Vice President Marketing and Communications

Executive Summary

Florida State University (FSU) seeks an accomplished, forward‑looking leader to serve as its inaugural Vice President for Marketing and Communications (VPMC), a newly established, cabinet‑level role reporting directly to the President. This appointment reflects the University’s continued evolution as a leading public research institution and underscores a strategic commitment to strengthening enterprise‑level marketing, communications, brand stewardship, and reputation management.

The Vice President for Marketing and Communications will serve as FSU’s senior leader for institutional narrative, positioning, and engagement, bringing cohesion, clarity, and strategic direction to a broad and distributed marketing and communications enterprise. As a trusted advisor to the President and senior leadership, the VPMC will help shape how the University articulates its mission, priorities, and impact to internal and external audiences at the local, state, national, and global levels.

Florida State University is one of the nation’s preeminent public research universities, with rising academic and research distinction, strong enrollment demand, and an increasingly prominent role in advancing discovery, health, innovation, and public service. Located in the state capital, the University occupies a unique position at the intersection of higher education, public policy, and civic leadership.

The Vice President for Marketing and Communications will assume leadership at a moment of considerable opportunity for Florida State University. The institution’s scale, momentum, and ambition create a compelling context for a senior leader who can elevate marketing and communications as strategic, enterprise‑wide functions that advance institutional priorities and strengthen the University’s reputation.

• The Vice President for Marketing and Communications will develop and lead a comprehensive, audience‑centric marketing and communications strategy aligned with Florida State University’s mission, strategic priorities, and presidential vision. This strategy will translate institutional goals into a cohesive, enterprise‑wide narrative that connects academic excellence, research growth, student success, health initiatives, and community impact.
• The VPMC will utilize a data‑driven approach to establish clarity around priority per audiences, objectives, and outcomes to guide decision‑making, resource allocation, and the sequencing of high‑impact initiatives, while serving as a strategic advisor to the President and senior leadership on issues of reputation, positioning, and communications risk and opportunity.

• The VPMC will lead a proactive and disciplined approach to reputation management that strengthens Florida State’s visibility, differentiation, and long‑term brand equity.
• Elevating under‑told stories—such as research breakthroughs, faculty excellence, health and innovation initiatives, and societal impact—to audiences that matter most at the state, national, and global levels.
• Ensuring marketing and communications reinforce a clear and authentic brand position, balancing immediate institutional priorities with sustained reputation‑building, and defining and tracking key brand and reputation metrics to inform strategy and measure impact.

• Design and lead a modern, integrated marketing and communications organization aligned with institutional strategy.
• Clarify roles, decision rights, workflows, and accountability; establish governance, standards, and shared tools; and strengthen the central team’s ability to support alignment across a decentralized campus.
• Cultivate a strong service orientation and a culture of excellence within the central organization, while investing in professional development, coaching, and strategic hiring to ensure capabilities in storytelling, digital engagement, analytics, issues management, and executive communications.