Kallie Bila Michels has been appointed interim vice president for global communications and strategic initiatives, effective Sept. 1. President Mark Schlissel announced the appointment Wednesday.
Michels has been associate vice president for communications since 2008. She will step in for Lisa Rudgers who is leaving the university Aug. 31 to launch a new consulting firm.
“Lisa has invariably provided me and the institution with outstanding service and sage advice across a broad and ever-changing array of issues and challenges,” Schlissel said. “I will miss her professionalism and her personal warmth and enthusiasm.”
Michels will guide the university’s central communications operations through a time of transition while the university launches a national search for a new vice president for global communications. The president said he would appoint a search advisory committee this fall and the committee would work with an executive search firm to identify candidates for the position.
Michels joined the central communications team in 2008 after working for 20 years in marketing and communications at the U-M Health System. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts degree in advertising from Michigan State University.
The vice president for global communications is a member of the university’s executive leadership team, working closely with the president and other university leaders. Central communications offices include Presidential Communications, Michigan News, Michigan Media, Michigan Creative, Michigan Photography, Michigan Public Media, Social Media, Public Affairs, The University Record, the Branding Office, the Freedom of Information Office and the Film Office.
