Joseph A. Brennan, Ph.D., A.P.R., Joins the University at Albany as Vice President, Communications and Marketing

Joseph A. Brennan, an established senior leader in higher education strategic communications, joins the University in August as vice president for communications and marketing.

ALBANY, NY (June 4, 2015) – University at Albany President Robert J. Jones today announced that Joseph A. Brennan, Ph.D., A.P.R., will join the University as vice president for communications and marketing, effective August 10, 2015.

Brennan comes to UAlbany from the University of Iowa, where he has served as vice president of strategic communications since 2013. For five years prior to that, Joe was associate vice president for university communications at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. While at UB, he designed and directed the communication strategy to build support for UB 2020 (University at Buffalo’s strategic vision). In addition, he has served in executive communication roles at Ohio University, Athens, OH; University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA; and The University of Toledo in Toledo, OH.

“Joe is an established senior leader in higher education strategic communications and brings to UAlbany a myriad of communications experience encompassing research, public relations, government relations, marketing and brand management, employee communications, digital and social media, and development/fundraising,” said Jones. “I am confident he will effectively lead this critically important University portfolio.”

Brennan earned a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo; an M.B.A. in marketing from the University of the Pacific; and a B.A. in English and psychology from Wayne State University.

An accomplished author, industry thought leader and volunteer, Joe is chairman of his national professional organization, the PRSA Counselors to Higher Education, with more than 550 members from across the U.S., and earned a professional accreditation in public relations (A.P.R.) from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 1998. He is a member of the American Marketing Association, Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education and Phi Beta Kappa. He is also certified by FEMA for Emergency Management Institute coursework.

“I’m very excited to be joining the University at Albany and am impressed by its academic quality, friendly people, and ambitious vision,” said Brennan. “I am looking forward to working with President Jones, his outstanding executive team, and my new colleagues in communications and marketing to tell the University’s story in a way that enhances its reputation and helps garner the additional students and resources it needs.”

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