Forthcoming organizational and staffing changes

Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce several organizational and staffing changes that I believe will better position UAlbany in pursuit of our core strategic priorities, as well as allowing us to increase the visibility and impact of UAlbany, locally and globally.

First, after the successful conclusion of a national search, Amanda Maleszweski will be joining the UAlbany family as our new senior managing associate counsel, effective October 27, 2021. Amanda joins us after serving as an assistant counsel with Upstate Medical University, prior to which she worked in the Office of General Counsel of the SUNY Research Foundation and in private practice. Amanda will also serve on my Executive Council. I am extremely grateful to Janet Thayer for her willingness to postpone her pending retirement until we had an excellent successor in place. Please join me in thanking Janet for her longstanding and outstanding contributions and commitment to the University at Albany.

In addition, after a year on the job as interim chief diversity officer, Samuel Caldwell will now serve as chief diversity officer and associate vice president. Sam will continue to sit on my Executive Council as he leads UAlbany’s investments in, and direction for, our diversity and inclusive excellence initiatives.

After careful consideration, consultation, and an extensive review, I have decided to move the reporting of the Office of Communications and Marketing to the Office of the President, under an associate vice president. I have asked Gabrielle DeMarco, current director of marketing and content strategy, to serve as interim associate vice president for communications and marketing. As part of her new role, Gabrielle will also join my Executive Council. In support of this new reporting arrangement, Jordan Carleo-Evangelist has agreed to serve as interim director of communications and university spokesperson. Under Gabrielle’s and Jordan’s leadership, effective October 1, 2021, and with the support of an internal advisory board, I am very confident that we will harness our marketing, recruitment, and communications platforms to tell UAlbany’s story as the nation’s leading diverse public research university.

Finally, please know that we continue to move forward with the search for our next vice president for research and economic development. The search committee has forwarded to me an additional slate of highly qualified semifinalists, and we anticipate bringing a group of finalists to campus later this fall. Please stay tuned for additional developments, as your active engagement and feedback will help inform our eventual decision regarding this critical leadership position.

I hope you will join me in congratulating our current colleagues on their new roles, and in welcoming our new senior managing associate counsel. These are all critical changes that will help support our institutional vision, mission and goals. 

As always, I look forward to working with you as we build on our past success and create an even stronger future for UAlbany.
 

Sincerely,

Havidán Rodríguez
President