President Santa J. Ono has named a 10-member advisory committee and launched the search for the University of Michigan’s next vice president for communications.
David Gier, dean and professor of music in the School of Music, Theater & Dance, will chair the committee with the assistance of the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to conduct a national search.
As with other searches for U-M executive officers, the selection process will remain confidential until the president makes a recommendation to the Board of Regents.
The next vice president will succeed Kallie Michels, who announced in August that she would retire from the university after 34 years of service on Jan. 3, 2023.
Michels joined the university in 1988 as an information officer in the U-M Health System, now known as Michigan Medicine. She was appointed director of public relations for the health system in 2000 and was appointed associate vice president for communications in 2008. Michels was named vice president in 2017.
Rick Fitzgerald, associate vice president for communications, will be recommended to the Board of Regents to serve as interim vice president beginning Jan. 4.
Fitzgerald leads the Office of Public Affairs and serves as the primary public spokesperson for the university. He joined Public Affairs in 2009 after a long career in the news business.
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In addition to Gier, the advisory committee includes:
- Sara Billmann, vice president of marketing and communications, University Musical Society.
- Adele Brumfield, vice provost for enrollment management, Office of the Provost.
- James DeVaney, associate vice provost for academic innovation and founding executive director of the Center for Academic Innovation.
- John Lofy, executive director of marketing and communications, LSA.
- Rose Glenn, chief communications and marketing officer, Michigan Medicine; and lecturer I in communications and media, LSA.
- Martino Harmon, vice president for student life.
- Josh Pasek, associate professor of communications and media, and of political science, LSA; and faculty associate, Institute for Social Research.
- Kurt Svoboda, associate athletic director of external communications and public relations, Michigan Athletics.
- A student to be selected from Central Student Government recommendations.
Steve Yaros, director of projects, initiatives and budget, and Lynnetta Smith, project manager in the Office of the President, will act as the president’s liaison to the search. Elizabeth Neustaedter and Jack Gorman from the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller have been retained to help with the search.
Ideas, feedback and nominations should be emailed to input-VPCsearch@umich.edu.
