Following a national search, President G. P. “Bud” Peterson has named Michael Warden, a 30-year public relations executive and academician, as the Institute’s next vice president for Communications and Marketing. He will start his new appointment December 1.

In this position, Warden will be responsible for developing the strategic communications plans and programs that help position the Institute as the most highly respected technology focused learning Institution in the world. He will serve as a member of the president’s cabinet and report directly to the president.

Warden is currently the associate vice chancellor for strategic communications at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

“Michael will be a great addition to Georgia Tech and the Office of Communications and Marketing,” Peterson said. “I know him to be an outstanding public relations professional and a sound advisor. I want to welcome him to Tech, and to thank Dene Sheheane and the search committee that spent the better part of three months evaluating an excellent applicant pool. Their recommendations were very valuable and guided me in the selection process.”

Warden’s professional career was shaped in the military. He served in the United States Air Force for 22 years, retiring in 1997 as director of public affairs for the Air Force Materiel Command in Dayton, Ohio. Warden then transitioned to higher education, working as a visiting assistant professor at Southern Methodist University before joining the University System of Texas as its executive director for public affairs. He began his tenure at the University of Colorado in 2007.

“I am deeply honored at this appointment and excited to join one of the world’s premier technology focused research universities,” Warden said. “The vision embodied in Georgia Tech’s strategic plan and its dynamic leadership under President Peterson and his team make this a peerless opportunity in American higher education. I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, students, alumni(ae) and the leadership team to take Tech’s messages, stories and support to new levels globally.”

Warden received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas Tech University, where he was editor of the student newspaper. He has a master’s in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in national security studies from the National Defense University, in Washington, D.C. He has completed post-graduate work in mass communication research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America, and the incoming chair of its Counselors to Higher Education.

“We were fortunate to have an outstanding applicant pool,” Sheheane said. “The committee worked hard throughout the process and I am confident that we have the best candidate for Georgia Tech in Michael Warden. His professional experience is an excellent fit with our campus environment.”