The next president of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association is a familiar face to campus and to many Tech alumni and friends.

Dene Sheheane, vice president of Government and Community Relations for Georgia Tech, has accepted the role to lead the Alumni Association beginning July 1. Sheheane is a 1991 graduate of Georgia Tech, with a bachelor of science in management, and a 1993 graduate of Georgia State University, where he earned a master of business administration.

“Dene has spent his career building relationships and gaining support for Georgia Tech with state, local, and national leaders,” said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “He will now focus on representing his alma mater and building relationships with our alumni worldwide. He is a powerful advocate for Georgia Tech in any arena, and I am pleased he will continue to serve the Institute and its alumni.”

Sheheane was named vice president of Government and Community Relations in 2014 and has served at Georgia Tech since 2007. Prior to his return to Tech as an employee, he managed external affairs and state relations at Georgia State University for 13 years, including an assignment as acting director of Georgia State’s Alumni Association. His career in government relations began working in the administration of Georgia Governor Zell Miller.

Working for Georgia Tech, though, has been the most meaningful part of his career.

“This is an exciting time in the life of the Institute,” Sheheane said. “As a proud Georgia Tech alumnus, I am most grateful for the incredible opportunity. I look forward to joining the talented staff and countless volunteers who are committed to the ongoing implementation of an outstanding five-year strategic plan. Together, we will further our mission to promote and serve all of our alumni and the Institute.”

The Georgia Tech Alumni Association serves more than 160,000 alumni worldwide. The association’s mission is to promote and serve Tech alumni and the Institute by creating meaningful programs for current and future alumni to foster lifelong participation and philanthropic support.

“Dene is an inspirational individual and will help others rally behind what it means to be a Georgia Tech alumnus,” said Alumni Association Board Chair Bird Blitch. “He is a unique leader who will challenge us to reach new heights as he has done for many on our campus already.”

Sheheane has been deeply invested in Georgia Tech since 2007, representing his alma mater to government leaders at all levels. He has advocated for and secured more than $200 million in state funding for Georgia Tech construction projects. As a member of the Institute President’s cabinet, he has been the principal advisor on matters with political and community implications and promoted Institute outreach across the state in economic and community development. He also recently served as interim vice president for Institute Communications until that role was filled in May.

For Sheheane, the new role is a natural transition. Relationship building has been a hallmark of his career, during which he has spent nearly 30 years working with legislative leaders around the state.

“People have always been my top priority,” he said. “This will be an opportunity to build relationships with Tech alumni in the same way I’ve built relationships with government leaders over the years, and to make new contributions to the life of the Institute.”

Lynn Durham, associate vice president and chief of staff in the Office of the President, will take on the additional role of interim vice president for Government and Community Relations following Sheheane’s move. Durham joined Georgia Tech in 1995, managing the legislative advocacy program in Government and Community Relations. She has been in the Office of the President since 2006 and took on her current position in 2010. She was appointed to serve on Georgia Tech’s executive leadership team in March 2019. A search for a replacement to fill the vacated vice president of Government and Community Relations position will follow Georgia Tech’s presidential transition.

Bill Todd, a 1971 Tech graduate and current professor of the practice in the Scheller College of Business, has served as interim president of the Alumni Association since Joe Irwin’s retirement in February.