institute’s recently announced Strategic Plan from a prescriptive document to a more tangible plan of action.
“You’ve got to take the plan now and make it a living document. The institution will do a lot of planning about implementing GT 2035,” Warden said.
Warden emphasized the importance of establishing success in the short, medium, and long run.
“They need to see that it’s more than just a document, more than just a plan,” Warden said.
When he begins his new position on Dec. 1, Warden will be reunited with former coworker Peterson. The two worked together when Peterson served as the Chancellor of the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder.
Before working at Colorado, Warden served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs at the Univ. of Texas (UT)at Austin and as spokesperson for the UT System.